A discrepancy between academic success and social/emotional difficulties appears to be a problem among East Asian adolescents. This qualitative grounded theory study examined how the cultural influences in parenting practices of East Asian parents impact aspects of emotional intelligence in older adolescents. A total of 20 older adolescents (ages 16 to 19) and 20 mothers, from Chinese and Korean heritage, living in the Southern Bay area in California participated in the study. The data collection was through formal, in-depth, and open-ended interviews and the administration of standardized emotional intelligence questionnaires. Three methods of coding were used to analyze the data. Open coding was conducted by color-coding the major themes. Axial coding developed concepts into categories and interconnecting them. Selective coding was used to identify the story line that pertains to the group. The building of a story in four phases led to the proposition of a theory (Creswell, 1998; Johnson & Christensen, 2004; Strauss & Corbin, 1998). The scoring system on the Multi-Health Systems (MHS) website was used to score the BarOn Emotional Intelligence questionnaire. The findings suggested that East Asian beliefs and values have an impact on parenting practices. Globalization and acculturation were also considered in this study. The parenting practices that are influenced by East Asian beliefs and values in addition to the impact of acculturation were categorized into far below, low, medium and high emotional intelligence levels. This study contributes to positive social change as the knowledge gained from this study can raise awareness of parents and educators regarding the impact of parenting practices on the development of emotional intelligence. There is a potential for a greater number of people to develop higher emotional intelligence and increase their ability to solve problems, cope with difficulties, communicate well with others, build better relationships, and have a positive outlook on life.
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