In the past, our Lab has conducted focused-group discussions with high-school boys to see how they anticipate and navigate dating relationships. As we learned from these discussions, gender norms and stereotypes exerted a large influence on their expectations of, and the psychosocial processes used during dating relationships. Cross-cultural patterns are also palpable in the discussions, which is of immense interest to us due to our Lab's focus on cross-cultural research. For an overview of the past studies that we have conducted on adolescent's making sense of intimate relationships, please visit this page. Recently, we began conducting a study that focuses on the gender norms that Asian-Canadian adolescents encounter in their daily lives and their struggle between the gender norms of their heritage culture and those of the Canadian mainstream.

Project description: In this study, we will be engaging in focus-group discussions, with four to five male peers and two research assistants, about your perceptions of gender norms and how they affect you. The discussion will take place over Zoom, with audio and video so that we all enjoy an interactive, immersive discussion. We will also send you a few short surveys to fill out about yourself right after the discussion. This session will be audio recorded, and the data will be kept on a secure, encrypted laptop to ensure everybody's confidentiality. We have UBC ethics approval # H13-02133 for this study.

Eligibility: We are seeking interested high-school-age boys from grades 9 to 12, who self-identify as Asian-Canadian. However, boys of all cultural backgrounds are more than welcome to participate. A communications device with a working microphone will be needed for distanced discussions and we will ask you to get parental consent to participate before we meet.

Study duration: The discussion will take about an hour, scheduled at a mutually convenient time. You are free to withdraw at any time without penalty. In the future, we plan to host a follow-up discussion to gain participant feedback on our understanding of the data; participation in the second round of discussion is optional.

Compensation: Whether you complete the study or not, you will receive a certificate of participation for your academic portfolio and you will be entered into a draw for a $25 gift certificate to an outlet of your own choice as a thank you for your participation in our research.

Contact us: If you are interested in helping us out or have any inquiries, please respond to this webform, and we will respond to you within a week! You can also call us at 604.947.2066 in British Columbia or 506.477.8679 in New Brunswick if you are interested in helping us out. Thank you!