Parental Goals Research Articles

Releasing pre-adoption birth records: a survey of Oregon adoptees.

In June 2000, Oregon implemented a citizen-initiated ballot measure that grants adult adoptees access to their birth records, which contain their birth parents' identifying information. Because other states are considering similar policy changes, the authors explored whether Oregon's new law is meeting the information needs of adoptees. Birth records were abstracted for a 9% (221/2,529) random sample of adoptees who obtained their records from June 20, 2000, to July 20, 2000, to describe the population and the information they obtained. Telephone interviews documented their motivations, expectations, and whether they considered the birth record useful. The mean age of the adoptees was 41 years, 64% were female, and 97% were white. Virtually all received information about their birth mother; however, only one-third received information about their birth father. Of the 221 sampled, 123 (59%) participated in the telephone survey, 12 were ineligible, 84 could not be reached, and 2 refused. The most common motivations for requesting records were to find birth parents (29%) and to obtain medical information (29%). Twenty-nine percent received less information than they expected, with many expecting, but not receiving, birth father information. Thirty-three (47%) of the 70 adoptees who tried to find their birth mother were successful. The records were considered "very" useful by 52% of respondents, "somewhat" or "a little" useful by 42%, and "not at all" useful by 6%. The results indicate that many adoptees received less information than they expected, and many did not meet their goals of finding birth parents or obtaining medical information. Nonetheless, the majority considered their birth records useful and important.

Releasing pre-adoption birth records: a survey of Oregon adoptees

OBJECTIVE In June 2000, Oregon implemented citizen-initiated ballot measure that grants adult adoptees access to their birth records, which contain their birth parents' identifying information. Because other states are considering similar policy changes, the authors explored whether Oregon's new law is meeting the information needs of adoptees. METHODS Birth records were abstracted for 9% (221/2,529) random sample of adoptees who obtained their records from June 20, 2000, to July 20, 2000, to describe the population and the information they obtained. Telephone interviews documented their motivations, expectations, and whether they considered the birth record useful. RESULTS The mean age of the adoptees was 41 years, 64% were female, and 97% were white. Virtually received information about their birth mother; however, only one-third received information about their birth father. Of the 221 sampled, 123 (59%) participated in the telephone survey, 12 were ineligible, 84 could be reached, and 2 refused. The most common motivations for requesting records were to find birth parents (29%) and to obtain medical information (29%). Twenty-nine percent received less information than they expected, with many expecting, but receiving, birth father information. Thirty-three (47%) of the 70 adoptees who tried to find their birth mother were successful. The records were considered very useful by 52% of respondents, somewhat or a little useful by 42%, and not at all useful by 6%. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that many adoptees received less information than they expected, and many did meet their goals of finding birth parents or obtaining medical information. Nonetheless, the majority considered their birth records useful and important.

Authoritative and Authoritarian Mothers' Parenting Goals, Attributions, and Emotions Across Different Childrearing Contexts

Objective. The central goal of this study was to explore how childrearing contexts might moderate relations between parenting styles and mothers' parental beliefs and emotional responses. Design. Participants were 76 mothers of children (41 boys, 35 girls) ranging in age from 30 to 70 months. Mothers completed a global measure of parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative). Self-reports of parental beliefs (parental goals, attributions) and emotional responses (angry, embarrassed, happy) were assessed in response to hypothetical vignettes depicting a variety of children's behaviors (aggression, misbehavior, shyness, prosocial behavior). Results. In situations depicting children's negative behaviors, authoritarian mothers were less focused on empathic goals and attributed child aggression and misbehaviors to less external sources than their more authoritative counterparts. Authoritarian mothers were also more likely to respond with greater anger and embarrassment across all childrearing scenarios. Conclusions. Results suggest that authoritarian and authoritative mothers differ in their affective response patterns consistently across childrearing contexts, but that more challenging childrearing situations accentuate differences in the cognitive reactions of authoritative versus authoritarian mothers. Implications for understanding how general parenting styles may be translated into specific parental responses are considered.

Peer Relationships as Support for Children with Disabilities

This article reports the results of a study to determine what mothers of children with disabilities considered important social goals and valid measures of success for their children concerning friendship development. Three focus groups were convened, consisting of 11 mothers of elementary-age students with various disabilities. A thematic analysis suggested 9 peer-specific friendship goals for children with disabilities and 3 broader goals to which friendship was perceived to contribute. Assessment of outcomes would be expected to include indicators of both types of goals, and specific indicators were suggested along the dimensions of (a) quantity and breadth of contacts, (b) affect or quality of relationships, (c) duration and stability of relationships, (d) level of independence of action, (e) consistency with parental expectations, and (f) contribution to overall adjustment. Implications of this research are discussed for teachers, administrators, program and curriculum developers, and researchers. The authors conclude that efforts to affect the peer relationships of children with disabilities in meaningful ways should consider the impact relative to these parental goals and should be based upon indicators that parents consider relevant and credible.

Social Capital, Intergenerational Transmission and Intercultural Contact in Immigrant Families

This study investigates the process of value transmission in Turkish immigrant families. Intergenerational transmission is the process that provides cultural continuity. Under contextual conditions of migration, however, rapid and deep cultural changes occur. Major research questions regarding transmission in these special circumstances were (1) the selective contents, (2) the effective means and (3) the differential intensity of value transmission across gender. More specifically, this study aims at clarifying these issues: Which parental values are most readily transmitted? ls value transmission mediated or enhanced by the intended socialisation goals of Turkish immigrant parents? Does intensity of value transmission vary as a function of gender and school careers of the children? To address these questions Lisrel-type (multi-sample latent-level) causal models of value transmission were tested for 400 parent-child dyads from Turkish families in Germany. Applying Campbell’s (1975) theory of group survival to the development of family-oriented achievement values in Turkish youth, it was expected and found that parental collectivism and achievement values - not individualism - are effectively transmitted. In line with Kagitcibasi’s (1996) model of family change, value transmission was mediated by intended socialisation goals, so that collectivistic and aspiring Turkish immigrants parents stress conformity and achievement goals, though only conformity goals appeared to enhance effective transmission. Finally, the transmission models were fully replicated for male and female dyads, but Turkish immigrant parents were found to stress achievement values more for children in non-vocational tracks as opposed to children in vocation school tracks and for sons as compared to daughters. The role of value transmission for family-based adaptation strategies in Turkish migration is discussed.

Gamete donation and anonymity: disclosure to children conceived with donor gametes should not be optional.

The use of donor gametes in reproductive technology raises ethical, psychological and social questions that have been significant for the practice of adoption: that is, when, or if, to disclose biological origin to the child. The current wisdom is that adopted children should be told by their parents as early as possible that the family was created through adoption, and we argue that the same model should apply to the use of donor gametes. We argue that privacy concerns or other goals of parents who would prefer to avoid disclosure are outweighed by the negative consequences of holding such family secrets and by the child's right to, and medical need for, information about his/her origin. We believe fertility programmes and professional organizations ought to strongly encourage those using donor gametes to tell their child of their true origin as early as the child can understand reproduction in general.

Introduction: Honoring the Contributions of Beatrice B. Whiting

EthosVolume 29, Issue 3 p. 239-246 Introduction: Honoring the Contributions of Beatrice B. Whiting Professor Thomas S. Weisner, Professor Thomas S. Weisner Departments of Psychiatry and Anthropology, University of California, Los AngelesSearch for more papers by this authorProfessor Carolyn Pope Edwards, Professor Carolyn Pope Edwards University of NebraskaSearch for more papers by this author Professor Thomas S. Weisner, Professor Thomas S. Weisner Departments of Psychiatry and Anthropology, University of California, Los AngelesSearch for more papers by this authorProfessor Carolyn Pope Edwards, Professor Carolyn Pope Edwards University of NebraskaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 03 January 2008 https://doi.org/10.1525/eth.2001.29.3.239Citations: 3AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Citing Literature Volume29, Issue3September 2001Pages 239-246 RelatedInformation

Intergenerational Transmission of Collectivism and Achievement Values in Two Acculturation Contexts

This study examines the impact of parental goals and acculturation contexts on value transmission in immigrant families. Combining cross-national and cross-ethnic comparisons, 400 Turkish parent-child dyads in Germany and 190 Turkish and Moroccan dyads in the Netherlands were asked to report their commitment to family-based collectivism and individualism, their academic aspirations, as well as conformity, autonomy, and achievement goal stresses in their family. First, value transmission was selective. Across cultures, parental collectivism values were transmitted, but not individualism. Only in Germany, parental aspirations were also transmitted. Second, value transmission was mediated by parental goals. Across cultures, more collectivistic parents stressed conformity more, thereby enhancing effective transmission. Third, transmission was significant after controlling for gender and educational status of parents and youngsters. Finally, our transmission model was replicated across acculturation contexts and acculturating groups. But transmission was more intense in Germany than in the Netherlands, and in Turkish than in Moroccan families.

Maternal provisioning of offspring and the use of those resources during ontogeny: variation within and between Atlantic Salmon families

Summary The size and proximate composition of eggs and alevins (larvae) were measured from six full sibling families of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar), at six stages between fertilization and first feeding. Egg and alevin size measures (diameter, wet mass, dry mass) and proximate composition attributes (water, protein, fat, energy) were all highly correlated with each other (r = 0·89–0·99), suggesting that each is a reasonable surrogate for any other. Most of the variation in egg size (95·0–97·0%) and composition attributes (95·5–97·9%) was partitioned between, rather than within, females. Most of this variation was attributable to differences in female size, owing to the length of time spent at sea. Fat, protein and energy content varied less on a relative basis (controlling for egg size variation) than on an absolute basis, suggesting that certain combinations of egg attributes are optimal regardless of egg size. Stored fat decreased by 9·6 µg day−1 before hatching but increased by 27·4 µg day−1 after hatching. The increase after hatching suggests that alevins actively synthesize (probably from protein) and store lipids between hatching and first feeding. Stored protein decreased by 8·8 µg day−1 before hatching and by 181·3 µg day−1 after hatching. Assuming all metabolic energy was derived from stored protein, metabolic rate increased logarithmically from 0·115 J day−1 to 5·43 J day−1. Rates of oxygen consumption estimated from protein loss (6·09–288·9 µl O2 d−1) were similar to those reported in studies that measured oxygen consumption using respirometry. Alevins appear to convert protein to fat, a change that their mothers were unable or unwilling (in an evolutionary sense) to make. This may reflect the conflicting goals of parents and offspring for maximizing fitness.

The reformation of Canada's schools: breaking the barriers to parental choice

Holmes presents a textured picture of the difficulties facing schools in Canada. He examines the social background of students and the competing goals of parents, teachers, and governments. He criticizes progressivism, or child-centred education, and speaks out against the closed-mindedness of the educational establishment. He also looks at current research on effective and ineffective schools, as well as on education achievement in national and international terms. His findings show that the difficulties facing Canadian schools are not caused by a lack of money but by a poor allocation of funds. Increasingly frustrated parents, dedicated teachers, and discouraged professors will find The Reformation of Canada's Schools a welcome source of ideas, information, and thought-provoking possibilities for combating the crisis in Canadian education.

Child centered literacy orientation: a form of social capital?

To describe the home literacy environment and to identify financial, human, and social capital variables associated with the presence or lack of Child Centered Literacy Orientation (CCLO) in families with young children who regularly attend pediatric primary care clinics. Cross-sectional case-control analysis of structured parent interviews conducted in two hospital-based and four community-based pediatric clinics in New England. Parents of 199 healthy 1- to 5-year-old children whose mean age was 30 +/- 15 (SD) months were interviewed. Parents were primarily mothers (94%) with a mean age of 28 +/- 7 (SD) years 60% of whom were single. Educational levels of study parents varied: 43% had not graduated from high school, 29% had a high school equivalency, and 28% had at least a year of college or vocational training. This was a multiethnic parent group. Sixty-five percent were bilingual or non-English speaking. Fifty-eight percent were born outside of the continental United States. Parents were primarily of low-income status with 85% receiving Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) food supplements, Aid to Families With Dependent Children, and/or Medicaid. Half of the parents interviewed reported that they rarely read books. Sixty percent of children had fewer than 10 books at home and two-thirds of these households contained fewer than 50 books total. When asked open-ended questions, 28% of parents said that sharing books with their child was one of their three favorite activities together, 14% said that looking at books was one of their child's three favorite things to do, and 19% reported sharing books at bedtime at least six times each week. Thirty-nine percent of families had at least one of these three literacy-related responses present and so were said to have a CCLO. A backwards stepwise multiple logistic regression on CCLO was performed with family financial, human, and social capital variables. Parents married or living together (odds ratio [OR] 2.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.21-5.42), higher adult-to-child ratios in the home (OR 1.92, 95% CI = 1.20-3.05), households speaking only English (OR 2.67, 95% CI = 1.24-5.76), parents reading books themselves at least a few times a week (OR 2.86, 95% CI = 1.38-5.91), and homes with more than 10 children's books (OR 3.3, 95% CI = 1.6-6.83), were all independently and significantly associated with the presence of CCLO. Older child age and higher parent education remain in the model but were not significant at the P <.05 level. Ethnicity and income status were dropped for lack of additional significance from this model, which described 24% of the variance in CCLO. Although two-parent families and higher adult-to-child ratios in the home appear to be social capital variables with protective effects, low-income, single-parent, and minority or immigrant families are at significant risk for lacking both children's books and a CCLO. We suggest that CCLO may itself be another form of social capital reflecting parental goals and expectations for their children. We speculate that interventions which provide children's books and information about reading with children to impoverished families with young children may facilitate more parent-child book sharing. Pediatricians and other primary care providers serving underserved populations may have a unique opportunity to encourage activities focusing on young children and promoting literacy.

Cultural Differences in the Relation between Self‐discrepancy and Life Satisfaction

Cultural differences in the relation between self‐discrepancy and subjective well‐being were examined. Participants from India (N = 54) and the United States (N = 55) listed 10 goals they set for themselves and their parents set for them. They rated the importance of own and parental goals from their own and their parents' perspective. They also completed measures of collectivism and well‐being. Americans, who were less collectivistic than Indians, rated their own goals to be more important than their parents' goals for them, whereas Indians regarded their own and their parents' goals as equally important. Americans' well‐being was predicted by discrepancies between own and parental ratings on personal goals. However, discrepancies between own and parental ratings on parental goals were predictive of Indians' well‐being. Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

The Relationship between Social Class and Childrearing Behaviors: Parents' Perspective Taking and Value Orientations

In this study, the concept of parental perspective taking is hypothesized to explain relationships between social class and parental childrearing behaviors better than parental value orientations do. Using multiple indicators for all variables in a Dutch sample of 237 mothers and fathers, we identified a structural equation model with latent variables for social class, value orientations, perspective taking, and childrearing behaviors. Results show that the level of parental perspective taking plays a mediating role between social class and parental behavior. Moreover, both value orientations and childrearing behaviors appear to be dependent on parental perspective taking. Key Words: childrearing, parental perspective taking, social class, value orientations. In socialization research, much emphasis is traditionally placed on the mediating role of parental goals and values to explain relations between social class and childrearing (Kohn, 1963, 1969, 1976; LeVine 1974, 1988). The general finding is that parents from lower social strata are characterized by more controlling and less supportive childrearing behaviors than parents from higher social strata. These differences in childrearing behaviors are explained by differences in value orientations. In lower social classes, parents give priority to conformity and obedience, rather than to autonomy and self-determination (Kohn, 1969; LeVine, 1974). Although the relationships between social class and value orientations, on one hand, and between value orientations and child-rearing behaviors, on the other hand, are consistent with these hypotheses, they are rather tenuous (Gecas, 1979). This study examines whether parental perspective taking, as a basic social-cognitive structure underlying parents' values and childrearing behaviors, can explain the hypothesized relationships between social class and childrearing behaviors better than parental value orientations. More than 30 years ago, Kohn (1959a, 1959b, 1963) hypothesized that parental values of conformity and self-determination are mediators between socioeconomic circumstances and childrearing. According to Kohn, differences in life circumstances related to the parents' occupational and social status predict differences in parental values and goals. The way parents exercise their authority was found to be different in higher and lower social classes: Parents from lower social classes were found to refer more often to situationspecific consequences of the child's behavior in discipline situations, whereas parents from higher social classes were more inclined to focus on the child's own intentions and self-control when disciplining their child. This difference in parenting behavior was found to be related to differences in goals and values. Lower-class parents emphasize more conformity to rules, regulations, and norms, and the social expectations of the environment, whereas parents from higher social strata tend to be more oriented toward autonomy and selfdetermination, and act and behave according to internalized norms and principles. These value orientations of conformity and self-determination are hypothesized to originate from the working circumstances of the parents and their occupational conditions. Working-class parents are involved in a work environment that is hierarchical, structured, and routinized. Conformity to requests and assignments is expected. Parents who are not working class, on the other hand, find themselves in a work environment with less emphasis on routine and predictable activities and with more emphasis on their own responsibility and selfdirection (Kohn, 1963, 1969). Kohn did not test the entire model being proposed. Specifically, his work failed to test whether value orientations function as a mediating link between social class and childrearing practices (Gecas, 1979). Results from other studies appear to support Kohn's hypotheses. Studies that examined the relationship between social class and parental values (Wright & Wright, 1976) showed that lower-class parents are more likely to value conformity in their children, whereas parents from a higher social class are more likely to value autonomy in their children. …

Psychological reactions after multifetal pregnancy reduction: a 2-year follow-up study

This study had two objectives. Firstly we assessed the effects of multifetal pregnancy reduction on the mothers' emotional well-being and the relationship with the children during the 2 years following intervention. Secondly at 2 years we compared mothers who had a reduction with mothers who had not and had delivered triplets. The comparisons focused on the mothers' health and their relationship with the children. Women having had a reduction in two hospitals in Paris, between May 1992 and June 1993, were contacted just after intervention for a prospective study. In all, 18 women were included. At 1 and 2 years, 10 women participated. At 2 years, 10 additional women were included. The answers of these 20 mothers were compared to those of 11 consecutive mothers of 2 year old triplets, assessed by the same psychologist in a previous prospective study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at home. The mothers' social characteristics, their parity, the children's condition at birth and 4 months were very similar between the reduction and triplet groups. One year after birth one-third of the women in the reduction group reported persistent depressive symptoms related to the reduction, mainly sadness and guilt. The others made medical and rational comments expressing no emotion. At 2 years all but two women seemed to have overcome the emotional pain associated with the reduction. The comparison with mothers of triplets indicated that the mothers' anxiety and depression, and difficult relationship with the children were less acute in the reduction group. These results presented some limitations, since a high number of women who miscarried or refused to participate in the follow-up were not assessed at 1 and 2 years. However, a majority of women who participated in the study 2 years after intervention seemed able to accept a multifetal pregnancy reduction to achieve parental goals.

Urban Zimbabwean mothers' choices and perceptions of care for young children

Parental perceptions of quality preschool care and school choice patterns were assessed among 51 working mothers in urban Zimbabwe. Mothers of preschool aged children were administered face-to-face interviews. Mothers articulated their perceptions of what constitutes quality preschool care. Their responses were grouped into 10 categories; the most frequently articulated categories were (a) good food/diet, (b) hygiene, and (c) qualified teachers. Variations were found by income, occupation, and child care options. Although 67% of the mothers had a child attending preschool, primary child care was said to be fulfilled by female domestics or relatives. Preschool was perceived as an extension of formal education, not child care. Parental goals in the selection of preschools were also analyzed utilizing the Slaughter and Schneider (1986) model of school choice. Six typologies or goal types that reflected parent-centered or child-centered motivations for preschool choice were identified. Most mothers were child-centered in their goals for their preschool children. Eighty percent of parents were categorized by three goal types: Deliberate, Humanistic, and Practical. The distribution of goal types varied by family income and child care options.

The middle class Japanese father: A survey of parents of preschoolers

This study examined the evolution and current status of middle class Japanese fathers. 1147 pairs of fathers and mothers participated in a questionnaire survey which covered 4 topics: the paternal role, childrearing goals, characteristics of fathers, and recollections of one's own parents. The respondents defined the father primarily as a breadwinner, support to the mother, and link between children and society. Men ranked the paternal role as their most important role, yet very few fathers were said to be actively involved with their children. The two most common goals of parents were to raise healthy children who could fit into society. A majority of men recalled that their own fathers seldom played with them, and 41% did not think that their fathers were good role models as parents. Finally, men and women both assigned different relative values to their 5 roles (parent, spouse, worker, male/female, and person), compared with the priorities they attributed to their own parents.

Rearing Children Bilingually (with Yet Again Reference to Vygotsky and Luria)

Rearing children bilingually is a common goal of parents, educators, and researchers alike. Parents and educators to do this correctly on the basis of practical necessity. Scientists, out of theoretical necessity, also want to understand bilingualism in terms of the general principles of human development. In this article we shall discuss the interests of these three groups, drawing on the fruitful studies of Vygotsky and Luria.

Symbolic functioning in preschool children

An important goal of parents and preschool educators alike is to introduce young children to a variety of symbol systems, and to help children begin to master some of these crucial cultural tools. Our research indicates that, in spite of the importance that adults place on symbolization, adult intuitions about the acquisition of symbolic functioning and how to facilitate it are often poor. In this article we summarize research on toddlers' understanding of two kinds of symbols—models and pictures. We show that the initial insight that something is a symbol or representation of something else is extremely challenging for young children, and it is an insight that must be achieved with each symbol system they encounter. Two factors that contribute to the difficulty children have appreciating symbolic relations are discussed: dual representation (the ability to think about something in two different ways at the same time; specifically, the ability to think of something both as an object itself and a symbol for something else) and representational specificity (understanding that a symbol can stand for a specific reality). Implications of these factors for preschool practice are considered.

Parental Goal Orientations and Beliefs About the Competitive‐Sport Experience of Their Child1

We examined the achievement goals of parents' in relation to their interpretation of their child's sporting behavior, preference for certain types of performance feedback about their child, the types of tasks they prefer their child to engage in, and their beliefs about the cause of their child's performance. The sample consisted of 96 parents whose children were in the first year (mean age 11.3) at a large comprehensive school in a major city in the United Kingdom. Parents' dispositional achievement goal orientations were differentiated by their responses to the Perception of Success Questionnaire (Roberts &amp; Balague, 1989, 1991). Whereas differences in task orientation appear to be critical in the education setting (Ames &amp; Archer, 1988), the findings of this study suggest that individual differences in ego orientation may be more significant in the competitive sport context.

Quality in child day care centres: How to promote it? A study of six day‐care centres

How can research be useful for improving the quality of day care? This question is explored on the basis of a pedagogic‐organization study in six Dutch day care centres. These day care centres vary considerably with regard to their basic principles, aims and/or target groups (for instance immigrant children, children at risk, working parents). A strong relationship was found between the special goals of day care centres and their quality standards. Most day care centres did not have basic rules for the operationalization of their pedagogical goals in daily practice. Almost all the day care centres were more orientated towards their own pedagogical goals and less towards parental goals and practical needs. To improve the quality of day care we need context‐bound theories and evaluation studies in relation to specific aims. Day care centres also need a stronger theoretical framework for working with groups of young children and for cooperation with parents.