Parental beliefs and their role in child-rearing

Abstract

Beliefs have been a to p ic of considerable interest among researchers in various fields . In this article 71 articl es reporting a study on parental beliefs and published in the course of fift een years (1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995) are reviewed. After clarifying the term 'belief, the topics and th e methodolog ical solutions of th e studies are discu ssed. Throughout the discussion the question ofthe origins of parental beliefs and the belief -beha viour dil emma are dealt with . Finally, the implications of the findings and suggestions f or future research are presented.Research today con siders it important to investigate parents' ways of think ing and understanding . Many researchers argue that beliefs are the best indicators of the decisions individuals make throughout their lives (e.g., Pajares, 1992). Parents' child-rearing practices may be expressions of their beliefs (Goodnow, 1988;Goodnow & Collins, 1990;Sigel, 1985). According to Miller (1986), four general questions have guided research on parents 's beliefs about children:(1) what are these beliefs; (2) through what experiences do parents form and modify their beliefs; (3) What is the relation between a parent's beliefs about a child and the parent's behaviour towards the child?; (4) How do the parent ' s beliefs relate to measures of the development in the child?Our aim here is to review the literature on child-rearing beliefs and parenthood and, at relevant points, to see what the more recent research has to offer as answers to the questions Miller (1986) poses. We begin with a discussion of the term 'belief', continue with a description of the process and criteria we followed in conducting this review. Then we outline the findings and discuss the methodological solutions used in the studies. Finally, we describe and summarize the findings of the studies concluding with some general remarks and recommendat ions for future belief studies. Belief and other terms definedDespite the popularity of parents' beliefs as a topic of study, the concept of belief has not been clarified in the research literature. Thompson (1992 ) thinks that for the most part, This study was financiall y supported by the Finnish Academy of Sciences.

What do parents know about their children's comprehension of emotions? Accuracy of parental estimates in a community sample of pre‐schoolers

“…Children's level of maturation and competence has been proposed by Miller (1988) as a predictor of parents' accuracy of estimation, because bright children are easier for parents to evaluate. Subsequent studies have supported the positive correlation between children's performance and parental accuracy (Hirsjärvi & Perälä-Littunen 2001). Miller (1988) also hypothesized that advanced parental cognitive skills may promote accuracy because such parents are likely to have children with similarly advanced cognitive abilities.…”

“…The importance of parental beliefs of child abilities and their implications for child development have for long been recognized (Murphey 1992;Sigel et al 1992;Hirsjärvi & Perälä-Littunen 2001). This research is broadly spoken divided into beliefs about developmental processes and children's specific abilities.…”

Parental beliefs concerning development and education, family educational practices and children’s intellectual and academic performances

“…From a theoretical point of view, questions still remain about the role of beliefs in determining practices. Several researchers have highlighted the complexity of the relationships between beliefs and parental practices (Hirsjärvi and Perälä-Littunen 2001). According to Russell (1980), mothers' behaviors are not determined uniquely by their beliefs.…”

“…In their review of the literature in this field, Hirsjärvi and Perälä-Littunen (2001) highlight the fact that many authors have used the expression parental beliefs without precisely defining what they mean by it and without differentiating the concept of parental beliefs from other similar terms. In fact, researchers have used numerous synonyms for beliefs, including knowledge, ideas, schemes, opinions, thoughts, representations, attitudes, perspectives, expectations, judgments, perceptions, conceptions, images, implicit theories, naïve theories, and social cognition.…”

An integrated analysis of secondary school students’ conceptions and beliefs about learning

“…In a recent review of the concept of belief, Hirsjärvi and Perälä-Litunen (2001) recognised that although this term was not easy to define, numerous researchers in various fields have shown interest in it. Initial research on how students interpreted their educational experiences at university was conducted by Perry (1968Perry ( , 1970.…”