A grounded theory of Korean-American women and their Euro-American husbands managing conflict associated with their children's educational aspirations

The substantial number of bicultural marriages between second-generation and 1.5-generation Korean-American women and European-American men has resulted in a growing number of biracial children. Little is known about the parents' educational aspirations concerning these children. Specifically, it is unclear how parents manage the conflict associated with the educational aspirations of their biracial children. The purpose of this study is to discover, describe, and explain how second and 1.5-generation Korean-American women and their European-American husbands handle the conflicts associated with their children's education in Southern California.;Since the study involved exploration into a sensitive area which had not been previously studied, and the goal was to discover (rather than test) theory, this warranted the use of qualitative methodology and the grounded theory method to explain this phenomenon. In addition, the study necessitated gained knowledge from the couples and their experiences and moved into the private worlds of the families as they worked out their tensions and struggles regarding their children's education, possibly exposing discord between the husbands and wives.;Nine married couples comprised of Korean-American women and European-American men participated in this study and were interviewed; four of these couples participated in two separate focus groups with two couples in each. Representative of qualitative research, the nine couples were asked open-ended, semi-structured questions about their educational aspirations, experiences, and how these experiences influenced their conflict management styles as parents. In addition, questions spotlighted how their conflict management styles influenced the rest of their families. The focus groups utilized the same open-ended, semi-structured questions, focusing on how couples handled their conflicts, differences, values, roles, and the impact on the extended family.;A thorough analysis of the data yielded the following central understanding: The influence of culture on the husband and wife, combined with their own educational experiences and aspirations, impacted their values, which molded their educational aspirations for their children, and in turn informed how they managed their conflict. Moreover, from careful analysis, three major themes emerged from the selective coding: (a) Educational experiences and aspirations of the couples and their children, (b) Cultural influences that impacted values, and (c) Conflict management.