Relationships between demographic variables and immigrant parents’ perceptions of assimilative adolescent behaviours

Relationships Between Demographic Variables and Immigrant Parents' Perceptions of Assimilative Adolescent Behaviours

Noorfarah Merali University of Alberta

Claudio Violato University of Calgary

This research examined relationships between parental age, education, family size, length of residence in Canada, dyad type (same-sex parent-adolescent dyad versus opposite-sex parent-adolescent dyad) and immigrant parents" perceptions of assimilative behaviours that adolescents are likely to display as a result of their involvement in the Canadian school system. An ethnically mixed sample of 36 parents and their adolescents responded to a questionnaire that solicited ratings of the degree of acceptability of prototypical assimilative adolescent behaviours. Analysis of Variance indicated that the match or mismatch between the sex of the parent and adolescent did not affect behavior ratings. Multiple Regression Analyses revealed that parental education was the only variable that significantly predicted parental approval or disapproval of adolescents' behavioral shifts towards Western norms.

Cette recherche s'est pench~e sur les rapports entre l'd~ge parental, la scolaritd, Ia taille de la famille, Ies anndes pass#es au Canada, Ie type de dyade (une dyade parent-adolescent de m~me sexe par rapport h une dyade parent-adolescent de sexe different) et les perceptions qu'ont les parents immigrants des comportements favorisant l'assimilation que Ies adolescents sont aptes h adopter en raison de leur int(gration dans le systfme scolaire canadien. L'on a administrd un questionnaire un dchantillon rdunissant 36 parents et leurs adolescents d' origines ethniques diff&entes pour solliciter leur (valuation du degrd d'acceptabilitd de comportements adolescents arch~typaux qui favorisent l' assimilation. Une analyse de la variance a r(vd( que Ie type de dyade n'dtait pas un facteur significatif dans Ies dvaluations des comportements. Une analyse par r~gression multiple a indiqu( que la scolarit~ des parents dtait la seule variable significative dans I' approbation ou la ddsapprobation parentale quant h l'acceptation par les adolescents des normes de comportements occidentales.

Key words/Mots-clefs: Assimilation; parents; adolescents; behavior/comportement; behaviour/ comportement.

O 2002 by PCERII. All rights reserved./Tous droits r6serv6s. ISSN: 1488-3473

JIMI/R1MI Volume 3 Number/num6ro 1 (Winter/hiver 2002):65-81

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The adoption of multicultural policy by the federal government of Canada in 1971 resulted in efforts to recruit and support immigrants. Canadian multicultural policy encourages cultural heterogeneity within the confines of linguistic duality; ethnic group members are free to retain indigenous cultural values and behaviours, but they must display primary allegiance to Canadian culture by acquiring official languages (Berry, 1984, 2001). The process of cultural adaptation is seldom as simple as preserving one's heritage while becoming bilingual. Integration into the host society is complicated by premigration conditions, as well as postmigratory processes such as acculturation (Berry, 2001; Boekestijn, 1988; Hertz, 1993).

Acculturation is the process of sociocultural transition whereby immigrants make two related decisions: (a) about how much of their unique cultural identity will be maintained, and (b) about how important it is to establish and sustain relationships with members of other ethnic groups (Berry, 1997, 2001). Parents and adolescents from other countries have been found to disagree about the degree to which they should become like other members of the host society after immigrating (Baptiste, 1993; Huan~ 1994; Rick & Forward, 1992; Segal, 1991). Berry (1997) referred to this aspect of acculturation as the process of"culture shedding" or assimilation. Immigrant adolescents' adoption of host society ideals has been related to specific demographic and social influences. Perceived discrepancies between their high receptivity to culture shedding and the perspective of their parents are significantly positively related to the number of years that the adolescents have spent in the Western school system and their length of residence in the host society (Rick & Forward, 1992). Through their school experiences, immigrant adolescents are saturated with the values and practices of the dominant culture (Ghuman, 1991; Violato & Travis, 1995). Another variable that has been implicated in adolescents' behavioural shifts towards Western norms is sex: female adolescents have been found to be more receptive to culture shedding than their male peers (Georgas, 1991; Ghuman, 1991; Rappoport, Lomski & Masalha, 1989). This sex difference has been attributed to the liberating nature of Western egalitarian practices as compared with the heightened restrictions placed on the behaviour of daughters across many immigrant and refugee groups (Dion & Dion, 2001).

Despite the demographic and social influences on adolescent behaviour, immigrant parents may react negatively to culture shedding on the part of their children (Dion & Dion, 2001). Behaviours considered to be normal by Western parents may be viewed as signs of oppositional

66 Journal of International Migration and Integration

REI_M'IONY, HIPS BI:TWEEN I)F:MOGRAPtTIC VARIABI,ES AND IMM1GRANI' PARENT,':,' PERCEH'IONS

defiance by immigrant parents (Baptiste, 1993; Huang, 1994; Segal, 1991; Sluzki, 1979). Parent-child conflict and reduced levels of family cohesion can result (Gil & Vega, 1996; Noels, 1999). The purpose of this study was to supplement existing research on factors influencing adolescent behavior by examining relationships between demographic variables and immigrant parents' perceptions of adolescents' behavioral shifts toward Western norms in order to identify the family profiles that may be characterized by the greatest intergenerational gaps.

In this section, research suggesting that the variables of sex, age, education, family size, and length of residence in Canada may be possible mediators of parental views of culture shedding is reviewed. Then the study hypotheses are delineated. The findings of many studies imply that the match between a parent's and adolescent's sex may affect perceptions of assimilative behaviours. As mentioned above, female adolescents have been found to be more receptive to assimilative changes than their male counterparts (Georgas, 1991; Ghuman, 1991; Rapoport et a]., 1989). This has been attributed to the fact that most immigrant and refugee cultures place more restrictions on the behaviour of adolescent girls than on the behaviour of adolescent boys (Dion & Dion, 2001). Specifically, parental double standards have been reported to exist in families of Spanish, European, Asian, South Asian, and Muslim descent (McGoldrick, Pearce & Giordano, 1982; Waxter-Morrison, Anderson & Richardson, 1990). Mothers and fathers, however, do not necessarily have the same behavioural expectations of their children. El-Islam, Malasi, and Abu-Dagga (1988) discovered that minority cultural group membership was positively associated with marital conflict about issues such as mate selection, family relationships, and women's rights. The work of Georgas (1991) on the acculturation process in Greek families further implied that fathers tend to be less restrictive in upholding cultural values when they have sons as opposed to daughters. Mothers of daughters and mothers of sons were found to be equal in their degree of retention and assimilation of in-group and host society values respectively. These results suggest that there may be congruence in the views of mothers and daughters and fathers and sons about the process of culture shedding. There may be greater potential for intergenerational conflicts about the perceived acceptability of assimilative behaviours among parents and adolescents of opposite sexes.

Other demographic variables that have been implicated in the acculturation process are age, length of residence in Canada, socioeconomic status, and family size. Birman and Tyler (1994) reported

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a positive correlation between the age of adult male Russian-Jewish immigrants in their sample and global measures of both value and behavioural acculturation. This relationship was found to be independent of the relationship between the immigrants' length of residence in the United States and their acculturation status. Immigrants' length of residence in the host society has also been found to be positively associated with various indices of behavioural assimilation, including language use, food choice, and peer association (Carr & Williams, 1993; Rick & Forward, 1992; Sodowsky & Plake, 1991; Suinn, Richard-Figueroa, Lew & Vigil, 1987). However, Chinese and Mexican-American family studies have obtained different results; these studies have revealed that with greater tenure in the host society, adult immigrants often change only in terms of their relationships with external systems. The degree of control exerted over family members and the number of family rules appear to remain constant (Rosenthal & Feldman, 1990; Rueschenberg & Buriel, 1989).

Positive correlations have been obtained for the relationship between socioeconomic status and degree of individualistic orientation (Freeman, 1997; Marshall, 1997), which can be considered to represent an assimilative shift from Eastern to Western ways. These correlations can be partly attributed to the positive relationship between educational level and degree of individualistic orientation (Freeman, 1997). Therefore, parents who are highly educated may be more receptive to the behavioural shifts that their adolescents display as a result of their involvement in the Canadian school system than those with fewer years of formal schooling. Family size may exert an opposing influence: Large families may be less permeable to outside influences, thus becoming vehicles for cultural maintenance (Abu-Laban, 1991). The corresponding hypotheses of this study were threefold: (a) that there would be a greater level of disparity between immigrant parents' and adolescents' views of assimilative behaviours among opposite-sex dyads than among parents and adolescents of the same sex; (b) the variables of parental age, years of schooling, and length of residence in the host society would be positively related to the perceived acceptability of assimilative adolescent behaviours; and (c) family size would be inversely related to immigrant parents' acceptance of adolescents' behavioural shifts towards Canadian norms.


RELAI'IONSHIPS BETWEEN I)tlMOGRAPHI(' VARIABI,ES AN[) IMMIGRANI" PARENTS' PER('EPTIONS

Method

Participants The sample consisted of 36 parent-adolescent dyads. Nine dyads were mainland Chinese, 7 were Spanish, 5 were Serbo-Croatian, 4 were Polish, 6 were Muslim, and 5 were Vietnamese. Twenty-one of the participating parents were mothers, and 20 of the adolescents involved were males. The nucnber of opposi te-sex parent -adolescent dyads exceeded the number of matched-sex pairings (19 versus 17). The average ages of the participating parents and adolescents were 42 (SD = 5.50) and 15 (SD = 2.05), respectively. Al though the mean family size reported was 4.2 member s , 61.1% of the par t ic ipa t ing families inc luded only one adolescent. The length of time that the families had resided in Canada ranged from 9 months to 22 years (M = 3 years, SD = 3.5 years).

Th i r ty -one of the par t ic ipat ing paren t s were marr ied, 3 were separated/divorced, I was widowed, and I was a single parent. In general, the parents reported having some high school education (M = 10.56 years of schooling, SD = 5.57). All of the parents could be grouped into one of the following occupational categories: (a) unemployed, (b) student, and (c) manual labourer/service-worker. Twenty-two of the parents comprised the first category, 8 comprised the second category, and 6 were employed.

The immigrant parents and adolescents were recruited from a series of f i rs t- language informat ion sessions about a cultural integrat ion program being offered by a settlement agency in a major Canadian city. There were two criteria for their voluntary involvement in this research: (a) membership in an immigrant family with an adolescent between the ages of 12 and 18, and (b) a minimum length of residence in Canada of six months. Prior to six months in the host society, the settlement process may take precedence over the acculturation process (Sluzki, 1979). In the event that a family inc luded more than one adolescent , the participation of the older sibling was solicited. Older adolescents may have spent more time in the Western school system than their younger counterparts, exposing them to different behaviour patterns. Alternatively, if they arrived late in the junior high or high school years, they could experience strong pressures to assimilate in order to gain acceptance into established friendship circles.

Materials A Behaviour Questionnaire was developed to address immigrant parents' and adolescents ' perceived degree of acceptabil i ty of assimilative

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behaviours that adolescents are likely to display as a result of their involvement in the Canadian school system. The items were generated with reference to the literature on immigrant families. These items addressed prototypical assimilative adolescent behaviours encompassing patterns of interaction and expression, independent or autonomous behaviours versus family-oriented behaviours, and Western cultural participation. The interaction/expression items addressed friendship and dating preferences and style of dress. Items pertaining to independence and autonomy focused on activities pursued with friends rather than family such as sleeping over at friends' houses and going to night clubs, as well as behaviours such as talking back to parents and relatives and moving out on one's own prior to marriage. Items pertaining to the use of the English language, consumption of Canadian foods and products, involvement in Western cultural holidays and festivals, name alteration, and the adoption of materialistic behaviour addressed adolescents' participation in the surrounding Western culture. The items were presented to 14 bicultural psychologists, social workers, and settlement workers representing all the ethnic groups involved in the study. Their feedback on item content, wording, and ordering was incorporated. The final version of the instrument consisted of 24 items.

The Behaviour Quest ionnaire solicits ratings of the perceived acceptability of the 24 assimilative behaviours for Boys and Girls separately; a 5-point Likert scale is attached to each item on the Boys and Girls subscales. A rating of i represents a judgment that the behaviour is completely unacceptable for adolescents of that sex, whereas a rating of 5 represents a judgment that the behaviour is completely acceptable for adolescents of the specified sex. The maximum and minimum scores on each of the sex Likert scales are 120 and 24, respectively. A total score representing the overall degree of perceived acceptability of assimilative adolescent behaviours across sexes can be derived by adding the Boys and Girls subscale scores.

The Behaviour Questionnaire was translated into the six languages of the study participants using the process of forward and backward translation described by Larson (1984): For each language, one bilingual expert translated the questionnaire from English into the first language, and another reproduced the English version from the first language variant. Inconsistencies in meaning were corrected through consensus. In addition to the Behaviour Questionnaire, the Client Intake Form used by the settlement agency hosting the research was used as a means of collecting demographic information about the research participants.


RtLLAI'IONSHIPS BETWF}]N DEMOGRAP|IIC VARIABIZS AND IMMIGRANT PARENTS' PERCEPTIONS

Procedure Pernice (1994) postulated that immigrants and refugees are most receptive to participating in research when members of their own communities are involved in the implementa t ion process. Consistent with this guideline, the bicultural professionals conduct ing the information sessions for the cultural integration program administered study materials. The Behaviour Ques t ionna i r e and the Client Intake Form were administered during the last hour of the information sessions. Parents and adolescents completed the questionnaire in a group setting in different rooms. Both English and first-language versions were made available to account for varying levels of English proficiency among family members.

Results

In four cases respondents had not completed either the Boys or Girls scale on the Behaviour Quest ionnaire; three of these participants neglected the Girls scale items, whereas one omitted the Boys scale ratings. In the five cases where an individual item on the Behaviour Questionnaire was missed, the mean score for the individual participant across other items on the same sex subscale was substituted for the missing value. The data obtained from the English and first-language versions of the Behaviour Questionnaire were aggregated for a reliability assessment. The Behaviour Questionnaire was found to have high internal consistency (N=71 respondents, Cronbach's alpha =.91 for the Boys scale, and N=69 respondents, Cronbach's alpha = .93 for the Girls scale).

Sex and Parent-Adolescent Assimilation Disparity Analysis of Variance was used to assess the degree of discrepancy between parents ' and adolescents ' perceptions of the assimilative behaviours included on the Behaviour Questionnaire. Two 2 x 2 x 2 Factorial ANOVAs were performed in order to examine separately the main effects of family member (parent or adolescent), sex of parent, and sex of adolescent, as well as their interactions (same-sex versus opposite-sex parent-adolescent dyad) on Boys and Girls scale ratings. No significant main effects or interaction effects were found. The means and standard deviations from these analyses are summarized in Table 1, where it can be seen that the means and standard deviations are similar across all groups. These results suggest that the sex of the parent, sex of the adolescent, and type

Revue de I'intogvatJon et de la migra t ion in te rna t iona le 71

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of parent-adolescent dyad did not influence the perceived acceptability of assimilative behaviours among the research sample.

Relationships Between Other Demographic Variables and Behaviour Questionnaire Scores In order to explore the potential effects of demographic and other family variables on the Behaviour Questionnaire scores of immigrant parents, two standard multiple regressions were conducted with years of schooling of parent, age of parent, length of residence in Canada, and number of family members as independent variables and parents' Boys scale scores and parents' Girls scale scores as the dependent variables.

The results of the analyses for paren ts ' Boys scale scores are summarized in Table 2. As can be seen from these results, the multiple regression model including all the demographic and family variables (Model 1) produced a mukiple _R of .68. The combination of the variables accounted for 46% of the variance in parents' Boys scale scores (p < .01). Simple correlations (Pearson product moment coefficients) revealed that both years of schooling and family size were significantly related to parents' Boys scale scores, but in opposite directions; parents' years of schooling was positively associated with their perceived acceptability of assimilative behaviours for Boys, _r (34) = .59 (12 < .01), whereas parents' Boys scale scores were inversely related to family size, r (34) = -.44 (12 < .01). However, an inspection of the beta weights indicated that parental education was the only variable that accounted for unique variance in parents' Boys scale responses, Beta = .49 (12 < .01). This could be because there was significant collinearity between years of schooling of parent and number of family members, r (34) = -.30 (12 < .05), suggesting that better educated parents tended to have smaller families.

Table 3 contains a summary of the multiple regression analysis of the parents' Girls scale scores. The combination of demographic and family variables produced a multiple R of .44, which did not account for a significant proport ion of variance in parents ' Girls scale responses (19%). An inspection of the beta weights and correlations between each variable and parents' Girls scale ratings revealed that like the parents' Boys scale responses, years of schooling of parent was significantly positiveIy related to the perceived acceptabiIity of assfmitative behav~ours, _r (34) = .43 (12 < .01). Furthermore, parental education accounted for a significant proportion of unique variance in parents' Girls scale responses, Beta = .44, (12 < .05). Its potency as a predictor of Girls scale scores appeared to be cancelled out by the number of other nonsignificant variables entered into the regression analysis.


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Table 2 Multiple Regression of Parents' Boys Scale Scores

Model R

Change Statistics R R Square F dfl df2 Sig. F

Square Change Change C h a n g e

1 .678 a .460 �9 6.601 4 31 .001

aPredictors: (Constant), Length of Residence in Canada, Number of Family Members, Age of Parent, Years of Schooling of Parent.

Coefficients

Standardized Variables in Equation Coefficients t Sig. Correlations

Zero- Beta order Partial

(Constant) 1.949 .060

Years of Schooling of .490 3.411 .002 .594 .522 Parent

�9 176 1.229 .228 .302 .216 Age of Parent

Number of Family -.265 -1.902 .066 -.436 -.323 Members

-.003 -.021 .984 -.237 -.004 Length of Residence in Canada

Part

.450

.162

-.251

-.003


RELAI'IONSHIPS BUI'WEEN DEMO(;RAPflIC VARIABI.ES AND IMMIGRANT PARENTS' PERCEPTIONS

Table 3 Multiple Regression of Parents' Girls Scale Scores

Change Statistics R R Square F dfl dr2 Sig. F

Model R Square Chan e Change Chan ~ ............................................................................................... L g e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1 .438" .192 .192 1.837 4 31 .147 a .

Pre&ctors: (Constant), Length of Residence in Canada, Number of Family Members, Age of Parent, Years of Schooling of Parent.

Coefficients Standardized

V___aLi_'_a__b 1 e s .i n.. E f t_ u_ a f t . o n ........................................ C 0 e f f i c ! . e n t s - ........................... t ....................... S_!._g: ............................... C~ .........................

Zero- Beta order Partial Part

(Constant) 1.463 .153

Years of Schooling of .435 2.476 .019 .429 .406 .400 Parent

-.093 -.529 . 6 0 0 -.014 - . 0 9 5 -.085 Age of Parent

Number of Family -.005 -.029 .977 -. 1 l 5 - . 0 0 5 -.005 Members

-.026 -.146 . 8 8 5 - .121 -.026 -.024 Length of Residence in Canada

A comparison of the multiple regressions for the parents' Boys scale and Girls scale scores revealed that: (a) years of schooling of parents is the most significant independent variable in both equations; and (b) number of family members is significantly related to parents' Boys scale scores, but not to parents' Girls scale scores, and appears to play a role in parents' Boys scale responses through its inverse relationship with parental education. The correlations between years of schooling of parents and parents ' Boys and Girls scale ratings were similar (.59 and .43 respectively).


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Discussion

The present study has two major findings. First, analysis of variance of Behaviour Questionnaire scores indicated no significant difference in the degree of disparity in immigrant parents' and adolescents' views of assimilative behaviours among same-sex and opposite-sex dyads. Second, the results of the regression analyses suggested that rather than being universal, discrepancies between immigrant parents ' and adolescents' perceptions of assimilative behaviours may be related to family characteristics. The specific variables implicated in parental views of adolescent behavioural shifts towards Western norms were level of parental education and family size.

For both the parents' Boys and Girls scale responses, parental education was the most important variable in the regression analyses. The positive relationship between years of schooling of parents and the perceived acceptability of assimilative behaviours is consistent with the works of Ahsan and Khursheed (1990) and Freeman (1997). Among the many functions of education is the promotion of a relatMstic perspective: Individuals learn to accommodate novel ideas and concepts. Hence increased education may make immigrant parents more receptive to the behavioural changes their adolescents display as a result of involvement in the Canadian school system. The multiple regression analysis for parents' Boys scale responses suggested that family size may exert an opposing influence: Family size was inversely related to parents' Boys scale scores. The fact that parental education and family size were negatively correlated suggests that less educated parents may have larger families that reinforce cultural maintenance. Earlier research has found that large family units may challenge Western influence by functioning as analogues to the wider ethnic community (Abu-Laban, 1991). The congruence between the perceived degree of acceptability of assimilative adolescent behaviours among the immigrant parents and adolescents who participated in this study can be understood on the basis of the regression findings: In terms of demographic profile, there was a disproportionate number of one-child families, and many of the parents were university-educated (on average they had at least some high school education). This sample profile supports the observed relationships between parental education, family size, and perceptions of assimilative adolescent behaviours.

The correlations obtained in the regression analysis of parents' Girls scale responses on the Behaviour Questionnaire revealed that years of schooling of parents was the only variable that was significantly related


Rt32*(I'IONStlIPS BH'WEEN I)EMOGRAI~tlIC VARIABI.ES AND IMMIGRANT PARENTS' PERCEH'IONS

to the perceived acceptability of adolescent behavioural shifts towards Western norms. The lack of a relationship between family size and the immigrant parents' perceived acceptability of assimilative behaviours on the part of female adolescents may reflect the existence of different standards for the behaviour of daughters as compared with sons that are less amenable to demographic influences (Dion & Dion, 2001).

Surprisingly, however, sex and dyad type (i.e., same-sex versus opposite-sex family members) were not found to be related to either parents' or adolescents' perceptions of assimilative behaviours in the analysis of variance that was performed. In Georgas' (1991) study, fathers of daughters were found to be more traditional in their values than fathers of sons. There was no difference in the values of mothers of daughters and mothers of sons. In addition, the female adolescents in his study were found to display higher rates of integration of host society values than their male counterparts, suggesting possible father-daughter conflicts. The discrepancy between the results of this study and Georgas' results may stem from the different ial emphases on values and behaviours. It can be surmised that behavioural assimilation does not necessarily reflect or correspond to assimilation of host society values. Focusing specifically on behaviours, it is plausible that daughters may perceive fathers to be more stringent with respect to their behaviour than their mo the r s based on any observed value differences. Nevertheless, perceived differences may not reflect family realities. Most studies that focus on intergenerational conflicts between parents and adolescents in terms of general acculturation status or specific dimensions of accul tura t ion have focused on e i ther perce ived or actual intergenerat ional gaps without assessing the congruence be tween perception and actual family patterns (see Aldwin & Greenberger, 1987; Rick & Forward, 1992, for examples). Merali (2002) found that parents and adolescents from the Hispanic community tended to underestimate or overestimate the degree of intergenerational gaps in their families with respect to each family member's assimilation status. This led to the perception of large parent-adolescent assimilation disparities in families where there was a relative similarity in the actual assimilation status of the parents and adolescents.

The results of this study need to be understood in the context of its four limitations. First, the research relied exclusively on self-report data. Second, the low socioeconomic status of the research participants limits the generalizability of the findings to immigrants with higher social positions. However, unemployment and underemployment are core

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features of the downward mobility spiral to which immigrants are subjected (Canadian Task Force on Mental Health Issues Affecting Immigrants and Refugees, 1988). This sample may, therefore, accurately reflect the socioeconomic status of recent immigrants to Canada. Third, the results may be influenced by the ethnically mixed nature of the research sample: The relative congruence between parent and adolescent Behaviour Questionnaire scores among some of the ethnic subsamples (e.g., the Polish and Former Yugoslavian families) may have cancelled out the higher rates of disparity among members of other ethnic groups (e.g., the Hispanic and Chinese families) in the assessment of intergenerational and sex differences. However, the consistency between the demographic profile of the sample and the obtained relationships between parental education and family size and Behaviour Questionnaire scores supports the validity of the obtained results. Finally, the small sample size and unequal sex distribution of the sample may have limited the statistical power of the analysis of variance, thus warranting replication with a larger number of participants.

Notwithstanding the limitations, the results of the present study provide important insights about the factors that may influence parents' views of adolescents' behavioural shifts towards Western norms. Paired with findings about adolescent assimilation, it seems that the greatest potential for parent-adolescent conflict exists among large families that are characterized by low levels of parental education and by adolescents' entrenchment in the Canadian school system. Thus parental education may mitigate the existence of parent-adolescent conflict in the assimilation process. Formal educational programs offered to immigrants should not only provide literacy skills and job training for participants, but might also include elements of general Canadian culture and studies of normative behaviours of adolescents to facilitate successful family adaptation to the new society.


RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES AND IMMIGRANT PARENTS' PERCEPT/ONS

Appendix A Behaviour Questionnaire

Item Completely Slightly Completely Unacceptable Unacceptable Acceptable Acceptable Acceptable

1. Speaking English at home 2. Eating English foods at home 3. Watching English movies/shows 4. Changing names so they sound

more Canadian 5. Celebrating Canadian holidays 6. Dressing like Canadian teens 7. Comparing one's own possessions

to those of others 8. Hanging out with Canadian teens 9. Having friends of the opposite sex 10, Going to Canadian friends' homes 11. Going to the homes of friends

from your counu'y of origin 12. Sleeping over at friends" houses 13, Spending more time with friends

than family 14. Going out at night 15. Staying out late at night 16. Going to night clubs/dances 17. Going to parties 18. Dating I9, Dating teens from other groups 20. Telling one's parents they are

old-fashioned 2 I. Talking back to parents 22. Talking back to relatives 23. Talking about sexuality 24. Moving out on one's own

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 I 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 I 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

l 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 I 2 3 4 5 t 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

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Documents

Relationships between demographic variables and immigrant parents’ perceptions of assimilative adolescent behaviours