Qualitative Methods in Asian American Psychology INTRODUCTION

The lives of Asian Americans living in the United States are both diverse and rich. To best capture the breadth of their experiences, a range of methodological approaches is needed. Although quantitative methods are most frequently represented in psychological studies focused on Asian Americans, qualitative methods have also significantly contributed to the field and gained increasing attention over time. This article introduces Part 1 of a 2-part special issue devoted to studies that use qualitative methods to examine a range of Asian American topics. Part 1 of the issue begins with a 12-year content review of qualitative research on Asian American psychological well-being to provide a broad overview of past qualitative methods and topics. Following this, individual studies are presented that investigate specific experiences regarding body image among heterosexual Asian American women, parental racial socialization among transracially adopted Korean American adults raised by White parents, adolescent views on the indigenous Chinese parent-child relationship concept of qin in immigrant Chinese families, and the impacts of a coordinating council in facilitating community health programs that serve Chinese American families. The studies incorporate a variety of methods and highlight the contributions of qualitative inquiry in understanding the lives of Asian Americans.