Case Study: Cross-Cultural Parentese
I completed this case study in Honors Seminar: Language and Culture. I developed a research question from studying in my major and studying language and culture in the Honors class. I wrote and conducted the case study after feeling that there was a gap in research on the subject of cross-cultural parentese, and I synthesized information to develop a research question and answer it. I was able to write about my results in a research paper, and I am currently in the process of writing an abstract and submitting my research paper to the Journal of Undergraduate Research.
My process of completing this case study was useful in learning how to conduct other case studies. I took the broad category of language and culture, and I narrowed the topic down until I found the topic of cross-cultural parentese. I made my paper reflect that process as well. From there, I found a case study subject who I wanted to interview. My research question was developed from study of research in my discipline and research that related to language and culture that I found through my Honors 401 course. I chose my research question because I could not find anything like it, and I wanted to explore how different cultural background impact child language development, specifically through how parents talk to their children. Because I used language that was specific to my discipline, I made sure to define it in my introduction. I developed interview questions that I thought would properly cover my topic, and I carefully planned the time and manner of the interview so that it would be the best time for my subject.
After I completed my case study, I felt accomplished, as though I has contributed knowledge to my discipline that I could share with others. I have a special interest in therapy for bilingual and multicultural individuals, so I was glad that I had taken steps to learn more about it. In graduate school, I want to explore how cultural background influences language, and I hope that there will be more research on if/how parentese differs across various different cultures. This knowledge is very important for working with clients and being culturally competent, and it is very important in my field. I hope that I can get it published in the Journal of Undergraduate Research, and I hope that perhaps someone else will be inspired to conduct research that will benefit others.