**3. Methodology**

The authors (the term authors and interviewers are used interchangeably in this section) used purposeful sampling, selecting parents from refugee populations where they lived. Purposive sampling is a non-probability sampling method when the respondents are limited. The respondents were from a homogeneous sample, and shared a refugee status, similar context (same camp or relocation community), and shared language. The respondents volunteered to be interviewed and freely agreed to share their stories and opinions. Purposeful sampling was used to select parents who were knowledgeable about and experienced in parenting in a refugee context. The criteria for respondents was that they were parents, refugees, and have moved from the home or origin.

An unstructured focused interview was used as the data collection format. Interviews were used to collect the data and parents were encouraged to reflect on their experiences and offer their opinions. The authors first jointly developed guiding interview questions, taking care to phrase the questions to reduce the feeling of intrusion and to recognize the resilience families have.

The interviews started by the author reading a confidentiality statement. Not all respondents were literate so oral agreement was taken. Due to the sensitive nature of the settings, no names were ever used in the notes. The interviews were conversational and respondents were able to express in their own way and pace, with minimal interruptions from the interviewers. Interviewers respectfully listened to respondents and if respondent deviated from the main topic, the interviewer gently refocused the respondent through the use of probing questions. Interviewers were experienced professionals well versed in contingent follow-up during the interview. By using guiding questions, interviewers at each site had flexibility to be responsive to the various contexts and to avoid interview fatigue. People living in adverse conditions are often asked to share their stories which can be re-traumatizing and does not provide them with any particular benefit.

The guiding questions included topics of: family makeup and structures in the place people left, shifts required due to family movement or relocation, major influences in parenting practices, parenting experiences in place of origin compared to the new place, willingness to ask for help, coping mechanisms, persistence, and attitudes. An asset-based lens was used to center resilience and parents were asked about what parenting support or resources would be beneficial. Parents were also invited to share their feelings about their decisions to make a move.

Interviewers took short field notes that were shared with the interviewees who had opportunities to expand their notes within 24 hours of the interviews. We did not record the interviews, as the respondents in all three contexts had concerns abound safety and local authorities. Stories were collected in the respondents first language and in the case of Colorado, interpreters from the parent group and chosen by the parent respondents themselves were used. The use of semi-structured interviews allowed us to collect stories and expand our understanding of parenting in three different refugee settings. The authors wanted to glean insights to increase refugee service providers' (NGOs, INGOs, policy makers, community resource services, educators) knowledge and efficacy. **Table 1** outlines the demographic data for the interviewees.

The interviewers knew the respondents and lived in or near the same geographical areas as the respondents. In Palestine, the interviewers had known the respondents through previous work or through friends of friends. A number of respondents also sent out a request to parents in their community to include other community members. In Greece, the interviewer worked with the refugees in the camps. The interviewer asked for volunteers and 16 families agreed to share their stories. The 16 families interviewed had at least 3 family members in each family. The families were also asylum seekers living in the camps. The parents and children were involved in the conversation, with the parents responding over 80% of the questions. In Colorado, the interviewers were working with a group of 85 refugee


**Table 1.** *Respondents' demographic information by country, age, and gender.*

#### *Stories of Struggle and Resilience: Parenting in Three Refugee Contexts DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.103827*

parents, and 74 parents volunteered to share their stories. There were eight males and sixty-six females. The age range was from 27 to 52. All interviews were conducted in an informal setting, interviewers went to the respondent location.

The interviewers were the authors of the chapter. The interview data were first compiled and coded by the in-country authors, going line by line of the interview notes. They created and inductively assigned codes to categorize the data from their county. They then categorized the codes. Subsequently, all the authors met to discuss the codes and categories and agreed upon three major themes based on the patterns that emerged. Authors outside of the country depended on cultural interpretation from in-country authors for clarification when needed by the.

Authors noted similarities and differences in the stories of individuals in the three contexts with some themes cutting across cultural and contextual variations and others being unique. In the case of Colorado there were three groups with different countries of origin. The authors in Colorado returned to the respondents to reflect on their understanding and interpretation of the data sets to ensure their stories were represented correctly. At the end of the interviews in Colorado, representatives from each of the three groups came together to discuss the similarities and differences found in their stories. The respondents shared (using interpreters) that even though there were great cultural differences between the three countries of origin, that their experiences in resettling in Colorado were quite similar.
