Beyond independent children and authoritative parenting: Korean mothers\u27 perspective

Following the tenets of sociohistorical and ecocultural theories of parent-child socialization, this study attempted to build on previous work on parenting across cultures by examining mothers\u27 beliefs about childhood independence and characteristics of a desirable mother, and by exploring contemporary childrearing patterns in Korean families. A sample of 310 Korean mothers of 3- to 6-year-old children were administered the Parental Acceptance Rejection/Control Questionnaire (PARQ/Control: Rohner, 1991) and the Parental Devotion and Parental Discipline Questionnaire (PDPD) in order to assess parental acceptance, control, devotion, and discipline. Interviews were conducted on a subgroup of 90 mothers. Factor analyses conducted on the two scales indicated that both showed good internal consistency, and that the factor structure on the PARQ/Control was fairly consistent with previous research; two factors emerged on the PDPD scale. A cluster analysis performed on the factors obtained on the PARQ/Control and the PDPD scales revealed that if data were gathered using the PARQ/Control only, an incomplete picture on Korean mothers\u27 parenting styles would have emerged. That is, they would have been viewed as neglecting/rejecting or permissive parents. With the inclusion of the PDPD scale, a more accurate appraisal of contemporary Korean mothers\u27 parenting styles was obtained. The qualitative analyses suggested that Korean mothers value individual agency within a collectivistic orientation. Their responses to what are the desirable characteristics of a mother included: devotion (41.3%), devotion with discipline (31.2%), authoritative parenting (20%), and expressing individuality (7.8%). The data are discussed in terms of the cultural meaning of parenting vis-à-vis established paradigms on childrearing and maternal ideas about development