There is a brand new study on the Culture of the American Family that was just done by a team at The Institute of Advanced Studies for Culture out of the University of Virginia that highlights four primary Parenting Styles. I served on the Academic Advisory Council of this study for the last three years and have particpated in discussions as this cross-national study was initiated and brought to fruition. The findings were released yesterday at a Press Conference and are mentioned in the Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/which-kind-of-parent-are-you_n_21376...The most interesting point made is that parenting "is not a system you choose, but an outgrowth of who you are; you don't select it as much as you let it find you. What is "good" parenting depends on the life you've lived and the values you hold". That, to me, reinforces the directions of my own scholarship: the powerful role of culture and worldview on how we choose to parent or teach. It is hard to pick up a guide or read a book to become the kind of parent or teacher you wish to be. There are forces that run stronger and deeper than an intellectual understanding of how we're expected to conduct ourselves as parents or teachers within a given climate or zeitgeist. Our practices as a parent or teacher are profoundly influenced by the way we internalized these roles through our own socio-cultural-historical experiences. Our practices are profoundly informed by the values we prioritize most."Why do we all look at this same role -- parenting -- and see so many different and disparate ways? It is because, this school of thought argues, we are all looking out through different windows, and therefore looking onto entirely different worlds".It is because of these different windows of understanding that, although we look at the same view we see different images. Our understanding of good teaching is shaped by the image we have of who a child is or who a teacher is. Thus teaching and learning are processes that are specifically shaped by cultural worldviews.I will discuss this more in my next post.