Keywords

Adopted children, Adoptive parents, Dialectic, Interpersonal communication, Interpersonal relations, Interracial adoption -- United States, Vietnamese American children

Abstract

This study investigated the communication experiences of adoptive parents of children transracially adopted from Vietnam. Though adoption has been extensively studied in communication research, transracial adoptions involving children from Vietnam has not. Thus, this study examined adoptive parent communication experiences using dialectic theory and relational dialectics. By examining adoptive parents’ communication with their adopted child and others, we can determine tensions that occur in different communication experiences. Data were collected through eight qualitative in-depth interviews conducted with adoptive parents of children from Vietnam. Openness with both strangers and the adopted child(ren) and preservation of key aspects of the adopted children’s original culture emerged as themes in adoptive parent communication. Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2010

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Musambira, George

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Communication

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0003535

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0003535

Language

English

Release Date

December 2011

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences, Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

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Included in

Communication Commons

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