Relationships among parenting knowledge, quality of stimulation in the home and child academic performance

The present study determined the relationships among parenting knowledge, quality of stimulation in the home, and children's academic performance. Subjects were 60 Malay mothers with children aged 8 to 9 years, who were identified using stratified random selection. Data were collected by interview and observation in the home of the respondents. Parenting knowledge was measured using an instrument that was specially developed by the researcher. The quality of stimulation in the home was assessed using Caldwell and Bradley's (1984) HOME inventory. Information on the children's academic achievement was obtained from their school report cards. Results show significant associations among the variables of interest. Parenting knowledge was significantly related to the quality of stimulation in the home, which in turn, was significantly related to the academic performance of the children. Additional analyses show significant associations between family background factors (education, family income, and number of children) and parenting knowledge, and quality of stimulation in the home environment. Implications of the findings are discussed

Ecological Predictors of the Parenting Behaviour of Malay Mothers

The primary purpose of this study was to identify factors related to the quality of the parenting behaviour of Malay mothers. The sample comprised 128 Malay mothers with children aged 8 to 9 years. The respondents were identified using a systematic sampling procedure. Data were collected by interviews and observation in the homes of the respondents. Parenting behaviour was assessed using the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) (Caldwell and Bradley 1984). Results of the study show that maternal characteristics, child characteristics, and contextual factors are all related to the parenting behaviour Malay mothers provide for their school-age children. Mothers with higher levels of education, selfesteem, and family income showed better quality parenting than other mothers in the study. However, mothers with a larger number of children, and those who perceive their children as difficult to care for demonstrated less supportive parenting behaviour. Findings from the study suggest that numerous factors within the ecology of the family may combine to influence the quality of care parents provide for their children. The findings, therefore, have important implications for planning parenting and family life education programmes

Factors related to the quality of the home environment and children's achievement

This study tested Belsky's model of the determinants of parenting. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), the study focused on 898 mothers (African Americans, n = 347; Caucasians, n = 551) and their 6- to 8-year-old children. Consistent with Belsky's model, mothers who provided better quality home environments had higher levels of education, intelligence, and self-esteem. Mothers with higher family incomes, fewer children, and higher marital quality provided more supportive home environments. In addition, age and gender of the children were significantly related to the quality of the children's home environments. Additional analyses indicated that the quality of the home environment that mothers of both ethnic groups provided was related to their children's achievement

Parenting attitudes and style and its effect on children's school achievements.

The paper reviewed empirical studies on children's school achievements. The contributions of parenting attitude and style were examined in relation to children's school achievement. A strong relationship between children's school achievement and parenting attitude and style was reported in the paper. Findings from the review revealed that authoritative parenting styles were associated with higher levels of children's school achievement, though findings remain inconsistent across cultures and societies. Future studies may explore some of the salient issues underlying the inconsistencies reported in the study, particularly the contradictory results between Asian and European American school children

Family correlates of child outcomes among rural Malay families

The study examined the relationship between familial factors (i.e. number of children, economic strain, marital quality and parental nurturance) and child outcomes (self-esteem and academic achievement) among rural Malay families. The participants comprised 200 parents with a child aged from7 to 12 years. Findings indicated that children with higher self-esteem tended to have parents with positive parental behaviour and come from families with high economic strain. Economic strain also was found to significantly correlate with children's academic achievement. These findings imply a significant contribution of parental nurturance and economic strain on children's self-esteem and academic achievement

Perkaitan antara faktor status sosioekonomi dan kualiti tingkahlaku keibubapaan dalam keluarga berisiko

Kajian ini bertujuan menentukan perkaitan antara faktor sosioekonomi (umur ibu, pendidikan ibu, pendapatan bulanan keluarga dan bilangan anak) dan kualiti tingkahlaku keibubapaan dalam keluarga berisiko. Seramai 201 orang ibu yang mempunyai anak berumur 11 tahun dan miskin dipilih sebagai responden kajian. Responden telah ditemubual secara bersemuka dengan menggunakan borang soal selidik. Kualiti tingkahlaku keibubapaan telah diukur menggunakan skala Supportive Parenting. Hasil kajian mendapati ibu yang berpendidikan tinggi dan mempunyai bilangan anak yang tidak ramai mengamalkan tingkahlaku keibubapaan yang positif. Kajian ini memberi implikasi bahawa pendidikan ibu dan bilangan anak mempengaruhi tingkahlaku keibubapaan dalam keluarga berisiko

The moderating role of gender on the relationships between perceived paternal parenting style, locus of control and self-efficacy

AbstractThe current study examined the moderating role of adolescent's gender on the relationships between perceived paternal parenting styles, locus of control and self-efficacy amongst 382 Malaysian adolescents (51% female). Results revealed that paternal authoritative parenting was significantly related to internal locus of control and high self-efficacy in adolescents. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that boys tended to develop higher self-efficacy in comparison to girls when they perceived their fathers as highly authoritative. The present findings underscore the importance of considering the contribution of gender when assessing the role of parenting styles on adolescents’ developmental outcomes

Parenting: what matters most?

Parenting is a dominant factor for child development and the survival of the human race. As such, this lecture series endeavours to share scientific literature on parent-child dynamics, dimensions and challenges of parenting and the various facets of child functioning which are significantly influenced by mothers’ and fathers’ parenting strategies. Several theoretical perspectives underscore how parenting practices influence child adjustment from infancy to adolescence. In the Malaysian context, parenting styles and behaviors can be explained from the Islamic standpoint as well as from frameworks of Western origin. Among the parenting styles and behaviors which impact the physical, cognitive, social and emotional characteristics of the child are parental warmth, attachment, involvement, monitoring, discipline and different combinations of responsiveness and demandingness. Parenting goes hand-in-hand with a child’s needs. An understanding of the child’s age-specific needs is an initial step towards effective parenting. Indubitably, good parenting facilitates positive well-being in a child such as high self-esteem, socio-emotional strength and social responsibility. In contrast, poor parenting is associated with undesirable outcomes such as depression, delinquency and anxiety. Throughout this inaugural lecture, five elements of effective parenting will be highlighted, namely: a) parents must be mindful of a child’s distinctive needs from infancy to adolescence; b) regular quality time between the parent and the child; c) children need sufficient provision of parental physical and verbal warmth; d) parents should teach the child certain skills and attributes that they need to succeed; and e) parents’ strong sense of spiritual identity

Parenting style in a collectivist cultures of Malaysia.

The article reviews empirical studies which emphasize that parenting styles are strongly influenced by the cultural context of the society. Cultural differences in values, described as individualism-collectivism, similarly shape understanding of the forms (e.g. authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles) and interpretation of parenting styles. The review indicates that Malaysian parents from the three ethnic groups (i.e., Malay, Chinese and Indian) are similar with other parents from collectivist countries which endorse authoritarian parenting more than individualist parents, and do not regard it as an unfavorable style of parenting

Factors related to perception of parental efficacy

The present study determined the relationships between selected factors within the family social context i.e. family background: education, family income, and number of children; and parenting factors: quality of parenting received as a child, satisfaction with the parent-child relationship, and parenting knowledge) and perception of parental efficacy. Respondents were 118 parents with Standard Five children from 2 primary schools in Subang Jaya, and were selected using the stratified-random sampling procedure. Data were gathered using a self-administered questionnaire. Perceived parental efficacy was measured using Luster's perception of parental efficacy scale. Quality of parenting received as a child was measured using a modified version of Simons et al.'s supportive parenting scale. Satisfaction with the parent-child relationship was assessed using 5 items adapted from Simons et al. 's relationship satisfaction scale and Umberson's parent-child rational quality scale. Parenting knowledge was measured using 5 items adapted from Simons et al. 's parental influence scale and Rozumah's parenting knowledge scale. Results from the study show that at the bivariate level, family income, parent-child relationship satisfaction, and parenting knowledge are significantly related to perception of parental efficacy. When all of the family social context variables were statistically controlled, only parenting knowledge showed significant contribution to perception of parental efficacy. The study concludes that several factors within the social context of the family may influence parents perception of their efficacy. Findings from the study indicate the importance of considering the context in which the parent and child interact when working with parents. In addition, parents should be made aware of the importance of quality parent-child interaction and the impact of parenting knowledge on parental efficacy and child development