PARENTS' EDUCATION AND CHILD-REARING METHODS

Abstract

The main theme underscoring this study is to discover the differences in child-rearing patterns between the high education group and the low-education group of mothers in Singapore. I will be focussing on only mothers because of time and space constraints. The working assumption here is that there are interclass differences (an assumption that has been validated by numerous studies abroad), but this is not to say that there are no intraclass differences because empirical findings would also attest that there are. This study uses the social psychological approach. This approach analyses behaviour with reference to social groupings and assumes that the social groups which people come from influence their orientations and behaviours. This academic exercise seeks to explore: (i) the differences in child-rearing techniques between the higher-educated and the lower-educated mothers and ( ii) the mechanism underlying education which makes it possible that higher-educated mothers tend to raise children who do better educationally. The relevant literature points to two components of social class, education and occupation as the variables which crucially influence the value orientations of the parent which in turn lead to differences in child-rearing practice between the middle- and working-classes. It is precisely the relationships among these variables which hold the interest of this study. These relationships are salient because of the implications for the child's academic motivation, and 'domino’ consequences, for example, in terms of the the child's level of educational and occupational success. The literature indicates that the behaviour of the mothers of the two social classes differ in many areas. However, for the present purpose of looking at how child-rearing practice ultimately affects the child's educational success, five relevant principal areas of child-socialisation will be highlighted: attitude towards child-rearing and expert advice, provision of resources, parent-child interaction, disciplinary strategies, and qualities desired of the child. The findings of the study will then be examined in relation to the theories and past empirical studies.