Staff Articles
- Positive Emotions and Academic Achievement
- Narrative Expression of the Emotional Experience of Breast Cancer Survivors
- The Impact of Zero Tolerance Policies on the Relation Between Educational Attainment and Crime
- Teachers’ Support of Preschoolers’ Emergent Literacy through Play
- Psychological Well-being of Refugees Throughout the Relocation Process
- The Effects of Sexual Objectification on Women’s Mental Health
- Gang Involvement as a Means to Satisfy Basic Needs
- Chinese Adolescents’ Self-Esteem and Mental Health Outcomes: The Role of Permissive Parenting
- Effects of Mentoring on Students’ Academic Success
- Exploring Parental Self-Efficacy and Preschoolers’ School Readiness
- Latino Parenting Practices and Preschoolers’ Self-Regulation Skills
- Measurement of Shame among Juvenile Justice-Involved Girls
- Peer Mentorship and the Well-being of Women with Breast Cancer
- Positive Emotions and Academic Achievement
- System Justification and Mental Health Outcomes in Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth
- The Combined Influence of Parenting and Early Puberty on Disruptive Behavior Problems in African American Girls
- The Development of Internal State Language: The Role of Age, Gender and Context
Gabrielle Gunin
Faculty Mentor | Dr. Gigliana Melzi
Parenting practices are critical in the development of self-regulation during early childhood, and particularly during the preschool years. Extant research with low-income communities, however, is limited as it examines parenting mostly through self-report. Further, less is known about the self-regulation development of Latino children than any other ethnic minority in the United States, even though 25% of children under the age of 5 are Latino. Thus, the present study explored parenting practices through observational and survey measures, and preschoolers’ self-regulation through direct assessment. 21 mother/child dyads were recruited from Head Start centers in New York City. All mothers self-identified as Latino, and about half (n = 12) had attained an education beyond high school. Data were analyzed in relation to cultural conceptualizations of parenting. All mothers adhered most to the authoritative parenting style, blending values such as respect from their native culture and autonomy granting from the dominant culture. Mothers of Puerto Rican descent were less authoritative than mothers from other Latino origins, and their children had stronger self-regulation. Future research should continue utilizing mixed-method designs in capturing the parenting practices of Latino mothers living in the United States. Researchers suggest that understanding more about the link between parenting and self-regulation can bridge the achievement gap experienced by Latino children.