Children\u27s Books as Cultural Products: A Qualitative Study of Cultural Representation in Hmong and Non-Hmong American Books

This study examined the type of cultural practices and values depicted within Hmong American children’s books in comparison to non-Hmong American children’s books from the United States. The purpose was to explore if prior Hmong traditional practices and values reflective of American individualism would extend to Hmong children’s books. Thirty best-seller children’s books were coded using two checklists, one focused on Hmong traditional practices and the other on American values. Results showed that Hmong traditional practices underscored by Hmong adolescents in prior research somewhat extended to Hmong children’s books. Moreover, in some respects Hmong children’s books displayed similar numbers of American values as did American children’s books. This study expanded the ethnic-racial socialization literature to an understudied population, the Hmong. In addition, the study provides parents and public educators insights into the cultural practices and values presented within Hmong children’s books

Parents’ Ideas about Good Parenting: Narratives of First- and Second-Generation Hmong Parents

Parenting ideas and practices are highly influenced by culture. However, when parents move to another country, their parenting ideologies and practices are often questioned by their children and the larger society. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to understand the concept of good parents and its origins from two generation Hmong parents. Twenty-one parents (9 first-generation and 12 second-generation) from a midwestern state in the United States (14 mothers and 7 fathers), ages ranging from 19 to 50 (mean=31.57, SD=8.29), participated in the study. Results show that good parents provide for their children’s basic needs, are involved in their children’s daily lives, communicate with their children without yelling, discipline their children with age-appropriate techniques, and teach their children to be responsible and independent. Additionally, we also found that parents learn about parenting from their family members instead of professionals. Suggestions for parent education and future studies are discussed

Affect in Toddlers: Relations to Gender, Family and Preschool Attendance

Peer interactions in early childhood are thought to be critical for helping young children learn important social skills and build social competence. Not all children interact well with peers, however. Previous research has demonstrated that peer interactions could be affected by child affect. For example, Schultz and colleagues (2008) presented 3- to 4-yearolds with pairs of photographs depicting various children smiling and expressionless and asked them to indicate which of the two children they would prefer to play with. Results revealed that children preferred to interact with playmates that were smiling, rather than expressionless. This article may suggest that positive affect is important for children’s positive relationships with peers. It has also been demonstrated that toddlers high in negative affect have poorer self-regulation (Raikes et al., 2007), and poorer self-regulation may negatively affect children’s interactions with peers. Combined, this past work suggests a child’s affect may have an impact on their interactions with peers and ultimately their development of social competence (Houck, 1999). In the present study, we are interested in correlates of children’s affect when interacting with new peers. We will examine child factors like child gender, sibling status, and preschool attendance that may influence the different types of affect children display when interacting with their peers. We observed child affect while toddlers participated in a 5-minute free-play session with two other same-aged peers. Participants were 93 toddlers between the ages of 21-27 months who were mainly Caucasian and who participated with their mothers in a larger study on temperament and parenting. We coded toddler affect as positive, anxious, anger, or neutral using video recordings of the play sessions. We plan to use correlation analyses to examine correlates of child’s affect, such as siblings, gender, history of preschool attendance and contact with mothers

Affect in Toddlers: Relations to Gender, Family and Preschool Attendance

Peer interactions in early childhood are thought to be critical for helping young children learn important social skills and build social competence. Not all children interact well with peers, however. Previous research has demonstrated that peer interactions could be affected by child affect. For example, Schultz and colleagues (2008) presented 3- to 4-yearolds with pairs of photographs depicting various children smiling and expressionless and asked them to indicate which of the two children they would prefer to play with. Results revealed that children preferred to interact with playmates that were smiling, rather than expressionless. This article may suggest that positive affect is important for children’s positive relationships with peers. It has also been demonstrated that toddlers high in negative affect have poorer self-regulation (Raikes et al., 2007), and poorer self-regulation may negatively affect children’s interactions with peers. Combined, this past work suggests a child’s affect may have an impact on their interactions with peers and ultimately their development of social competence (Houck, 1999). In the present study, we are interested in correlates of children’s affect when interacting with new peers. We will examine child factors like child gender, sibling status, and preschool attendance that may influence the different types of affect children display when interacting with their peers. We observed child affect while toddlers participated in a 5-minute free-play session with two other same-aged peers. Participants were 93 toddlers between the ages of 21-27 months who were mainly Caucasian and who participated with their mothers in a larger study on temperament and parenting. We coded toddler affect as positive, anxious, anger, or neutral using video recordings of the play sessions. We plan to use correlation analyses to examine correlates of child’s affect, such as siblings, gender, history of preschool attendance and contact with mothers