Parenting within Cultural Context: Comparisons between African-American and Asian-American Parents

Using the sub-samples drawn from the National Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: Kindergarten (ECLS-K) database, this study examines similarities and differences between African-American and Asian-American parents in their parenting practice (i.e., parental involvement at home, expectations of child, emotional expressiveness, school involvement, and child disciplinary styles). Effects of parent ethnicity on parenting practice have been examined. Results showed significant differences on some parenting variables between Africanand Asian-American groups. Similarities have also been found between the two groups of parents. Some parenting variables were found to interact with family demographic variables such as parent education or family social economic status. Family structure did not contribute to any differences found between the two ethnic groups of parents in this study. Educational implications of these findings are briefly discussed.