Sivak E.V. Modern Parental Culture and its Importance with Regard to Interaction Between Parents and Teachers

Received: 12/05/2018

DOI: 10.24411/1997-9657-2019-10036

Keywords: intensive parenting parent-teacher interaction educational programs for parents modern parenting culture preschool children preschools

To cite this article:

Sivak E.V. (2019). Modern parental culture and its importance with regard to interaction between parents and teachers. Preschool Education Today. 1:13, (in Russian). DOI: 10.24411/1997-9657-2018-10036

This work is licensed under a Сreative Commons Atribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

2019, 1

Elizaveta V. Sivak
Researcher at the Center for Modern Childhood Research, Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow, Russia)

Abstract

Influential studies in different countries over recent years show significant changes in child-rearing culture, or parenting practices and attitudes that are considered good and correct. Studies have also been conducted in Russia but so far, they have been few. Based on the analysis of existing studies, as well as 50 interviews with mothers of preschool age children conducted in 2014-2018, the paper examines the specifics of intensive parenthood. Among these features, we have identified the following: 1) intensive methods of upbringing (which require a lot of time, money and substantial emotional work), 2) parental determinism (the belief that all actions taken with the child and all decisions related to the upbringing of the child have an impact on the rest of the child’s life) and the attitude about the critical importance of early childhood, 3) optimization of the environment around the child, control over various aspects of the child’s life, 4) reliance on scientific and expert knowledge in upbringing, rather than on personal experience or tradition. These features of modern parents in Russia are important for effective communication between parents and teachers, as well as for the development of educational programs for parents implemented by preschool organizations. Such programs can become a support for parents in overcoming the difficulties caused by the modern model of child upbringing. It is particularly important to focus not on improving the skills and knowledge of parents but on increasing the self-efficacy of parents (i.e., ensuring that they are able to cope with possible problems rather than transmitting any knowledge) and reducing anxiety.

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