Poster #155 - Undergraduate Students' Beliefs about Child Development and Parenting

• In Event: 3-003 - Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

Parents’ beliefs or “folk theories” about how to promote children’s development affect their parenting behaviors and subsequent child outcomes (e.g., Harkness & Super, 2006; Sigel & McGillicuddy-DeLisi, 2002). Developmental scientists have revealed beliefs about children and child rearing that can be targeted in prevention and educational programs to improve the quality of parenting (e.g., Bavolek & Keene, 2010; Burchinal, Skinner, & Reznick, 2010). Unfortunately, some maladaptive beliefs are common in the U.S., such as concerns about “spoiling” infants and the need for spanking. Teaching undergraduate psychology courses provides opportunities to examine and enhance prospective parents’ sensitivity to their children.

The major purpose of the present set of studies is to explore beliefs about child development and appropriate child rearing practices in young, pre-parent adults. Secondary research questions include: How sophisticated are college students’ beliefs about child development? What are their common misconceptions? How do students’ backgrounds and educational experiences relate to their beliefs? Are some beliefs considered “risky” for employing maladaptive practices as future parents? If so, follow-up studies will investigate the effectiveness of different educational interventions (e.g., teaching methods, dosage).

Previous researchers have used several approaches to investigate beliefs about child development. For example, one approach utilizes surveys to reveal agreement with well-known theories in developmental psychology (e.g., maturational, behavioral, constructivist). Another approach asks for explanations of children’s behavior in hypothetical vignettes. Both approaches have shown associations between parents’ views of development and childrearing practices.

Methods. The first pilot study examined the use of the Concepts of Development Vignettes (CODV, Sameroff & Feil, 1992) with college students. In Study 2, 125 students from an introductory psychology course responded to surveys assessing their beliefs about child development (Martin & Johnson, 1992), and their views about appropriate responses to child misbehavior (Holden & Zambarano, 1992). They also reported their educational background, experiences with children, and sources of influence on their beliefs. In the ongoing Study 3, students from various majors in a large introductory psychology course will respond to the CODV, multiple surveys from Study 2, as well as the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory to assess high-risk parenting attitudes (Bavolek & Keene, 2010).

Preliminary Findings. The first pilot indicated that students’ explanations for child behavior on the CODV revealed a range of complexity levels that were meaningfully related to their educational backgrounds. The second study showed some significant relationships between college students’ developmental perspectives and beliefs about appropriate childrearing practices. For example, stronger maturational beliefs were positively associated with endorsement of occasional use of physical punishment, and stronger constructivist beliefs tended to be negatively associated with acceptance of physical punishment. The extent to which students held constructivist beliefs varied by sex, major, experiences with children, and sources of influence.

The third study is expected to show that young, pre-parent adults who demonstrate more complex, contemporary notions of child development embrace more parenting practices advocated by developmental scientists, and fewer practices considered maladaptive. Findings are expected to guide educational interventions in undergraduate courses to reduce risk and improve childrearing of future parents.

Author

• Denise H Daniels, Department of Psychology & Child Development
  Presenting Author