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Perceptions of Parenting Knowledge and Behaviors: Latino Parents in Parenting Education ProgramsBethany Harmon, MS, Guadalupe Díaz, MS, Bridget Hatfield, PhD, Denise Rennekamp, MS, & Michaella Sektnan, MS

COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES

Introduction• The influence of positive and effective parenting

skills on children’s developmental outcomes has been well established.1,2

• Parenting education programs (PEPs) are a promising mechanism to improve parenting skills and promote effective parenting.3,4

• Less research has focused on the influence of PEP for Latino parents, who generally face additional barriers to access community resources and programs.5,6

Research QuestionsThe present study employed a brief quantitative description and focus groups to investigate the following three research questions:

1. What are the background characteristics of Latino parents who participate in PEPs in rural Oregon?

2. How does participating in a PEP influence parents’ perceptions of their parenting knowledge and behaviors?

3. How does participating in a PEP influence parents’ perceptions of their children’s behaviors?

MethodParticipants• Sixteen Spanish-speaking parents six months after

participating in a PEP.

Measures• Personal characteristics questionnaire.

• One hour focus groups in Spanish.• “How did these classes help you as parents?”

• Self-report of parenting knowledge, parenting behaviors, and child behaviors (0 Completely Disagree to 5 Completely Agree).

ResultsQuestion 1: Background characteristics. Results for research question one are presented in Table 1.

Results, continuedQuestion 3: Perceptions of child behavior. Parents also reported seeing positive changes in their child’s behavior at home and at school (M = 4.20; SD = 1.08).

• “Veo diferencias en el comportamiento de mi hijo en la escuela y en el hogar ahora con su relación con su maestra y sus hermanos.” [Translation: “I see differences in the way that my child behaves at school and home, with his relationship with his teacher and his siblings.”]

• “[Ellos] agarren los libros a leer. Hacemosactividades junots. Esos son cambios para mi.” [Translation: “[They] gather books to read. We do activities together. These are changes for me.”]

Discussion• Parents reported positive impacts of PEP

participation on communication strategies, discipline, school readiness, family health behaviors, and child behaviors.

• Latino parents’ participation in PEPs may serve as a pathway to improve access to community resources, promote parenting knowledge, and positive children’s behaviors.

• Future research should explore the long- term effects of participating in PEP programs for Latino families.

References1. Brooks-Gunn, J., & Markman, L. B. (2005). The contribution of parenting to ethnic and racial gaps in school readiness. The Future

of Children, 15, 139–168.

2. Carter, N., & Kahn, L. (1996). See how we grow: A report on the status of parenting education in the U.S.

Philadelphia: Pew Charitable Trusts.

3. Family Strengthening Policy Center. (2007). Home visiting: Strengthening families by promoting parenting

success. Retrieved from: http://www.nassembly.org/fspc/documents/PolicyBriefs/FSPBrief23FINAL.pdf

4. Moore, K. A., Caal, S., Rojas, A., & Lawner, E. K. (2014). Child Trend’s evaluation of the Abriendo

Puertas/Opening Doors Program: Executive summary and discussion brief. Retrieved from Child Trends:

http://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Abriendo-Puertas-Executive-Summary-and-Discussion-

6-9-14.pdf

5. Moreno, R. P,. & Valencia, R. R. (2002). Chicano families in schools: Myths, knowledge, and future directions for

understanding. In R.R. Valencia (Ed.), Chicano School Failure and Success. New York: Falmer Press.

6. Olivos, M. E. (2006). The power of parents: A critical perspective of bicultural parent involvement in public

schools. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.

Results, continuedQuestion 2: Perceptions of parenting, continued• The findings regarding parents’ knowledge and behaviors were echoed in the focus group (Table 2).

• “No somos perfectos, verdad?…. Es difícil

cambiar de noche a mañana los hábitos. El patrón

que llevamos es difícil cambiar. Trabajamos día a

día cambiar lo que comemos y nuestro

comportamiento; tenemos que aprender como

evitar los hábitos malos porque les llevan los

hijos.”

• Translation: “None of us are perfect, right? It is

difficult to change our habits from one night to the

next morning. The patterns we have are hard to

change. We work hard day by day to change what

we eat and our behaviors; we have to learn how to

get rid of our bad habits because otherwise our

children will adopt them.”

Table 2

Table 1

Question 2: Perceptions of parenting• Parents perceived positive changes in parenting practices after PEP participation (M = 4.18; SD = 0.96).

• Participants rated their parenting knowledge highly (M = 4.13; SD = 0.55).

• Parents rated their parenting behaviors positively after participating the PEP (M = 4.11; SD = 0.64).

AcknowledgementsSpecial thanks to the financial supporters of the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative (OPEC) including The Oregon Community Foundation, The Ford Family Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, and The Collins Foundation.