Date of Award

1998

Degree Name

EdD Doctor of Education

Dissertation Committee

Susan M. Zgliczynski, PhD, Director; Steven A. Gelb, PhD; Patricia Heras, PhD

Keywords

culture, families & family life, Filipinos, generational gaps, immigrants, Leadership studies, minority & ethnic groups, qualitative, storytelling

Abstract

As we share our experiences with others, we also explore its meaning to ourselves and to whomever it is being shared with. This is how stories are told. Most families usually develop a body of stories that is passed on from one generation to the next generation. These stories are used to preserve the family member's identity, history, and values. The stories touch not only our past experiences, but also influences our present and links it to the future. This study explored the Filipino American families' experiences of storytelling as a means of bridging together past, present, and future experiences of grandparents, parents, and children. What was the significance of listening to others' life experiences? What meaning came about from these stories? How did three generations view their own experiences in regards to bridging a possible gap between each other? Through a qualitative study approach, I carried out a series of in-depth interviews for exploring grandparents, parents, and children's experiences of storytelling and understanding related to bridging their past, present and future. All the adult participants are post-1965 immigrants. The data suggests that the grandparents and parents have similar Filipino familial values. They are also resilient in adapting to a new and very different culture. Parents still can relate to the grandparents' life stories, but the children already have found it difficult. Despite this, the grandparents, parents, and children were able to understand each other's world more by listening to stories from each other's generations. All three generational groups recognized their responsibility of passing on their stories to preserve the Filipino heritage. The study provided a 3 Generational Link Model that demonstrates the interdependence of the three generation in preserving their Filipino culture. In addition, a Five-Step Model illustrating Effects of Intergenerational Storytelling emerged from the data analysis.

Document Type

Dissertation: Open Access

Department

Education

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