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.Amita Gupta
Dr. Amita Gupta is Professor Emerita of early education and a former Department Chair at The City College of New York – CUNY with extensive cross-cultural experience in teacher education, school administration and classroom teaching. As an early childhood specialist Dr. Gupta has worked in the field of ECE for 35 years teaching in India and NYC PreK and K classrooms, teaching graduate courses in early childhood education at CUNY, and supervising teachers in early childhood classrooms in NYC public and private schools. Dr. Gupta’s research interests focus on international and comparative education; postcolonial theory; and the impact of globalization on teacher preparation and parenting beliefs. Dr. Gupta has been an invited keynote/plenary speaker at international conferences in Slovakia, Denmark, UK, China, Singapore, India, Qatar and Indonesia among others. As a Fulbright Senior Researcher she has also collaborated with educators at universities in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Dr. Gupta is a consultant for culturally responsive professional development in schools and other institutions. Dr. Gupta has published extensively including the following books: Investment in Early Childhood Education in a Globalized World: Practices and Parental Philosophies in China, India and the United States. Palgrave Macmillan, 2019. (Co-authored with G.Tan & G. Wilgus). Diverse Early Childhood Education Policies and Practices: Voices and Images from Five Countries in Asia (Routledge, 2014). Early Childhood Education, Postcolonial Theory, and Teaching Practices and Policies in India: Balancing Vygotsky and the Veda, 2nd ed (Palgrave, 2013). Going to School in South Asia (Greenwood, 2007). Early Childhood Education, Postcolonial Theory, and Teaching Practices in India: Balancing Vygotsky and the Veda, 1st ed (Palgrave, 2006).