Cross-Cultural Studies in Child Development in Asian Contexts

Abstract

Over a number of years, the author has been involved in crosscultural research with Asian and Australian children and adolescents. This article will review some of the work done with and by some of the author's colleagues in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and China. These countries are all multicultural, yet the contributions of these Asian researchers to the role of cultural factors in development are not as well known as they should be. Some reasons for this situation will be discussed. In each of these countries, far-reaching changes now challenge traditional cultural values in family relations and child-rearing practices. The author highlights some of the most significant differences in Asian and Western approaches to child-rearing practices and discusses these in the context of some dominant religious, social, philosophical, and ideological positions.

The Role of Parental Maltreatment and Parental Social Control on Self-Reported Violent Offending in Indonesia and the U.S.: Does Gender Make a Difference?

“…In terms of family structure, while there have been some recent changes relating to the separation of the home and workplace in Indonesia [92] which would change the relative positions of power between husband and wife at the workplace, the Indonesian family continues to play a vital role in maintaining social control. The concepts of "rukhun" (Javanese for harmonious social relations) and "hormat" (Javanese for respect for other people) are integral to child-rearing and results in the "inculcation of a moral obligation to accept a hierarchical social structure" ( [93], p. 345). However, the differential levels of control exercised on males and females can also be related to the differential access to opportunities.…”

“…While the type of family (patriarchal or egalitarian) determines the amount of control that parents exercise and towards whom (sons or daughters, or both), the instrument-object relationship is also affected by cultural norms of parenting. For instance, the parent-child relationship in Indonesia can be "unequal" in terms of obligations where parents are superior and children inferior, whereas Western democratic practices may not support this view [93]. Similarly, one study in Indonesia with a small sample size found that "strict upbringing" is negatively correlated with incidents of high school brawls involving adolescents [96], though the dominance of family relationships can have paradoxical consequences for delinquent behaviors [23].…”

Mothers' and fathers' childcare involvement with young children in rural families in Malaysia

“…Assessments of paternal and maternal involvement in families with different social‐organizational patterns (i.e., kinship systems, multiple caregiving/communal care), with strong cultural norms and beliefs (e.g., Dharma and Karma in Hinduism, Islamic beliefs, familism in Hispanic families, filial piety in Chinese culture, Rukhun and Hormat in Javenese culture in Indonesia) (see Kakar, 1992; Keats, 2000; Stevenson, Chen, & Lee, 1992), and from diverse socioeconomic statuses seem to support the notion that mothers are the primary caregivers to young children and that they show disproportionate levels and amounts of time investment in the more demanding aspects of caregiving and social interactions with young children than do fathers (see volume by Lamb, 2004). For instance, with respect to levels of involvement, mothers exceeded fathers in primary care in Jamaican (Roopnarine et al 1995), Guyanese (Wilson, 1989), Efe (Tronick, Moreli, & Winn, 1987), Native American (Hossain, Chew, Swilling, Brown, Michaels, & Philips, 1999), European American (see Pleck & Masciadrelli, 2004), African American (see Roopnarine, 2004), Hispanic American (see Cabrera & Garcia Coll, 2004), and different groups of Asian families (Lee, 2002; Roopnarine & Suppal, 2000; Shwalb, Nakawaza, Yamamoto, & Hyun, 2004).…”

TUIs vs. GUIs: comparing the learning potential with preschoolers

“…4 Two drawings after the interaction with the TUI. Self portrait holding the brush, the tooth with the germs, and the cleaned tooth (left) and two friends holding the brush and cleaning the tooth (right) position [31]. One child at a time was interviewed to avoid children's mutual interference, and we tried to be as briefly as possible so that they could quickly join the other.…”