ERIC Number: ED527719
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 253
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: ISBN-978-1-1245-7445-5
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
"Discovery of Calling on a Road Not yet Taken": A Qualitative Exploration of the Influence of Religious and Cultural Values on the Vocational Identity of Second Generation Vietnamese American Young Adults Training for the Helping Professions
Cao, Minh-Kha Michael B.
ProQuest LLC, Psy.D. Dissertation, Azusa Pacific University
There is a growing predicament among second generation Vietnamese American young adults desiring to study and work in people-helping professions. Although this population wants to maintain a sense of belonging, loyalty, and duty toward their ethnic heritage, they are essentially breaking cultural norms by pursuing occupations that are not readily recognized and supported by the Vietnamese community. Yet, these professions are congruent with their personal interests and the religious and cultural values instilled in them. Through a semi-structured interview and an acculturation/enculturation measure (Asian American Values Scale--Multidimensional), the current study sampled 13 second generation Vietnamese Americans to explore how religious and cultural values affect what they view as their vocational calling and why they made their decisions to train in their chosen helping professions. This study employed Grounded Theory analysis which produced 5 major themes: children of faith, bicultural experience, family dynamics, vocational pursuit, and essential helping values. Each theme represented cumulative and consistent processes occurring throughout their narratives that were found to contribute to the formation of their vocational identity. The ethno-religious heritage of second generation Vietnamese American young adults training for the helping professions provided them with balanced worldviews and prototypical figures to model after, encouraged social involvement and continued religious and cultural practices, and also emphasized building and maintaining relationships. These by-products in turn reconfirmed their vocational identity and are hypothesized to be consistent with the work values of the helping professions. Future research, clinical implications, and limitations of the study are addressed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Asian Americans, North Americans, Young Adults, Religious Factors, Biculturalism, Family Environment, Group Dynamics, Career Exploration, Values, Helping Relationship, Career Choice, Conflict, Cultural Background, Grounded Theory, Occupations, Interests, Interviews, Self Concept, Professional Identity
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Values Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A