Parent Interview Project PDF

Preview

Summary

Download Parent Interview Project PDF

Description

PSYCH 250 – Jodl University of Michigan

PROJECT #1: A Parent Interview—Cultural Variations in Infant Care Practices This project is designed to give you a sense of the degree of variation in infant caretaking practices and of the cultural and personal values supporting them. Many of you may have friends or family who are parents or may yourselves be parents in the future, and it is important to recognize that how one “parents” reflects that person’s own values and beliefs, and the larger cultural context. For this assignment, you will integrate evidence from three sources: a parent interview, a research article by Keller et al. (2009), and the documentary Babies. The assignment will require (and strengthen) your skills in collecting qualitative data, critical thinking and data synthesis, writing, and the use of APA style. The project is worth 50 points. 1. Familiarize yourself with the topic and the list of interview questions. Begin by reading the article by Keller et al. (2009) entitled, “Distal and proximal parenting as alternative parenting strategies during infants’ early months of life: A cross cultural study” (see /Files/Projects/Parent Interview Project on Canvas). Watch the documentary Babies (available on Canvas). Be sure to write down some examples of cultural variations in parenting styles (e.g., proximal vs. distal) and infant care practices (e.g., sleeping arrangements, object play). Using the cultural prototypes described by Keller et al. (2009), how would you characterize each baby—Bayar from Mongolia, Mari from Tokyo, Ponijao from Namibia, and Hattie from San Francisco—depicted in the film? Next familiarize yourself with the parent interview questions (see below) to get a sense of what you will ask in the interview. 2 . Interview a parent-like figure (e.g., your mother or father, legal guardian). The interview should be conducted in person or over the phone. Explain that infant care practices differ in cultures around the world and within the United States, and that you would like to do an interview for a project that will explore parenting practices and socialization goals. When conducting the interview, you should record the participant’s responses verbatim. If the interviewee has more than one child, ask them to focus on one child only. Assign your interviewee a name (e.g., Nicole) to maintain their anonymity. Don’t worry if you get more information in response to some questions than to others. You will base your write-up on the totality of information you collect. 3. Drawing on the Keller et al. (2009) article, the Babies documentary, and your own results, write a 5-page essay (title page, references, and interview data do not count against the page limit). The paper should be double-spaced with 1” margins and Times New Roman font. APA format should be used for all citations. Be sure to attach the interview notes and

1

use the RUBRIC as a guide (see /Files/Projects/Parent Interview Project on Canvas). The paper should include the following: a. An introduction that lays the groundwork for the topic of cultural variations in infant care practices by briefly introducing Keller et al. (2009), Babies, and the parent interview. Describe the interviewee’s background (i.e., age, gender, race/ethnicity, education level, marital status) and their children’s ages and sex assigned at birth. Be sure to include a clear thesis statement detailing the purpose of the study (i.e., what was done and why). b. The body of the paper should focus on analyzing 3 aspects of the interview data in the context of Keller et al. (2009) and the Babies documentary—infant feeding and sleeping arrangements, parenting styles, and socialization goals. In each case, consider the developmental and cultural significance of the interviewee’s decisions about breastfeeding and co-sleeping, proximal vs. distal parenting styles, and their socialization goals. How might culture and personal values impact the parenting decisions made by caregivers? What other factors might affect such parenting decisions (e.g., health of the baby, working primary caretaker)? Compare your results with the infants depicted in Babies and the cultural prototypes delineated in Keller et al. (2009). In this section, you will need to integrate information from the parent interview, the Babies documentary, and the Keller et al. (2009) article. Be sure to provide specific examples from the interview and the Babies film to support your position. c. A conclusion that consists of a brief summary of the interviewee’s style of parenting relative to the cultural prototypes detailed in Keller et al. (2009). Do you see any connection between their responses and their cultural background and/or socialization goals? Be specific! What are your thoughts or opinions regarding the role of culture in shaping parenting practices in infancy? Be sure to integrate your impressions from the Babies documentary and Keller et al. (2009) as well. DON’T FORGET TO TURN IN YOUR INTERVIEW NOTES WITH YOUR PAPER!

2

PSYCH 250 – Jodl University of Michigan

PARENT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Part I. Background Information 1. 2. 3. 4.

What is your ethnic, racial, cultural and/or socioeconomic background? Did you go to college? What’s your highest level of education? Briefly describe your family structure (e.g., married, divorced, single-parent, co-parent). Do you have any children? If so, how many and what are their ages & sex assigned at birth?

Part II. Infant Feeding & Sleeping Practices 1. Was your baby breast or bottle fed at birth? If breast-fed, for how long? Why did you decide on this feeding arrangement? What do you think influenced your decision to breast or bottle feed your baby? 2. Where did your infant sleep at birth? Did they share the same bed (i.e., co-sleep) or room with you? What were your reasons for this arrangement? 3. What do you think influenced your decisions about feeding and sleeping?[For example, were you following your gut instinct or a doctor’s advice, your sense of what other parents do, what you have read in books, or what your own parents said or did?] Did your reasons have anything to do with your goals for your baby’s development or the baby’s physical well-being? 4. [If the interviewee has MORE than one child] Were there any differences in the feeding and sleeping arrangements for your other children? Why or why not?

Part III. Parenting Styles & Socialization Goals 1. Keller et al. (2009) describes two parenting styles that vary across cultures: proximal and distal. Proximal parenting consists of high amounts of body contact and body stimulation whereas distal parenting involves lots of face-to-face contact and object play. Some parents employ a combination of proximal and distal parenting strategies. How would you describe your style of interaction with your baby? Could you provide some specific examples of when you used a proximal or distal style of parenting? 2. How we parent reflects our socialization goals for our children. What were your goals as a parent in terms of socializing your baby? [For example, were you interested in self-expression and independence, achievement, personal responsibility AND/OR obedience and cooperation, emotional closeness/relatedness, social responsibility, and conformity with family values?] Who or what do you think influenced these socialization goals and strategies? Note: Goals can be behavior/character goals or health/survival goals.

3...