Asian Parents and Their College Age Children: Examining Family Influence on Careers

Abstract

There is a significant amount of literature on the role of family for Asian Americans' career development process. However, there is limited research examining how both Asian and Asian American college students and their parents view the role of family influence on careers. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the congruence of family influence on careers among Asian and Asian American parent and their college age children dyads, specifically examining congruence of acculturation, cultural values, and intergenerational conflict among the dyads. There were 30 Asian and Asian American parent and college age child dyads. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between these variables. Results of the regression analyses suggested that congruence of acculturation, cultural values, and intergenerational conflict predicted congruence of the family expectations aspect of family influence. Implications for theory, intervention, and research are discussed.