Co-caring relationships: How parent and child characteristics matter

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the relationships between parent and child characteristics and co-caring relationships with the child's preschool teacher, including endorsement, support, undermining, and agreement. A survey research design was adopted for this study. The study's data were collected from 243 mothers and 238 fathers selected from preschools in Antalya, Turkey, through a demographic information form and the Co-caring Relationship Questionnaire. Independent sample t-tests, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and simple linear regression analyses were conducted. The results of the analyses indicated that there is a statistically significant difference between mothers and fathers in relation to their child's teacher in terms of endorsement, support, and undermining. On the other hand, the co-caring relationships of parents with their child's teacher did not differ based on the child's gender or parents' educational level. Lastly, the results revealed that parents' age significantly predicted the endorsement of parents for teachers' caregiving.