ERIC Number: EJ1461447
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Mar
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-3920
EISSN: EISSN-1467-8624
Available Date: 2024-11-21
Pointing out Learning Opportunities Reduces Overparenting
Child Development, v96 n2 p679-690 2025
Overparenting--taking over and completing developmentally appropriate tasks for children--is pervasive and hurts children's motivation. Can overparenting in early childhood be reduced by simply framing tasks as learning opportunities? In Study 1 (N = 77; 62% female; 74% White; collected 4/2022), US parents of 4-to-5-year-olds reported taking over less on tasks they perceived as greater learning opportunities, which was most often the case on academic tasks. Studies 2 and 3 (N = 140; 67% female; 52% White; collected 7/2022-9/2023) showed that framing the everyday, non-academic task of getting dressed as a learning opportunity--whether big or small--reduced parents' taking over by nearly half (r = -0.39). These findings suggest that highlighting learning opportunities helps parents give children more autonomy.
Descriptors: Parenting Styles, Parent Child Relationship, Preschool Children, Developmentally Appropriate Practices, Personal Autonomy, Task Analysis, Motivation, Barriers, Clothing, Child Development, Developmental Stages
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 2247807
Data File: URL: https://osf.io/6kdtg/
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; 2Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA