Chinese Parenting Reconsideration: Parenting Practices in Taiwan

This study examined authoritative and authoritarian parenting and specific parenting practices among Chinese mothers with preschoolers. The final sample consisted of 463 mothers with their 3 to 7 year-olds from 11 preschools, in Taiwan. Mothers completed a Chinese translation of the Parenting Behavior Questionnaire that assessed their parenting practices. Findings indicated that the subscales of the Authoritative scale were positively related to each other. Subscales of the Authoritarian scale were also positively related to each other. The Authoritarian and Authoritative total scores were negatively. related to each other. The majority of the mothers (over 65 percent) could be classified as authoritative. None of the mothers in this sample were classified as authoritarian. Four parenting patterns were identified for the sample: (1) high authoritative, low authoritarian (65 percent of mothers); (2) high authoritative, medium authoritarian (12 percent); (3) medium authoritative, low authoritarian (15 percent); and (4) medium authoritative, medium authoritarian (7 percent). Contrary to the impression from many previous cross-cultural studies presenting Chinese parents as controlling and authoritarian, the findings of this study showed that the authoritative pattern was predominant among participants. (Contains 22 references.) (KB) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. O 00 Chinese Parenting Reconsideration: Parenting Practices in Taiwan Fu-mei Chen and Tom Luster Department of Family and Chid Ecology Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824-1030 Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to: Dr. Fu-mei Chen Department of Applied Life Science College of Human Ecology Fu Jen Catholic University Hsin-Chuang, Taipei, Taiwan, 242 Phone: 886-2-29031111 ext.2104 E-mail: [email protected] BEST COPY AVAILABLE PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as eceived from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy.