Full Text of JSSW Dec 2013

Journal of SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK December 2013Journal of SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK December 2013

ISSN: 0976-3759 ISSN: 0976-3759Volume X Issue 07



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A National School Social Work monthly dedicated to networking of parents and teachers. Price Rs 20.00

Journal ofSchool Social Work

Note: Views expressed by the contributors are not necessarilythe official view of the Journal.

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Focus: Parenting Challenges

C o n t e n t sVolume X Issue 7 D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 3 Page

Editorial Dr Laxmi 02Parenting Styles Retold Deepti Redhu and Asmita 03Social Work Perspective of Parenting Style Sasikala S and Dr Florance Shalini J 07Social Work Intervention forAcademic Excellence John Packiaraj M 11Attitude of Student-Teachers towards Teaching Profession

Pachiyappan P and Dr Ushalaya Raj D 15Parental Choice in Selecting Schools for Their Wards

Dr Ramakrishnan N 21Parenting Styles: Research Openings Dr Suman K Murthy 27

Hony Special Editor: Dr Laxmi, MSW, Ph.D

Assistant Professor, DOS in Social Work,Pooja Bhagavath Memorial Mahajana P.G. Centre,

Mysore, Karnataka, India



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Parents play an important role inthe development of children.Parenting is a very big challenge inmodern times, but, a pleasant oneanytime. Every child is unique anddifferent. So, parenting approachesshould also be unique. Parents faceseveral challenges like economic,social, psychological, academic andhealth, of their own and concerningtheir wards.

The economic need of the presentday children is quite high and they aredemanding. Most of the parents findit very difficult to say ‘no’ to theirchildren. Many times parents areresponsible for such situationsbecause they fulfill their needs beforethey ask for it.

In the social front, joint families aredwindling in number and nuclearfamilies are growing resulting in lessopportunity for children to interact withothers and to understand theimportance of relationships. Thisdeficit leads to adjustment problems.Majority of the parents come acrosswith children’s adjustment problemsafter they enrol them to schools.Now-a-days children are very sensitiveand such children can be highlyachieving. But, they are alsoexhausting for some parents.Emotionally sensitive children seem

to respond to each negativeexperience as though it were the endof the world. Managing such childrenand making them emotionally strongindividuals is an uphill task. Positiveenforcement from the parents is verymuch required for the children andparents have to spend a lot of timewith their children. Examination is notonly for the children, it is also for theparents.

Health is an important componentof child development. Provision ofnutritious food is crucial to improve thehealth of the children. Making thechildren to eat homemade andnutritious food by itself is a greatchallenge for the modern parents.Children are very fussy about eatingwhich can lead to malnourishmentand health problems.

The forces of modernization havea significant impact on shaping therational development of children.

Education of girls is very muchessential for the sustainabledevelopment of the society. Thoughmodern parents are very keen toprovide education for their girl childrenthey are very much worried about theirsecurity. Every day is a challenge forthe parents of girl child. Despite allodds, modern parents do make theirchildren healthy citizens of the society.

Parenting: A Pleasant ChallengeEditorial

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Introduction:Parenting is the process of

promoting and supporting thephysical, emotional, social, andintellectual development of a childfrom infancy to adulthood. Parentingis important in order to help childrengrow into confident, well-adjusted andperfect individuals. Parenting refers tothe aspects of raising a child besidesthe biological relationship. State andsociety can take a role as well as thebiological parents and immediatefamily. Parenting does not follow anysingle path and does not treat allchildren as chips of the same block.Each child is different from anotherchild and so, every child is to betreated differently. It means there aremany parenting styles.

Authoritative parenting:This style combines a medium

level demands on the child and amedium level responsiveness from theparents who believe in positivereinforcement and infrequent use ofpunishment. They are more aware ofa child’s feelings, abilities, aptitude andcapabilities and support the

Parenting Styles RetoldDeepti Redhu*

Asmita***Deepti Redhu, Assistant Professor, Mata Harki Devi College of Education forWomen, Odhan, Sirsa, Haryana, India -125 077. [email protected]**Asmita, Assistant Professor, SLIET (Deemed University), Longowal, Sangrur,Punjab, India -148 106. [email protected]

development of a child’s autonomywithin reasonable limits. There is agive-and-take atmosphere involved inparent-child communication and bothcontrol and support are balanced.

Authoritarian parenting:These parents are very rigid, strict.

and place high demands on the child,but are not responsive to the child. Inthis style of parenting, children areexpected to follow the strict rulesestablished by the parents. Failure tofollow such rules usually results inpunishment. Punishment is mostoften used to promote futureobedience. This type of parenting isseen more often in working classfamilies than in middle and upper-classfamilies. Children raised throughauthoritarian style are less cheerful,more moody and also demonstratepassive hostility and anti-social traits.

Permissive parenting:Permissive parents, sometimes

referred to as indulgent parents, havevery few demands to make of theirchildren. This style of parenting ismore popular in middle-class familiesthan in working-class families. In these



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Provide the best atmosphere tochildren. They sense a supportiveand loving atmosphere as well asanxiety-ridden state of affairs.Form a friendly relationship:Parents should avoid being a bossbe friendly at home.Make yourself-truly attractive: Achild is attracted and influenced bymany things. If parents are joyous,intelligent, and wonderful, he wouldnot seek company anywhere else. Use genuine encountermoments (GEMS): Child’s self-esteem is greatly influenced by thequality of time parents spend withhim and not the amount of time.Parents often pretend to listen orignore child’s attempts tocommunicate with them. If parentsdon’t give to child GEMSthroughout the day, he will oftenstart to misbehave.Use action, not words: Due toparent’s daily orders, complaintsand endless ‘do this and do that’children become “parent deaf!” Anaction speaks louder than words.Let them take decision to feelpowerful: Ways to help them feelpowerful are to ask their advice, togive them choices, to let them tohelp adults in different tasks.Use natural consequences: Ifparents interfere when they don’t

need to, they rob from the childrenof the chance to learn from theconsequences of their actions.Use logical consequences: Oftenthe consequences are too far in thefuture to practically use a naturalconsequence. When that is thecase, logical consequences areeffective. A consequence for thechild must be logically related tothe behaviour in order for it to work.Withdraw from conflict: If thechild tests through a tempertantrum or being angry or speakingdisrespectfully, it is best to leavethe room or tell the child you willbe in the next room if he wants to“Try again.” Do not leave in angeror defeat, be patient during thattime.Be watchful: Be Consistent inkeeping your eyes on the activitiesof the child and on his/ hercompany.Nurture your child’s self-esteem:Children start developing theirsense of self as babies when theysee themselves through parent’seyes. Parent’s tone of voice, bodylanguage and every expression isabsorbed by child. Consequently,praising the child for hisaccomplishment, however small;letting him to do things for himselfwill make him feel capable and

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family settings, a child’s freedom andautonomy are overvalued and parentstend to believe and depend mostlyon reasoning and explanation. Thereare minimum expectations from childso punishment or explicit rules in thisstyle of parenting are less. Childrenof permissive parents are generallyhappy but sometimes show low levelsof self-control and self-reliancebecause they lack structure at home.Permissive parents are generallynurturing and communicative withtheir children, often taking on thestatus of a friend more than that of aparent.

Uninvolved parenting:An uninvolved or neglectful

parenting style is when parents areoften emotionally absent andsometimes even physically absent.An uninvolved parenting style ischaracterized by few demands, lowresponsiveness and littlecommunication. There is often a largegap between parents and children withthis parenting style. Children with littleor no communication with their ownparents tended to be the victims ofanother child’s deviant behaviour andmay be involved in some deviancethemselves. Children of uninvolvedparents suffer in social competence,academic performance, psychosocialdevelopment and problem behaviour.

These children tend to lack self-control,have low self-esteem and are lesscompetent than their peers.

Now the question arises that whichis the perfect style of parenting, thereis no single style rather it depends onthe nature, attitude, aptitude etc. ofthe child and economic, social,geographical environment of thefamily but the research shows thatauthoritative parenting style is morebeneficial than the too-hardauthoritarian style or the too-softpermissive style.

Pointers to parenting:Parenting is empowering children

to do something that you did not evendare to think in your life. Given beloware some tips to effective parenting:Give unfettered love: Love doesnot mean providing all materialcomforts. Love is warmth andsecurity. Give unconditional love. It’s time to learn, not teach:When a child comes, unknowinglywe laugh, play, sing, crawl underthe sofa, and do all those thingsthat we normally don’t do. So it istime to learn about life along withteaching them.Use action, not words: Due toparent’s complaints and endless‘do this and do that’ childrenbecome “parent deaf!” An actionspeaks louder than words.



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*Dr Florance Shalini J, Assistant Professor, PG and Research Department ofSocial Work, Bishop Heber College, Trichy.

Introduction:Parenting refers to the aspects of

raising a child apart from the biologicalrelationship. It is derived from the Latinverb: to bring forth, develop oreducate. The parents play a great rolein the socialization, emotionaldevelopment, disciplining, academicachievement and cognitivedevelopment of the children.

The attitudes a child learns duringthe first five to seven years of his lifebecome almost permanent. If parentswant a child to be obedient, kind,honest, faithful, unselfish, patient andGod fearing, they should make thesecharacteristics the conscious objectiveof their early teaching. Heredity doesnot equip a child with character, andparents cannot expect character toappear magically unless they havedone their home work early.

Parenting style and its impact:A parenting style is the overall

emotional climate in the home.Parenting style is associated withdifferent child outcomes. DianaBaumrind identified three main

parenting styles in early childdevelopment: authoritative,authoritarian, and permissive. Theseparenting styles were later expandedto four, including an uninvolved style.

Children of authoritative parents:Authoritative parents rely on

positive reinforcement and infrequentuse of punishment. They listen to theirchildren, encourage independence,allow children to express opinions, andenforce fair and consistent discipline.

Children raised by authoritativeparents tend to be more capable,happy and successful. They tend tohave good emotional control andregulation, develop good social skillsand they are self-confident about theirabilities to learn new skills. Researchshows that this style is more beneficialthan authoritarian or permissive styles.Children also learn to manage theirown emotions and learn to understandothers as well.

Authoritarian parents’ children:Authoritarian parents are very rigid

and strict. Their children tend to beirritable, fearful, moody, often have

Social Work Perspective of Parenting StyleSasikala S*

Florance Shalini J*** Sasikala S, Ph.D Scholar (JRF), PG and Research Department of Social Work,Bishop Heber College*Dr Florance Shalini J, Assistant Professor, PG and Research Department ofSocial Work, Bishop Heber College

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independent. By contrast, belittlingyour child or comparing himunfavourably with another willmake him feel worthless.Catch your child being good:The more effective approach is tocatch the child doing somethingright, and praise to the skies. “Youcompleted your homework withoutbeing asked-that’s marvellous!”or ”You were polishing your shoesvery skilfully!” These statementswill do more to encourage goodbehaviour over the long run thanrepeated scolding and being harsh.Conclusion:There is no universally ‘perfect and

best’ style of parenting, if you are

genuinely interested in giving yourchildren a perfect and good upbringingaccept that different children needdifferent levels of attention, expressionof love, and toughness. Supposegardener is working in a coconutgarden and you ask him, “How muchwater per plant?” he answers “At least50 litres per plant.” When you gohome, if you give 50 litres to your roseplant, it will die. So, you must becareful that what kind of plant youhave at your home and what it needs.“To the world you are one person,But to your child you are theWorld!”

Make their world beautiful and fillit with love!

References:Dr Vatsyayan (1982): Child Psychology and Child Guidance. Meerut: KedarnathCo.Mishra, R.C. (2005): Early Childhood Care and Education. New Delhi: A P HPublishing Corporation.Sharma, R.N. (1999): Raising Children with Difficulties, Meerut: RastogiPublication.Garry Chapman, Ross Campbell (1995): The five Love languages of Children,Country? Northfield publishing, ISBN: 1881273652..Aldort, Naomi (2006): Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves; Country? BooksPublisher Networks, ISBN- 1887542329.Bruehl, Mariah: Playful Learning, Country? Publisher? ISBN-9781590308196.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parenting.http://www.fcs.okstate.edu/parenting/issues/communicating.htm.http://www.eklavya.org/parenting.Elsen, Jane (1986): Positive Discipline, Country? Ballantine Books, ISBN-0345487672.

Focus for Jan 2014: Balanced Diet. HSE: Dr Venkateswarlu V,Dept. of Sociology and Social Work, Acharya Nagarjuna University,AP



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them. They can teach the child howto cope with false values and growemotionally through problems.

Media:A majority of parents consider

cartoons relatively innocuous, butcloser examination reveals thatcartoons often deceptively portrayviolence as fun. Continued viewing ofviolence may retard a child’sawareness of the consequences ofviolence in real life and may teach agreater acceptance of aggression asa proper solution to conflict. There isno way to banish all mass media, buthave to develop self-control andparental control so that TV, videogames,DVDs, Internet and facebookdo not constitute a steady daily diet.

Obedience through commands:When a child causes his parents a

problem, there are several options toconsider. Most frequently, parents takecommand and make the child do whatthey want by threats or enforcedobedience. This kind of action impliesthat the child is not capable of initiatinggood behaviour on his own.

Developing self-control:Initially, misbehaviour and

consequent punishment make thechild learn not to repeat that behaviourin the presence of adults. Making themfeel guilty, fearful and anxious is notneeded. The child has to develop self-

control to choose thoughtfully the acthe wishes to accomplish. Unless achild develops self-control, he/she willbe constantly yielding to the wishesof others. Since such child lacks theability to decide for himself, his choiceswill be almost entirely impulsive ordependent on what his peer groupurges.

Need for sex education:Regarding sex education, parents

are confused, and they are unsure ofwhat to tell their child. But knowingthe truth is less disturbing than notknowing the facts and wonderingwhat they are. During the transitionalages, particularly in early adolescence,a child may have trouble acceptinghis or her sexual identity. Sexexperimentation comes mostfrequently from the child who isuninformed. Several research studieshave shown that the typical sexoffender usually comes from a homewhere he has received little or no sexeducation.

‘Parenting skills’ training:Today parents need a change in

handling their children rather than themethods used by our ancestors.Children do grow up faster these daysand they also mature sexually threeyears earlier than the past generation.Hence, there is a growing need fortraining the parents in parentcraft.

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lower self-esteem, have difficulty insocial situation and vulnerable tostressors. Children who live underextremely authoritarian control wherediscipline is severe are oftenquarrelsome, disobedient,troublemakers at school, nervous andquick tempered. Because of constantdomination, the child never learns tomake decisions on his own. Deepfeeling of bitterness may later blossominto open hostility.

Children of permissive parents:Permissive parents used to be

excessively lax and inconsistentdiscipline. Here the youngster is incontrol, and the parents bend to thewishes of the child. Children raisedby permissive parent developuncontrolled, non compliant andaggressive behaviour, lack self-discipline. The child does not respectparents, other persons, or the propertyof others, have poor social skills.Eventually he may exhibit moreemotional problems than does a childraised under authoritarian rule.Researchers also suggest thatpermissive parenting is linked to otherrisky behaviours such as drug use andother forms of misconduct.

Uninvolved parents:Uninvolved parents were indifferent

to or actively neglected their childrenand were motivated to do whatever

is necessary to minimize the costs intime and effort of interaction with thechild. Children of uninvolved parentssuffer from in competence, problembehaviour, poor academic andpsychosocial development. They tendto exhibit more delinquency duringadolescence and often emotionallywithdrawn. They feel fear, anxiety orstress due to the lack of familysupport.

Of all the types, authoritativeparenting styles tend to result inchildren who are happy, capable andsuccessful (Maccoby, 1992).

Positive vs. negative comments:Parents are frequently unaware of

the effect of their words and actions,yet it all either builds or destroys child’sself-worth. The institute of FamilyRelation reports the results of a surveyon negative and positive commentsto children. The survey reveals that.ten negative comments were madefor every positive comment. In otherwords, 90% of their totalcommunication was negative. Thesame study revealed that eachnegative comment had a damagingeffect on a child’s self-mage.

Protection or preparation:Most of the parents want to protect

their child from every hurt of life ratherthan preparing them to accept theinevitable hurts and nobly rise above



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Social Work Intervention forAcademic Excellence

John Packiaraj M** John Packiaraj M, MSW, MPhil, Project Manager, Thiruvallur IntegratedChild Development Project, Help A Child of India.

Introduction:Parenting is all about nurturing

children at home and making themrespond appropriately to socialsituations they face elsewhere. Whileschool offers opportunities to obtaininformation, master new skills andsharpen old ones; to participate insports, arts and other activities toexplore vocational choices and tosocialize with friends, family gives allinputs to make things happen atschool. School widens intellectual andsocial horizons. But, family preparesone for it and parenting has a vitalrole to play in motivating the child toconsider experience-at-school as anopportunity.

Need for taking board exam:The results of board examinations

decide the career and educationalladder they wish to climb. Their entirelife appears to hinge on this singlefactor. Academic marks thelps themto get admission in college. The rightcollege is very important for futureadvancements and career options.Every adolescent follows his ownpace of development. His growth isgradual. Parents tend to consider the

problems of an adolescent from theirpoint of view which is seldom right.Understanding the adolescent’sproblem as he perceives it paves theway for quicker adjustment and socialwork principles of accepting the personas he is helps us find the right mix ofunderstanding and direction orconfrontation, if need be.

Changes in adolescence:Adolescents are more conscious

of their rights. Desire for being treatedat par with an adult arises. Theytend to participate in varied socialactivities more intensely andfrequently. The changes in the bodypaves way for fear of criticism andcensure, embarrassment due touneven co-ordination of hands, feetand nose. For boys their voicebecoming hoarse causes concern.Outbursts of temper occur due towaves of desperation and frustration.The twelfth standard period is naturallya stressful time for adolescents.

Two faces of a coin:Schools and parents give equal

pressure to the students in academicand social spheres. Schools expectimprovement in grades and

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Children are deprived of thewarmth, love, softness, experienceand wisdom of the older generationowing to the lack of support from theextended family. Parents require helpto develop techniques that will workfor them in their home with theirchildren. Therefore these need to beacquired and that is called as ‘skills’.

The parental skill programmefocuses on training the parents on skillswhich are appropriate on the differentlife stages, needs of the children andthese programmes are conducted inhospitals, schools and communitycentres to prevent the behaviouraland emotional problems of children.

Role of professionals:Epidemiological studies indicate

that family risk factors such as poorparenting, family conflict, andmarriage breakdown, stronglyinfluence children’s development. Therisk factors in parental handlingconstitute the rationale for theinvolvement of social work

professional in this area.Conclusion:The social workers play a vital role

and involve in parental support throughengaging in parenting skillsprogramme, family life education,family therapy and parentmanagement training for the parentsof different age group or based on thedifferent needs of parents. They workalong with other mental healthprofessionals like psychologist, childpsychiatrist, and working as acounsellor in schools, hospitals andcommunity centers.

When it is difficult for all the needyparents to avail parental skill training,the social workers should reach theunreached through communityprogrammes and awarenessprogrammes. Theyshould also involvein research activity focusing on thestrengthening the parent-childrelationship at different life stages tomake the future generation becomehealthy.

References:Elizabeth. B Hurlock (2001): Developmental Psychology— A Life Span Approach,Tata Mcgraw- Hill publication: New Delhi. Kendra Cherry (2011): The Four Styles of Parenting. http://psychology.about.com/b/2011/12/23/four-parenting-styles.htmNancy Ven Pelt (2009): Train up a Child, revised update, published by theStanborough Press Ltd, Grantham, LincolnshireSekar. K et al (2007): Handbook of Psychiatric Social Work’ NIMHANSPublication, Bangalore, p; 70-74



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Views of adolescents’ parents:Everybody agreed that the parent-

child relationship becomes very muchstrained and reaches a flash pointalmost everyday. Students complainthat they work like bulls non-stopwithout any entertainment, relaxationof socializing. Middle class familiesfind the expenditure more for thestudents’ education and tuition.Parents also feel strongly about thethree different types of questionpapers set for the same examination.The cut-off range for collegeadmission is unfair to the students,especially the rural ones. They felt thatit was not fair to the slow learners orthe average student. Some schoolsdo not cover the eleventh standardportions at all. May be the mostimportant lessons are taught. CCEpattern in the CBSE is still notassimilated completely.

Counsellor’s point of view:School counsellors have received

the following complaints from parentsregarding children’s behaviour:Open rebellion and talking rudly.Wasting time Spending long hours at thecomputer/ TV.Not replying questions regardingtheir movements between schooland home or tuition centre andhome.

Such behaviour is common duringadolescence stage. However,counsellors also received complaintsfrom children:Parents repeatedly forced themto study without any rest. Prevent friends from cominghome. Force career choice on them.Demanding high performance.Not addressing their emotionalneeds.These issues can be easily sorted

out if there is a healthy non-arguingdialogue among the parents andstudents, felt the parents. Counsellorsalso opined that there is a strong needto create an awareness amongparents as well as students as to howto deal with the above issues byestablishing channels ofcommunication and markingterritories.

Parenting skills:Sibling rivalry can be averted bydiscussions with the younger ones. Timely meals and healthyalternatives for regular meals suchas nuts and fruits to take care ofthe health needs. Helping the student toconcentrate by avoiding needlessnoise at home. Any incentive should be incommensurate with the task.

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parents expect social nicities ignoringthe developmental struggle of growingup. Parents are the primary source ofinformation as they observe theadolescents who are living with themand notice first the behaviouralchange in them even as it unfolds.Hence the social work interventionstarts at home. A home visit will reveala lot more than several sessions ofinterview.

Parental acceptance:Thergoenkar and Wadda (2007)

studied 207 eleventh standardstudents and their mothers and haveobserved that parental warmth hasbeen found to reduce the threatimplied in evaluative experiences.There is a strong emphasis on theimportance of acceptance of parentsby the child. According to Stagner(2007) acceptance leads toidentification, which in turn gives thechild relief from feelings ofhelplessness as well as a sense ofstrength. Rejection of parents mayrepresent a situation of conflict and ofinsecure detachment. It may makethe child come to a wrong conclusionthat the situation is threatening andinsecure even when it is warm andcomfortable.

A discussion in groups of five:There are several issues involved

in the generation of stress factor due

to board exam as perceived byparents and students. A group oftwenty five parents was selected andafter a general discussion to focustheir attention on the subject matter,they were split into five groups of fiveeach and the summary of theirdiscussions was taken into account.Parents were encouraged to voice outthe prevalent problems with respectto board exams. School counsellorsand Principals were also interviewedfor complaints commonly seen bythem.

The common factors:The following were seen as the

stressors in the family due to thecritical condition of the students takingboard examinations:Irritability.Looking for things misplaced.Priority in matters of abulution.Skipping breakfast.Long hours of sleep deprivationat night leading to sleepiness in themorning and after lunch.Heavy schedule of tuitions.Frequent spot tests at school.Sibling rivalry when the youngerchild demands equal attention.relaxation extending beyond limitleading to argument over TV time. Skipping meals to watchfavourite programmes.Clash of siblings in sharing TV.



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Attitude of Student-Teacherstowards Teaching Profession

Pachiyappan P*Ushalaya Raj D**

*Pachiyappan P, Ph D Research Scholar, Department of Education, Institute ofAdvanced Study in Education, Saidapet, Chennai – 15.**Dr (Mrs) Ushalaya Raj D, Associate Professor and Head, Department ofEducation, Institute of Advanced Study in Education, Saidapet, Chennai-15.

Introduction:“A teacher can never truly teach,unless he is still learning himself.A Lamp can never light anotherlamp, unless it continues to burnits own flame”

~Rabindranath TagoreThe teacher is the most important

component in the educational system.A teacher’s role is crucial in educationalinstitution. Quality of education isdirectly linked with quality of teacher.Teaching profession involvesdedication. It can be seen as a partof a learned behaviour or attitudeassociated with the professionalbehaviour of teachers.

Nobility of teaching profession:Teachers are the sculptors who

shape the young ones into individualsof potential and worthy character.Professionalism is a combination ofserious commitment to the task athand, competence and a measure ofself-directedness with a high concernfor exclusive self-interest. ‘Teaching isoften said to be the noblest profession

among all the professions’ teachersshould realize that the work they aredoing is the noblest. The functionarywho renders this service to enable theindividual to be his best self is doingthe greatest good and hence thenoblest work.

Teacher’s attitudes:Attitude can be defined as an

organization of beliefs, habits andmotives associated with a particularobject. “An attitude is a readiness torespond in such a way that behaviouris given a certain direction.” Accordingto Whittaker “An attitude is apredisposition or readiness to respondin a predetermined manner to relevantstimuli”. According to Sorenson, “Anattitude is a particular feeling aboutsomething. It therefore involves atendency to behave in a certain wayin situations which involve thatsomething, whether person, idea orobject. It is partially rational andpartially emotional and is acquired notinherent, in an individual”. Student-

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References:Chaube (2003): Developmental Psychology .Hyderabad: Neelkamal PublicationsJersild A T, Brook J S & Brook D W (1978): The Psychology of Adolescence.New York: MacmillanPapalia D E, Olds S W and Feldman. R. D (2004): Human Development (9th Ed.)New Delhi: Tata McGraw-HillThergoenkar and Wadda (2007): Relationship between Test Anxiety and ParentingStyle: JIACAM. (JAN2007)

Parents should take care of theirown health concerns.Both parents should share theresponsibility of providing facilitiesfor the student.Remind students gently aboutthe tasks ahead and time availablerather than nagging andcommanding. Students can try relaxationtechniques to calm their body andmind. Encourage students to usepositive self-affirmations.Help children to plan a studyplan and follow it diligently.Bring student’s attention back totask at hand to make the best useof time available.Memory enhancing techniquescan be taught..Breathing exercise and shortfamily games of scrabble can beplayed for relaxation. The students have to be

encouraged to keep thecommunication channel open.Seek professional help at theearliest.Conclusions:Examinations always cause

anxiety. The amount of preparation,expectations, sleepless nights, longhours of continued strain cause agreat amount of stress in children andalso the entire family. If the youngersiblings are encouraged to discuss thekind of problems they face becauseof the entire attention of the familybeing focussed on the exam-goingchild, their rivalry and jealous feelingscan be adequately addressed andremoved. Students can also beencouraged to relax at appropriatetime so that their tension gets adiversion and they feel connected tothe family. Parents who handle thesituation deftly stand to benefitimmensely when the child passes withflying colours!

The articles for January 2014 should reach us on or before 25th Dec2013. Focus: BALANCED DIET. A soft copy by email, a CD containingarticle and declaration that it is original can be posted.



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teachers will be the future teachersand if their disposition is bored, it wouldalso influence children’s living sociallyand morally upright. Good teachersare models of social and moralleadership which not only influencetheir students but also generate forcefor all-round growth of country.

Review of related literature :Nayar (1977) studied about the

teacher attitude of Mysore cityconstructing a standardized tool. Onthe administration of the test, thescores of 100 teachers identified bytheir Headmasters and colleagues ashaving very good professionalattitudes were compared with thoseof 100 teachers identified as havingpoor professional attitude. Bhandarkar(1980) studied about the polytechnicteachers’ attitude towards teachingprofession and its correlates. Thestudy revealed that the attitudetowards the teaching profession wasnot significantly related to thequalifications of the teachers. Thetrained teacher mean attitude scorewas significantly higher than the meanattitude of the untrained teachers. Thejob mobility and family problems werenot significantly related to teachers’attitude towards the teachingprofession. A project financed byNCERT titled, “Effect of Microteachingand General Teaching Competence

and Teacher Attitude of B.Ed.Trainees”, used tools like TAI-Ahuwaliaand Baroda General TeachingCompetence Scale. The majorfindings of this study were that therewas no significant difference betweenthe attitude of teacher trainees beforeand after exposure to technique ofteaching. Parvati S.Ghanti &Jagadesh (2009) conducted a studyon attitude of secondary schoolteachers’ towards their teachingprofession. In this study the attitudetowards teaching profession ofsecondary school teachers is highlyfavourable. The teachers working insecondary schools do not differsignificantly in their attitude towardsteaching profession with respect togender and type of school.

Amirtha Gowri and Mariammal(2011) conducted a study on collegeteachers’ attitudes towards teachingand job satisfaction .The study revealsthat the college teachers hadfavourable attitude towards teaching.The level of attitude towards differedsignificantly so far as the jobsatisfaction of teachers of aidedcolleges and self-financing collegeswas concerned. Selvaraj Gnanaguru(2008) conducted a study onunderachievement of B.Ed., studentsin relation to their home environmentand attitude towards teaching. The

study reveals that the underachievershave satisfactory home environmentand unfavourable attitude towardsteaching. There is a no significantrelationship found between theunderachievers’ home environmentand their attitude towards teaching.Male and female students differsignificantly in their home environmentand attitude towards teaching but notin their achievement score andintelligence score.

Objectives of the study:To find out the government and

private college student-teachers’attitude towards teaching profession.To find out the attitude of male

and female student-teachers ofgovernment colleges towards teachingprofession.To find out the attitude of male

and female student-teachers of privatecolleges towards teaching profession.To find out the Tamil and English

medium student-teachers attitudetowards teaching profession.

Hypotheses of the study:There is no significant difference

in government and private collegestudent-teachers’ attitude towardsteaching profession.There is no significant difference

in male and female governmentcollege student-teachers’ attitudetowards teaching profession.

There is no significant differencein male and female private collegestudent-teachers’ attitude towardsteaching profession.There is no significant difference

in Tamil and English medium student-teachers’ attitude towards teachingprofession.

Methodology:Survey method was adopted to

collect the relevant data for thepresent study. Randomly selected125 student-teachers in and aroundChennai were considered as thesample. Out of them 71 student-teachers were from GovernmentB.Ed., College and 54 were fromPrivate B.Ed., College.

Tools used:1. Personal data sheet developed

by the investigator.2. Attitude towards Teaching

Profession Scale (2008) developedand standardized by A.SelvarajGnanaguru. This scale consists of 48items with five choices (stronglyagree, agree, undecided, disagree andstrongly disagree). The maximumscore for this scale is 240 and theminimum score is 48. The reliabilityof the tool was found to be 0.77 bysplit-half method and 0.65 in test-retest method. To analyze the dataMean, Standard deviation, t-test havebeen computed which are tabulated.



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Table: 1Mean, S.D and’t’ value of Government and Private College Student-

Teachers’ Attitude towards Teaching ProfessionOrganizational Sector N Mean S.D. ‘t’ value LOSGovernment 71 182.90 30.242 0.218 NSPrivate 54 183.50 28.658

Table: 2Mean, S.D. and ‘t’ value of Attitude towards Teaching Profession of

Male and Female Government College Student-Teachers Gender N Mean S.D. ‘t’ value LOS Male 33 184.39 30.121 0.385 NS Female 38 181.61 30.691

Table: 3Mean, S.D. and ‘t’ value of Attitude towards Teaching Profession of

Male and Female Private College Student-Teachers Gender N Mean S.D. ‘t’ value LOS Male 24 184.29 27.503 0.180 NS Female 30 182.87 30.002

Table: 4Mean, S.D. and ‘t’ value of Tamil and English Medium Student-

Teachers’ Attitude towards Teaching ProfessionMedium of N Mean S.D. ‘t’ value LOSInstructionTamil 85 183.16 30.586 0.003 NS English 40 183.15 27.257Analysis and interpretation:The obtained statistics for attitude

towards teaching profession ofgovernment and private collegestudent-teachers have been given intable 1. Here the government B.Ed.,college student-teachers and private

B.Ed., college student-teachersexhibited no significant difference. Thedata was analyzed using the‘t’- testfrom the table 1. It is clear that thereis no significant difference between thegovernment and private collegestudent-teachers in their attitude. In

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this study the government and privatecollege student-teachers showedsimilar attitude towards the teachingprofession.

From table 2 it is inferred that thegovernment college male and femalestudent-teachers exhibited nosignificant difference. It is clear thatthere is no significant differencebetween male and femalegovernment college student-teachersin their attitude towards teachingprofession. So the null hypothesis wasaccepted. In this study the male andfemale student-teacher’s fromGovernment College have shownsimilar attitude towards teachingprofession.

From table 3 it is inferred that theprivate college male and femalestudent-teachers exhibited nosignificant difference. It is clear thatthere is no significant differencebetween male and female privatecollege student-teachers in theirattitude towards teaching profession.So the null hypothesis was accepted.In this study the male and femalestudent-teacher’s from private collegehave shown similar attitude towardsteaching profession.

From table 4 it is inferred that theTamil and English medium student-teachers exhibited no significantdifference. It is clear that there is no

significant difference between Tamiland English medium student-teachersin their attitude towards teachingprofession. So the null hypothesis wasaccepted.

In this study the Tamil and Englishmedium student-teacher’s showedsimilar attitude towards teachingprofession.

Major findings of the study: The government and privatecollege student-teachers do notdiffer significantly in their attitudetowards teaching profession. Government college male andfemale student-teacher’s do notdiffer significantly in their attitudetowards teaching profession. Private college male and femalestudent-teacher’s do not differsignificantly in their attitudetowards teaching profession. In general male and femalestudent-teachers do not differsignificantly in their attitude towardsteaching profession. Attitude of student-teacherstowards teaching profession ishighly favourable.Educational implications:The teacher who has a positive

attitude towards their teachingprofession can only bring the desirablechanges in the learning behaviour ofthe children. The teacher should



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References:Amirtha Gowri.P and Mariammal. K (2011). College Teachers’ Attitudes towardsTeaching and Job Satisfaction. Journal of Community Guidance & Research,Vol.28 (1) PP.99-106.Bhatt, D.J. (1993). Job Satisfaction of College Teachers. Indian Journal ofBehavior, Vol.17 (4): 5-13.Bhandarkar, B.G (1980). A study on polytechnic teachers’ attitude towards teachingprofession and its correlates. Abstract: 1126, III Survey Report, Govt.Polytechnic,Jalgaon.Gnanadevan.R (2010). Teachers’ Professional Ethics for Sustainable Future.Edutracks: A Monthly Scanner of Trends in Education, Vol.9 (9).Parvati S.Ghanti and Jagadesh (2009). Attitude of Secondary School Teachers’Towards their Teaching Profession. Edutracks: A Monthly Scanner of Trends inEducation, Vol.9 (3).Prasad Babu.B. & Raju.T.J.M.S (2013). Attitude of Student Teachers towards theirProfession. International Journal of Social Science & InterdisciplinaryResearch, Vol. 2(1).Selvaraj, Gnanaguru. A and Suresh Kumar.M (2008). Underachievement of B.Edstudents in Relation to their Home Environment and Attitude towards Teaching.Edutracks, Vol.7 (12).Nayar, P.R. (1977). Mysore Teachers’ Attitude Scale, Abstract: 708, III SurveyReport, Dept. of Edu, Mysore University.Niyaz Ahmad (2011). Attitude of Student Teachers towards Teaching in relationto Academic Achievement. All India Khilafat Committee College of Education,Mumbai.Shashi Prabha Sharma (2003). Teacher Education: Principles, Theories & Practices.New Delhi, Kanishka Publishers.

always use their classroomenvironment as a well-organizedstructure for attitude development.

Conclusion: A teacher is always a student; aseeker of knowledge. A teacher is notmerely a teacher but he is a moreeffective demonstrator through hispersonal life of values, attitude,outlook, behaviour and performance.The teachers should being desirableand essential changes in their methodof instruction for developing favourable

attitude towards teaching. They shouldalso learn how to change their ownbehaviour according to the needs ofthe situations. The quality educationshould be given to the teacher traineesby appointing qualified teachereducators. If all the facilities are good,automatically the attitude towards theteaching profession will be favourableto the student-teachers. So, thosewhom are involved in this professionmust follow the value system withsanctity and devotion.

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Parental Choice in Selecting Schools for Their WardsRamakrishnan N*

*Dr Ramakrishnan N, Professor, Department of Educational Technology, TamilNadu Teachers’ Education University, Chennai-600 005

Introduction:Quality of education is the measure

or excellence of its delivery. It isassessed against accepted standardsof merit for education delivery andagainst the interests/ needs ofstudents and stakeholders. Definingeducation quality as excellencemeans delivery of ever-improvingvalue to students and stakeholders,contributing to improved educationquality. It is the level of excellence ofeducation delivery – excellence inmodes of teaching, organizingactivities and experiences so thateffective learning takes place.

Definitions:Education quality is defined as

students’ and stakeholders’satisfaction. This definition is derivedfrom Juran’s (1995) definition of quality“It is customer satisfaction”. Ineducation, students and stakeholdersare regarded as the customers. Theyare the key beneficiaries ofeducational services. Students arethose who are enrolled for a highereducation course. The term“stakeholder,” includes all groups thatare affected by an educationorganizations actions and success.

Stakeholders with similar interests,claims, or right can be classified asbelonging to the same group:students and their parents, employeesof education organization, prospectiveemployers and so on.

Need for the study:Education in the beginning was

teacher-cantered. Then, it wasstudent- centered. Now it is concernedwith human development. Peoplewho are concerned with humandevelopment in larger perspective aresociety and its Government. Theeducated society alone progresseswell in the competitive world. Theparents are the elders in society. Theyare concerned about their children’seducational status, employability, andpotentialities to become a successfulperson in life, business, career andsports. Parents’ awareness aboutvarious factors related to school whichdetermine their children’s success hasrapidly been increasing.

Schooling beyond schools:Due to knowledge explosion, it has

been stressed that schools should givemore opportunities for tapping up thetalents of young children. Gone arethe days when people looked at



22

schools only for knowledgedevelopment. Now it is a multi theatreof honing up skills in music, dance,drama and other cultural activities. Itis a place to develop sports andgames. It is a place to groom moralaspects of life, art of living, meditationand yoga. It is a place to learn thesocietal concepts of cooperativeness,collective bargaining and democraticways of life. It is a place where socialawakening, like ill iteracy, dowrydeaths, female infanticide, AIDSawareness and environmentalcleanliness have to be taught tostudents. In total, it is a multiplex ofhuman capabilities.

The growing number of

educational institutions especiallyMatriculation Higher SecondarySchools in our country have thrownopen many choices for parents.These matriculation schools vie witheach other to give quality educationthrough different modes of instruction,ample infrastructure, many avenuesfor multifarious development inchildren, moral instruction,conveyance facilities, swimming poolsand even horse riding. In this situationparents are provided with morechoices. So, the present study hadbeen undertaken to find out thepreferences of parents when theyadmit students into MatriculationHigher Secondary Schools.

Table No. 1Terms and Definitions

Terms Definition Parental preferences Factors in schools identified and

considered important by parents Matriculation Self-financing English Medium

schools of Tamil Nadu Higher secondary Plus 2 level in 10+2+3 System of

education in India Madurai A major city of Tamil Nadu

Objectives of the study:The study had been designed with

the following objectives:1.To find out the priority of factorsin the choice of matriculation highersecondary school

2.To find out the differences inchoice in terms of educationalstatus of parents.Hypotheses:The following are the null

hypotheses formulated for the present23

study:1. There is no parental choice inselecting matriculation highersecondary schools in Madurai.2. There is no significant differencein parental choice in terms ofeducational status of parents.Scope of the study:The study was confined only tothe parental choice in selectingMatriculation Higher SecondarySchools in Madurai.The study was conducted withparents of students who arestudying 11th and 12th standardsin various matriculation highersecondary schools in Madurai.The study was confined onlywith urban students.The findings of the study will reveal

the choice of parents in selectingmatriculation higher secondary schoolsfor their sons and daughters inMadurai. It cannot be over generalizedand considered as an overall reflectionof parents in all the urban centres.However, it may indicate theperceptual change in preferences ofparents in urban centres for theselection of matriculation highersecondary school.

Procedure in brief:The present investigation has been

basically designed as a normativestudy with survey as the technique of

research employed. A set of factorsas indicative preferences of parentswas developed after having gonethrough the literature available,discussions held with parents,teachers and principals of variousmatriculation higher secondary schoolsin Madurai. A check list cumquestionnaire as a tool to the study ofthe parental preferences ofmatriculation higher secondary schoolsin Madurai was used. Validity andreliability of the tool was tested. Thetool was served with stratifiedrepresentative sample of 1000parents from around 30 matriculationhigher secondary schools in Maduraiwith a fair representation given to thevariables like educational qualificationsand economic status.

Filled in check-list cumquestionnaires were collected from450 parents. They were included inthe final analysis. Percentage analysiswas done for various factors identifiedin the study. Tests of significance ofdifferences were employed for thecomparison of different educationalstatus of parents and for differenteconomic status of parents to thefactors identified in the study.

Meaningful conclusions weredrawn in terms of the objectives ofthe study and suitable suggestionsworked out.



24

Analysis and interpretation:The detailed analysis and

interpretation of data and discussionof results are as follows. The average

ranking of the factors which influenceparents’ preferences of matriculationhigher secondary schools in Maduraiare given in Table 2.

Table No. 2Average Ranking of Parents’ Preferences to

Factors in Matriculation Higher Secondary Schools Sl.No. Factors Ranking Order 1 Academic factors 3.93 1 2 Infrastructure factors 4.64 3 3 Administrative and Personal Relation factors 5.59 7 4 Co-curricular activities factors 5.18 6 5 Extra- curricular activities factors 5.72 8 6 Moral values and discipline factors 4.23 2 7 Convenience and conveyance factors 5.02 5 8 Fee structure 4.84 4

It is evident from the above Tableno. 2 that the following is the order offactors according to the average ofranking by parents, which influencethe parents’ preferences ofmatriculation higher secondary schoolsin Madurai.

Table No. 3Parents’ Responses To Academic Factors Vs.

Educational Qualifications Wise Sl. No Educational N Mean S.D. ‘t ‘ LoS Qualifications 1 Illiterates 80 2.25 0.70 1.4652 N.S.

Literates 230 2.09 0.73 2 Illiterates 80 2.25 0.70 1.2927 N.S.

Graduates 140 2.10 0.66 3 Literates 230 2.09 0.73 0.1126 N.S.

Graduates 140 2.10 0.66 Academic Moral values and discipline Infrastructure Fee structure Convenience and transport Co-curricular activities Administrative and Personal

25

relations factors Extra- curricular activitiesThe details of statistical measures

and tests of significance of differencebetween the mean responses ofparents to academic factors in termsof educational qualifications (illiterates,literates and graduates) are given inTable 3 in the previous page.

It is evident from Table 3 that nosignificant differences exist amongilliterate parents, literate parents andparents with graduation in their meanresponses to academic factors. Sothe null hypothesis is accepted. It canbe inferred from the above table thatthe illiterate parents, literate parentsand parents with graduation have nodifferences in their preferences ofschools to academic factors.

Ranking:The following is the order of factors

according to the average of rankingby parents which influence the parents’

preferences of matriculation highersecondary schools of Madurai. In theranking of factors by parents theyhave given foremost importance toAcademic factors. Secondly, Moralvalues and Discipline factors is givenimportance. Thirdly, Infrastructurefactors are given importance. Fifthly,Convenience and conveyance factorsare given importance. Sixthly, Co-curricular Activities is given importance.Administrative and personal relationsfactors and Extra-curricular activitiesfactors found 7th and 8th place in theorder of importance given by parents.

Conclusions:So, academic, moral/ discipline

factors and Infrastructures should begiven prime importance by privateschools, as these will ensure betterlearning atmosphere. These are theeducational implications of the presentstudy. Parents have to take it as achallenge to get these for their wards.

Rerences:Alexander, W.M., (1971) The High School: Today and Tomorrow, New York HoltRinehart and Winston, Inc.,Best, J.W., (1977) Research in Education, New Delhi, Prentice Hall of India.Grewal, P.S., (1990) Method of Statistical Analysis, New Delhi, SterlingPublishers Private Limited.

Buch, M.N., (1991) Fourth Survey of Research in Education, New Delhi, NCERT.Hans, Raja, Bhartia, (1978) A Text Book of Educational Psychology, Madras,Macmillan India Ltd.,Kochher, K.S., (1981) Pivotal Issues in Indian Education, New Delhi, SterlingPublishers Private Ltd.,Pillai, R.S.N. (1994) Statistics, New Delhi, S. Chand and Company Ltd.,Rai, B.C. (1973) Theory of Education, Lucknow, Prakasan Kerdra,



27

Parenting Styles: Research OpeningsSuman K Murthy*

*Dr Suman K Murthy, Associate Professor, Dept. of Social Work, Pooja BhagavatMemorial Mahajana Post Graduate Centre, KRS Road, Metagalli, Mysore 570016

Introduction:The nurturing environment at

home, brings out the hidden talentsof the child to bloom into a positivepersonality. On the other hand,negative atmosphere, lack ofencouragement, deprivations andcriticisms can form obstacles to thedevelopment of the child’s potentials.Parenting styles refer to a group ofbehaviours exhibited by the parentsin the upbringing of their children.Researchers distinguish betweenparenting patterns and parentingstyles.

Parenting pattern Vs. style:Parenting patterns, according to

researchers, is the specific behavioursexhibited by the parents while theysocialize with their children. Theparenting style is referred to theemotional climate, parentalresponsiveness and demands. Thereis a vast body of literature andresearch on impact of parenting stylesin the development of the children.

During the early 1960s,psychologist Diana Baumrindconducted a study on more than 100preschool-age children (Baumrind,1967). Using naturalistic observation,

parental interviews and other researchmethods, she identified threeimportant dimensions. The fourthdimension was added later based onthe following parameters:Disciplinary strategiesWarmth and nurturanceCommunication stylesExpectations of maturity andcontrolAuthoritarian parenting :In this style of parenting, children

are expected to follow the strict rulesestablished by the parents. Failure tofollow such rules usually results inpunishment. Authoritarian parents failto explain the reasoning behind theserules. If asked to explain, the parentmight simply reply, “Because I saidso.” These parents have highdemands, but are not responsive totheir children. According to Baumrind,these parents “are obedience- andstatus-oriented, and expect theirorders to be obeyed withoutexplanation” (1991). Authoritarianparenting styles generally lead tochildren who are obedient andproficient, but they rank lower inhappiness, social competence andself-esteem.

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Authoritative parenting:Like authoritarian parents, those

with an authoritative parenting styleestablish rules and guidelines that theirchildren are expected to follow.However, this parenting style is muchmore democratic. Authoritativeparents are responsive to their childrenand willing to listen to questions. Whenchildren fail to meet the expectations,these parents are more nurturing andforgiving rather than punishing.Baumrind suggests that these parents“monitor and impart clear standardsfor their children’s conduct. They areassertive, but not intrusive andrestrictive. Their disciplinary methodsare supportive, rather than punitive.They want their children to beassertive as well as sociallyresponsible, and self-regulated as wellas cooperative” (1991). Authoritativeparenting styles tend to result inchildren who are happy, capable andsuccessful (Maccoby, 1992).

Permissive parenting:Permissive parents, sometimes

referred to as indulgent parents, havevery few demands to make of theirchildren. These parents rarelydiscipline their children because theyhave relatively low expectations ofmaturity and self-control. According toBaumrind, permissive parents “aremore responsive than they are

demanding. They are nontraditionaland lenient, do not require maturebehavior, allow considerable self-regulation, and avoid confrontation”(1991). Permissive parents aregenerally nurturing andcommunicative with their children,often taking on the status of a friendmore than that of a parent. Permissiveparenting often results in children whorank low in happiness and self-regulation. These children are morelikely to experience problems withauthority and tend to perform poorlyin school.

Uninvolved parenting:An uninvolved parenting style is

characterized by few demands, lowresponsiveness and littlecommunication. While these parentsfulfill the child’s basic needs, they aregenerally detached from their child’slife. In extreme cases, these parentsmay even reject or neglect the needsof their children. Uninvolved parentingstyles rank lowest across all lifedomains. These children tend to lackself-control, have low self-esteem andare less competent than their peers(Kendra, 2013).

Ideal parenting style:Kopko (2007) in a review on the

parenting styles and adolescentshighlights that the authoritativeparenting style has been considered

29

as an ideal parenting style whichbalances demands with freedom asit provides a balance betweenaffection and support and anappropriate degree of parental controlin managing adolescent behaviour.The review further comments thatdifferent parenting styles are adoptedin different cultures. Further in thesame family, siblings may receivedifferent parental styles which is anarea not researched by theresearchers.

Internal factors:The parenting styles depend on

various parental internal factors suchas mood and lack of sleep, as well asexternal factors such as stress andjob responsibilities. Individual childcharacteristics also play an importantrole in parenting styles. The reviewnotes by Kopko notes that, theresearchers cannot deviseexperiments in which one group ofteens is assigned to a set of parentswho will solely parent in anauthoritative manner and anothergroup of teens is assigned to parentswho will solely parent in anauthoritarian manner.

The role of heredity:Further, nature versus nurture

debate also at some points in timemutually undermines or exaggeratesthe role of heredity and environment

which complicates the role ofparenting in the upbringing of thechildren.

Three dimensions of parenting:Barber and Olsen (2005) have

identified three dimensions ofparenting that appear to characterizeparental influence across multiplecultural samples, both in industrializedand non-industrialized countries.Parental support, which refers tovaried behaviours with ‘affective,nurturing or companionate’ qualities,is especially relevant to the older childand adolescent’s degree of socialinitiative. Psychological control refersto parents’ actions that attempt tochange the child’s thoughts or feelings,ignores or dismisses the child’s viewsand withdraws love or affection; suchparental behaviour has beenassociated with the development ofdepressive symptoms later in a child’slife. Finally, behavioural control refersto parents’ monitoring and knowledgeof children’s activities and is relevantto the extent of the child’s anti-socialbehaviour.

Studies about Indian style:The research studies have pointed

out that parenting is culture-specific,family-specific as well as parent-specific. When one looks at the studiesrelated to parenting styles of Indiansubcontinent, indigenous studies on



30

parenting styles are not many. Anumber of studies in the context ofmigrant Indian’s parenting styles atdifferent countries have been seen.All such studies have always kept theparenting styles module presented byBaumrind, (1967) as the baseline forclassification. The universalapplicability of these findings has,however, been called into question inrecent years. Correlations haveconsistently been found for whiteNorth American middle-class familiesand sometimes for minority ethnicNorth Americans (Steinberg et al.,1992) with regard to Baumrind’sproposed parenting styles. However,social class, gender and ethnicity haveall been found to produce outcomesthat run counter to these patterns(Phoenix and Husain, 2007).

Perception of students:Barnhart et al (2013) compared

perception of parenting styles amongcollege students in India and America.The study examined perceptions ofparenting style as a function ofparticipant’s culture, participant’sgender, and parent gender in collegestudents in India and the UnitedStates. Using a new vignette-basedself-report measure that characterizeseach of Baumrind’s three parentingstyles, participants rated perceptionsof effectiveness, helpfulness, caring,

and normativeness of each style. Thestudy found that Indian collegestudents considered the parentdemonstrating permissive parenting tobe more effective and helpful than UScollege students. In contrast, UScollege students considered theparents demonstrating authoritativeand authoritarian parenting to be moreeffective, helpful, and caring thanIndian college students.

Tools of the trade:With regard to tools for measuring

the parenting styles, a number ofquestionnaires have been preparedbased on the description of parentingstyles given by Baumrind, such asThe Parenting Styles and DimensionsQuestionnaire (PSDQ) by Robinson,Mandelco, Olsen and Hart, (1995). Anumber of case vignettes have alsobeen designed to find out theparenting styles of the respondentsbased on the three parental styles.

Indian approach to parenting:Research openings of Indian

approach to life stages and childrearing are related to the Ashramasof Brahmacharya, Grihastha,Vanaprastha and Sanyasa in whichthe individuals were supposed to fulfillthe four purusharthas of Life namelyDharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.The childhood denoted as Balya wasfrom birth till the fifth year of age and/

or further till the child was initiated intoBrahmacharya ashrama through theUpanayana ceremony.

Fomal and vocational education:In the olden days, those who did

not go to Gurukulas for formal learning/training learnt the trade of theirancestors by apprenticing themselveswith parents or relatives of the jointfamily household. The transmission ofvalues, ethics and culture was throughthe oral tradition of narrating stories,enacting the mythological stories, folkmusic and other art forms. Thechildren were considered equivalentto God due to their innocence. Hencephysical punishment was notprescribed, rather they were given fullfreedom to explore their surroundingswithout any hindrance. The educationof girl child was not generally in formalsettings and the girls were taughtessentials of running the householdchores from early ages by being withthe womenfolk of the family.

Western influence:Due to introduction of Western

education, the Indian approach toparenting styles, transmission ofknowledge and the above mentionedactivities by the parents and eldershave undergone a change. Womenare now given an opportunity toundergo formal education which wasa taboo in the olden days. The

changing role of women as homemaker as well as wage earner haschanged a number of roles that thewomen undertake in parenting. Thusthere is a need to focus research onthe child rearing and parenting stylesin the past to record the traditionalparenting styles of Indian culture.Further, the current parenting stylesadopted by the Indian parents needsto be addressed.

With the modern education, thereis a lot of change in the educationalprocess of the children. Now the focushas been on formal education startingwith pre nursery/ non formalschooling. Thus the amount of timespent by the children in the companyof parents and family has lessened.In this context, the influence ofparenting styles on children needs tobe examined.

Conclusion:The role of TV in entertainment has

gradually eroded the oraltransmission/ narrative styles. Theimpact of this change in parenting styleneeds to be examined. Researchstudies focusing on the gender-specificparenting styles, needs to beundertaken in the Indian context. Theparenting styles of rural/ urban andeducated/ uneducated parents’ needsare to be explored. Indigenous studieson emerging parenting styles in the

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Journal of School Social Work English Monthly ISSN: 0976-3759Registered with Registrar of Newspapers for India under No: TNENG/2004/14389Postal Registration: TN/ CC (S) DN / 47 / 12-14Licensed to post under: TN/PMG (CCR) / WPP - 663 / 12-14Date of publication: 3rd Day of the Monthcontext of the above mentionedfactors need to be taken up forunderstanding various parenting stylesin the Indian context. Such studies canthrow light on the best parenting styleswhich can bring out the potentials ofchildren.References:Barber B, Stolz H and Olsen J (2005): Parental Support, Psychological Controland Behavioural Control: Assessing Relevance across Time, Culture and Method,Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, Vol. 70, No. 4.Barnhart M. Caitlin., Raval V. Vaishali., Ashwin Jansari and Raval Pratiksha H.(2013): Perceptions of Parenting Style among College Students in India and theUnited States. Journal of Child and Family Studies. Volume 22, Issue 5, pp 684-693.Baumrind D (1967): Child-Care Practices Anteceding Three Patterns of PreschoolBehavior. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 75, 43-88.Baumrind, D. (1991): Effective Parenting during the Early Adolescent Transition.In P.A. Cowan and E. M. Hetherington (Eds.), Advances in Family Research (Vol.2). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Chao R and Tseng V (2002): Parenting of Asians. In M. H. Bornstein (Series Ed.),Handbook of Parenting: Vol. 4 Social Conditions and Applied Parenting (2nd ed.,pp. 59-93). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Kendra Cherry.(2013): Parenting Styles- The Four Styles of Parenting. http://psychology.about.com/ od/ developmental psychology/a/parenting-style.htm citedon 18.11 2013

The field of parenting styles throwsa lot of opportunities for researchwhich can update the parents on thebest parenting practices. It can alsohelp in training the ‘yet to be’ parentsto develop positive parenting style toprovide the best for their children.

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