Abstract
Parents' perceptions of child development are influenced by complex interactions among cultural, social, and economic factors. Insights into how parents from culturally diverse societies perceive the development of their children might explain why different cultural groups foster or value the development of different skills in their children. In this study, we explored the perceptions of child development among low income Mexican American parents. A series of ethnographic interviews were conducted with eight Mexican American families who had preschool children. Qualitative data analyses yielded three main themes that were important to these parents: family attitudes and values, changes, and adaptations. For these parents, the development of social attributes in children, that will enable them to function within their own cultural group, was as important as the development of cognitive or motor skills. Service providers, such as school and mental health personnel, should take into account cultural differences in parents' perceptions of the importance of various developmental milestones for their children when suggesting interventions typically used by parents in the dominant culture.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Arcia, E., & Johnson, A. (1998). When respect means to obey: Immigrant Mexican mothers' values for their children. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 7, 79–95.
Bartz, K. W., & LeVine, E. S. (1978). Child rearing by Black parents: A description and comparison to Anglo and Chicano parents. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 40, 709–719.
Becerra, R. M. (1988). The Mexican American family. In C. H. Mindel, R. W. Habenstein, R. Wright (Eds.), Ethnic families in America: Patterns and variations (pp. 141–150). New York: Elsevier Science.
Buriel, R., Mercado, R., Rodriguez, J., & Chavez, J. M. (1991). Mexican American disciplinary practices and attitudes toward child maltreatment: A comparison of foreign and native-born mothers. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 13, 78–94.
Campbell, F. A., Goldstein, S., Schaefer, E. S., & Ramey, C. T. (1991). Parental beliefs and values related to family risk, educational intervention, and child academic competence. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 6, 167–182.
Cannella, G. (1993, April). Pathways: Constructivist research on development and learning. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Research Association, Atlanta, GA.
Durett, M. E., O'Bryant, S., & Pennebaker, J. W. (1975). Child rearing reports of white, black, and Mexican-American families. Developmental Psychology, 11, 871.
Glasser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago: Aldine.
Goodknow, J. J. (1988). Parents' ideas, action, and feelings: Models and methods from developmental and social psychology. Child Development, 59, 286–330.
Gutierrez, J., & Sameroff, A. (1990). Determinants of complexity in Mexican American and Anglo-American mothers' conceptions of child development. Child Development, 61, 384–394.
Gutierrez, J., Sameroff, A.J., & Karrer, B.M. (1988). Acculturation and SES effects on Mexican-American parents' concepts of development. Child Development, 59, 250–255.
Harry, B. (1992). Cultural diversity, families, and the Special Education System: Communication and empowerment. New York: Teachers College Press.
Harwood, R. L., Miller, J. G., & Irizarry, N. L. (1995). Culture and attachment: Perceptions of the child in context. New York: Guilford Press.
Knight, G. P., Tein, J. Y., Shell, R., & Roosa, M. (1992). The cross-ethnic equivalence of parenting and Anglo-American families. Child Development, 63, 1392–1402.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Lynch, M. J., & Hanson, E. W. (1992). Developing cross cultural competence: A guide for working with young children and their families. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Miller, S.S. (1988). Parents' beliefs about children's cognitive development. Child Development, 59, 259–285.
Okagaki, L., & Sternberg, R.J. (1993). Parental beliefs and children's school performance. Child Development, 64, 36–56.
Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1991). Census of population and housing. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
Vega, W. A. (1990). Hispanic families in the 1980s: A decade of research. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 1015–1024.
Zepeda, M., & Espinoza, M. (1988). Parental knowledge of children's behavioral capabilities: A study of low income parents. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 10, 149–159.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Delgado, B.M., Ford, L. Parental Perceptions of Child Development Among Low-Income Mexican American Families. Journal of Child and Family Studies 7, 469–481 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022958026951
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022958026951