Why did we do this study?
This study examined how different parenting styles impact children’s learning. We wanted to understand whether there are common patterns in parenting beliefs and behaviours and whether these patterns are linked to how well children learn.
What did we do?
- We used data from 354 families. The average age of the children was about 33 months, and slightly more than half were boys.
- We used observations and parent surveys to measure parenting. Specifically:
- Maternal responsivity (i.e., mothers’ ability to consider and respond to their children’s knowledge and abilities) was assessed through a 5-minute videotaped interaction in which mothers and children engaged in a building task. Trained observers rated the mothers’ behaviours using the Responsive Interactions for Learning (RIFL) measure, where a higher score means higher maternal responsivity.
- Mothers also completed the Parental Cognitions and Conduct Toward the Infant Scale (PACOTIS) to report their:
- hostile-reactive behaviors
- overprotection towards their children
- parental self-efficacy (i.e., parent’s confidence in their ability to positively influence their child and help them succeed)
- perceived parental impact (i.e., parent’s belief about how much their own behaviour influences their child’s development)
- Children’s Learning comprises:
- Receptive vocabulary (i.e., the collection of words that a person can understand and respond to, even if they can’t produce those words) was assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Fourth Edition (PPVT-IV)
- We used statistical analysis called Latent Profile Analysis to identify different patterns or groups of mothers’ parenting beliefs and behaviours.
More information about Latent Profile Analysis
Think of a “profile” as a way to categorize mothers into different groups based on different aspects of their parenting. In this case, the groups are determined by their levels of maternal responsivity, hostile-reactive behaviours, overprotection towards their children, parental self-efficacy, and perceived parental impact. These parenting characteristics were similar among mothers in each group.
What did we find?
We found two main parenting profiles:
- “Low” vs. “Constructive” Profiles. Parents in the latter profile showed higher levels of perceived impact and responsiveness. See the figure below.
- Children of parents in the “Constructive” profile had significantly better receptive vocabulary skills (understanding spoken words). This suggests that a parenting style characterized by warmth, responsiveness, and belief in one’s ability to make a difference can positively impact a child’s language development.
- Parents with higher incomes and education levels were more likely to be in the “Constructive” profile.
What does this mean?
- One goal of parenting programs is to increase parents’ confidence in their ability to influence their children’s development and respond to their children’s developmental needs.
- Understanding the different ways parents approach child-rearing can help design interventions that meet the specific needs of diverse families.