The Parenting of Immigrant Chinese and European American Mothers: Relations Between Parenting Styles, Socialization Goals, and Parental Practices

doi:10.1016/S0193-3973(99)00037-4

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology

Volume 21, Issue 2, March–April 2000, Pages 233-248

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0193-3973(99)00037-4 Get rights and content

Abstract

Clarification of the cultural meaning of parenting for immigrant Chinese was determined, focusing on parenting style as well as socialization goals and practices. Although the cultural relevance of an alternative parenting style, training, has been demonstrated for Chinese parents, the broader-level cultural values or socialization goals and parental practices that may be related to training have not been examined. Immigrant Chinese $n = 95$ and European American $n = 52$ mothers of children in the first through third grades completed measures of Baumrind's parenting styles and Chao's training items, in addition to measures of socialization goals and practices (parental involvement in school). This study found that Chinese mothers endorsed the training, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles, while also endorsing socialization goals for filial piety and structural parental involvement practices in comparison with European American mothers. However, additional analyses for examining ethnic group differences in the associations between training and the other parenting scales, these associations were similar for immigrant Chinese and European American mothers.

Section snippets

Sample

The sample was comprised of 52 European American mothers and 95 immigrant Chinese mothers with children in either the first, second, or third grade. This sample comprises roughly 20% of the original sample of mothers who were contacted through the mail. Roughly 64% of the Chinese mothers had been living in the United States for more than 10 years, 21% for 5 to 10 years, whereas only 15% had been living in the United States for 5 years or less.

Additional sample information consisted of the

Analyses for Examining Mean Differences on Parenting Scales

In examining differences in mean levels on the parenting styles, socialization goals, and parental involvement in school, three separate one-way multivariate analyses of covariance were conducted on the scales for parenting style, socialization goals, and then the scales for parental involvement in school. Mother's education was included as a covariate, because significant differences were found between the two ethnic groups on this variable. Then post hoc analyses of covariance were conducted,

Discussion

Although the findings focusing on differences in levels of parenting seemed to support the cultural distinctions in parenting that were hypothesized earlier, the associations between training and parents' socialization goals and practices were similar across ethnic groups. With the findings focusing on differences in the levels of parenting, this study demonstrated that the training parenting style, socialization goals emphasizing filial piety, and parental practices comprising structural

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^☆: Author note: This study was supported by a Spencer Post-doctoral Fellowship from The National Academy of Education.

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The Parenting of Immigrant Chinese and European American Mothers: Relations Between Parenting Styles, Socialization Goals, and Parental Practices☆

Abstract

Section snippets

Sample

Analyses for Examining Mean Differences on Parenting Scales

Discussion

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology

Stress-resistant families and stress-resistant children

Child care practices anteceding three patterns of preschool behavior

Genetic Psychology Monographs

An exploratory study of socialization effects on black childrenSome black-white comparisons

Child Development

Socialization practices associated with dimensions of competence in preschool boys and girls

Child Development

Parental authority questionnaire

Journal of Personality Assessment

Beyond parental control and authoritarian parenting styleUnderstanding Chinese parenting through the cultural notion of training

Child Development

Chinese and European-American cultural models of the self reflected in mothers' child-rearing beliefs

Ethos

Chinese and European-American mothers' beliefs about the role of parenting in children's school success

Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology