Assignment 3: Parenting Practices Over Generations
You learned in your readings that parenting practices and techniques used to shape child development are influenced by many factors including culture, socioeconomic status, non-normative life events, and cohort effects. To understand cohort effects, consider that the experiences of a child growing up in the 1940s are different in many ways from a child growing up today.
Read the article: Kotchick, B.A. & Forehand, R. (2002). Putting parenting in perspective: A discussion of the contextual factors that shape parenting practices. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 11(3), 255-269.
Synthesize what you learned in your readings as well as the above article to address the following:
Using the chart/table below, list at least 4 parenting practices of 3 generations. (Note: Parenting practices are not the same as parenting styles, which will be discussed later in the course). You can describe parenting practices of 3 generations of your family members, another family you interview, or general practices of generations based on research you find. For example, how did each generation address issues such as education, extracurricular activities, breastfeeding, sleeping arrangements, religious involvement, etc.? Include brief demographic information (e.g., sex, age, region of the country) Note: 3 different generations means 3 different time periods, not 3 different people.
Now review the chart/table and discuss the following:
How were the parenting practices similar and different between generations?
Explain the concept of cohort effects. What cohort effects (e.g. historical or social events) might have influenced the parenting practices of each generation you described?
Identify and explain contextual factors (other than cohort effects) described by Kotchick and Forehand (2002) that might have influenced the parenting practices of each generation you described.
Why is it important to understand contextual factors, including cohort effects, when researching differences in parenting practices?
Generation 1: Years children were raised (19XX-XXXX)
Generation 2: Years
Generation 3: Years
Parenting Practice 1: Education
Parenting Practice 2:
Parenting Practice 3:
Parenting Practice 4:
Present the chart or table and your comments in a 3-page paper in Word format. Be sure to include introductory and concluding paragraphs in your paper, and an APA style reference page. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M1_A3.doc. For example, if your name is John Smith, your document name should be SmithJ_M1_A3.doc.
By Wednesday, May 11, 2016, deliver your assignment to the M1: Assignment 3 Dropbox.
Assignment 3 Grading Criteria
Maximum Points
Presented relevant and important data on at least 4 parenting practices of three generations in a chart for easy comparison.
28
Commented on the noteworthy differences and similarities.
20
Explained cohort effects. Analyzed data to draw conclusions, relating them to the concept of cohort effects. Described historical events or social issues during each generation that might have influenced parenting decisions.
16
Explained other contextual factors that might have influenced parenting decisions for each generation, as well as why contextual factors are important to understand.
16
Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
20
Total:
100
