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Opportunity with Sara Docan-Morgan, Ph.D.:  

Korean adoptees' reunions with their birth families
My name is Sara Docan-Morgan, and I am a Korean adoptee and an assistant professor of Communication Studies at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse.

I am conducting a research study that examines Korean adoptees’ reunions with their birth families. I am interested in adoptees’ communication (or lack thereof) with their adoptive families about these reunions, as well as the communication that takes place with birth families before, during, and after reunions. My overall goal is to better understand Korean adoptees’ birth family reunion experiences and the interactions that surround these reunions.

If you are a Korean adoptee 18 years or older and have reunited with your birth family, I would be honored to hear about your experience. I will be conducting interviews in-person or via Skype, depending on your preference. I would be happy to set up an interview at a time and  location convenient for you. Interviews will last approximately 30-75 minutes, depending on the amount you would like to share.

If you are interested or have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 507-450-3561, or e-mail me at docan-mo.sara@uwlax.edu.

A little about me:
If you would like to see my faculty profile, please visit: http://www.uwlax.edu/commstudies/faculty-staff.htm#SaraDocanMorgan

My work has recently been published in the Journal of Korean Adoption Studies, the Journal of Family Communication, and the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.  

Opportunity with Lisa Charlie de Morais Teixeria, M.A.:

Stories of Adult Transnational Adoptees and their Adoptive Parents:
Co-Authors: Lisa Charlie de Morais Teixeira, M.A., University of Washington (International Studies – Korean focus) and Karen R. Benally, Ph.D., Northwestern University (Cultural Anthropology); Assoc. Prof. Emeritus, San Juan College, Farmington, NM

You are invited to become part of a research study that explores the relationship between transnational adoptees and their American adoptive parents. There are two parts to the study, and we welcome your participation in either or both.

1. SURVEY
The surveys are available on-line:
● one survey is designed for adult transnational adoptees (ages 18+): https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Stories_Adult_Adoptee
● one survey is designed for parent(s) of adult transnational adoptees: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Stories_Adoptive_Parent

Each survey takes about 30 minutes and may be completed in a single session, or divided into segments. To take either the adoptee or parent survey, click on the appropriate link above.

The adoptee and parent surveys are similar in format. Part I of each survey asks basic demographic information that address the pre-adoption history of the adoptee; experiences growing up with the adoptive family and community; exposure to the adoptees birth culture and heritage; current life situation; and so on. Part II of each survey incorporates a set of questionnaires that focus on family background, cultural socialization, and life satisfaction of both adoptee and parent.

Results will be posted on our website (http://transnational-adoptee-parent-study.webs.com/). Respondents will remain anonymous (via a secure SSL encryption system). This research project was approved by the Institutional Review Board at San Juan College in February 2011.

2. ORAL HISTORIES
We are also collecting oral histories from both adult transnational adoptees and their adoptive parent(s).

We are beginning our research in two quite different settings: racially and ethnically diverse Hawai'i, where many of the adoptive parents are Asian or of mixed heritage; and Michigan, where adoptees typically grew up with two Caucasian parents in settings where racial and ethnic diversity was minimal. Our research will also take us across the United States, collecting stories from a variety of perspectives and diverse backgrounds.

We hope that the process of sharing the stories will not only enhance the adoptee-adoptive parent relationship but also provide inspiration to parents who are just beginning the process of transnational adoption; to adoptees who may be struggling with issues related to the formation of adoptive, racial, and cultural/ethnic identity(ies); to adoptive parents who would like to form deeper connections with their adopted child(ren); and to others, such as adoption professionals and community leaders, who would like to better understand the experience of transnational adoptees and their families.

Excerpts from the stories -- with informed consent and explicit permission of interviewees – may be posted on our project website as well as in any publications that result from this research.

Opportunity with Sarah Park, Ph.D.: 

Transnationally Adopted Koreans’ Information Seeking Behavior

REQUEST FOR PARTICIPATION
Introduction:
My name is Sarah Park and I am an assistant professor in the Library and Information Science Program at St. Catherine University, and I am researching the information seeking behaviors of adopted Koreans. My main research question is: how do adopted Koreans go about seeking information regarding adoption and birth histories, what are some barriers, specific needs, and resources available to aid in this process? The goal of my research is to understand and frame the information behaviors of adopted Koreans, as well as analyze and highlight the needs, resources, and barriers related to information seeking. 

I invite you to participate in this project of advancing knowledge about search experiences through an interview about your own search experiences. The interview will take approximately one hour and be audio-recorded. All data will be kept strictly confidential, secured behind passwords and locked cabinets/offices, and destroyed upon completion of the project.

Participant Requirements

Adopted Koreans age 18+ who have conducted a birth search.

If interested, please contact Sarah Park:
651-690-8791 (Office)
spark@stkate.edu

This project is funded by the St. Catherine University Carol Easley Denny Faculty Research Grant. For more information about Sarah Park: http://sarahpark.com

Opportunity with Danielle Godon, M.A.: 

Sense of belonging in Korean transracial adoptees

My name is Danielle Godon, and I am pursuing my M.A. in psychology at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. I would like to invite you to participate in a study of Korean adoptees that focuses on sense of belonging to one’s birth and adoptive groups.
Being a Korean adoptee myself, I know what it is like to look one way, but sometimes feel another way. For my thesis, I am exploring how we navigate between feelings of similarity and difference. Since past studies have indicated some Korean adoptees feel like outsiders amongst both White people and Korean people, I hope to discover factors that facilitate positive interpretations of difference. 

I am looking for people who were adopted from Korea, by a White parent or parents, to participate in an online survey that takes about 30 minutes  to complete. To compensate you for your time, at the end of the survey, you will have the option to be entered into three raffles for $50 each. If you are interested in taking the survey, please click the link below. After completing the survey, you will also have an option to volunteer for a one-hour interview over the phone; if you are selected, you will receive at $20 gift card to the store of your choice. This survey is open to all Korean adoptees worldwide.  

Thank you very much for considering my request. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to email me (godon22d@mtholyoke.edu), or my advisor, Patricia Ramsey (pramsey@mtholyoke.edu). If you have friends who might be willing to complete this survey, please send them the link! 

Thank you!

Danielle Godon

Here is the link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QC2KXZ 

Oppportunity with Shawyn Lee, MSW, LGSW:

My name is Shawyn Lee. I am a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota in the School of Social Work. I am conducting a study examining attachment styles of adult Korean adoptees in a romantic relationship context. Specifically, I am interested to see whether or not sexual orientation and/or gender identity have an impact on attachment styles. I am looking for adult heterosexual and LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) Korean adoptees between the ages of 23 and 42 to participate in the anonymous study. This is the first study of its kind looking specifically at potential attachment differences between heterosexual and LGBTQ adult Korean adoptees. I appreciate your willingness to participate in this ground-breaking and important study!

I am attaching the consent form to this email for you to read. This same consent form will appear on the actual survey itself and you must agree to it before proceeding. Please contact me directly (contact info is in the consent form) with any questions you may have. 

This study should take you anywhere from 20 - 45 minutes to complete. 

Please share the survey link with anyone in your networks who is an adult heterosexual and/or LGBTQ Korean adoptee between the ages of 23 and 42 (adoptees older than 42 are encouraged to participate as well).

Again, thank you so much for your participation!

Here is the survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FZ7ZJLJ

Sincerely,

Shawyn Lee, MSW, LGSW 
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