Parental Beliefs About Children's Everyday Planning and Learning in Korean American and European American Families

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 9
  In Poster Session: Social and Cultural Contexts in Learning and Instruction

Abstract

Despite much interest in understanding the cultural influence on children’s learning, few studies have examined children’s development and learning among Korean immigrant families (Jwa & Frost, 2003). In this study, 76 mothers (36 Korean American, 40 European American) with children ages 5- to 8-years completed questionnaires about their beliefs about children’ learning in general (Freedom to Learn, Vinden, 2001; Guan, Chao, 1994) and their child’s planning-related behaviors at home (Savage & Gauvain, 1998). Findings reveal ethnic differences in parental beliefs and their relation to parents’ expectations about their children’s plan-related behaviors. The findings increase understanding of variations in the home environments of diverse children in the U.S, with implications for children’s learning in the early school years.

Authors

• Yeram Cheong, University of Maryland - College Park

• Mary Theresa Gauvain, University of California - Riverside