Huey-Ya Lin
Department of Psychology Soochow University
In order to investigate relationships among mothers’ beliefs, goals and child-rearing behaviors, two studies have been carried out. The first study is to explore the themes of mothers’ beliefs, goals and child-rearing behaviors. The second study is to develop questionnaires and then to examine relationships among mothers’ beliefs, goals and behaviors. The present study is the first study in which 120 mothers of elementary school students are interviewed. Based on the results of these personal interviews, themes of mothers’ beliefs, goals and behaviors are developed. The themes of mothers’ beliefs are dependence, innate factors, abilities tendency, contact and accumulation, positive and negative feedback, observational learning, and active learning. The themes of mothers’ goals are morality and personality, interpersonal relationships, achievement and competition, contention and conformity, independence and self-expression, and positive development. The themes of mothers’ behaviors are daily instruction, requirement of practices, positive incentive, punishment, induction, modeling, encouragement of autonomy, and providing services.
Keywords: mothers’ beliefs, mothers’ goals, child-rearing behaviors, parenting strategies, and mother–child relationship