"The Compass of Our Life": A Qualitative Study of Marriage and Faith Among Chinese Immigrants
Keywords
Chinese immigrant families, marriage, qualitative methods, religious faith
Abstract
Twenty highly religious Chinese Christian married couples (n = 40) were interviewed to examine how religious faith influenced their perceptions of marriage and family life. Most participants held advanced graduate degrees (14 PhD and 13 MS degrees). Their ages ranged from 28 to 66, and the number of children ranged from one to four. Grounded theory methods (including open coding and axial coding) were applied to analyze the data. Based on the interview data three emergent themes were identified: (1) Moving from atheism to theism (“God is love”), (2) changing perceptions of marriage (“Marriage is established by God”), and (3) a new priority (“Put God first”). Supporting qualitative data are presented in connection with each theme. Implications for research and practice related to Chinese immigrants’ marriage and family in the United States are discussed.
Original Publication Citation
*Lu, Y., Marks, L. D., & Baumgartner, J. (2011). “The compass of our life”: A qualitative study of marriage and faith among Chinese immigrants. Marriage & Family Review, 47, 125-148.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Lu, Yaxin; Marks, Loren; and Baumgartner, Jennifer, ""The Compass of Our Life": A Qualitative Study of Marriage and Faith Among Chinese Immigrants" (2011). Faculty Publications. 4883.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/4883
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2011-05-03
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/7687
Publisher
Marriage & Family Review
Language
English
College
Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Department
Family Life
Copyright Status
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Copyright Use Information
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