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Dear Friend,
I am writing to ask your help in participating in a research study I'm conducting on family, gender and culture among sons/daughters of Asian immigrants in the U.S. I'm a professor from the Sociology Department at the University at Albany (SUNY Albany) (You can view my credentials at: www.albany.edu/sociology/html/socweb/faculty.htm).
You have been asked to participate in this study because you are an American-born or American-raised son/daughter of Korean/Chinese/Taiwanese immigrant parents; you are between the ages of 25 and 40; and you have lived in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area for at least three years. Your name was obtained through a referral. Your participation is confidential and voluntary and you are free to answer any questions you'd like, to withdraw your consent and/or to discontinue participation at any time without penalty. The general purpose of the study is to examine the ways in which Asian immigrant family culture shapes children's long-term views on family, ethnicity and culture. It is estimated that there will be at least 70-100 participants interviewed.
If you volunteer to participate in this study, I would first ask for some brief background information vis-a-vis e-mail or phone in order to prepare for our interviews. With your consent, I would then ask you to provide about 1-1.5 hours of your free time for an audio-taped, face-to-face interview. The interview will consist of open-ended questions about childhood/family experiences, past/current relationships and activities, school/workplace experiences, and views on identity, family and culture. The interview will be scheduled at a time and place that is most convenient for you. If you are available, I may also get in touch with you to cover any follow-up questions, although you are free to decline at any stage of the research. Other than potential discomfort in answering these questions, risks will be minimal, given these interviews are strictly voluntary and confidential and interview questions are open-ended. You will be given a choice of either $15 or a $15 Barnes & Nobles gift certificate as a token of appreciation for your participation.
If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel free to contact Angie Y. Chung at: Department of Sociology, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222; (work) 518-442-4677; (e-mail) [email protected]. I can also send you a copy of a consent form, which gives you more information on the study. If you are interested in participating in this study, you may either contact me directly or give me permission to contact you by filling out the information below. I greatly appreciate your help and look forward to meeting you.
Sincerely,
Angie Y. Chung
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