Bilge Yagmurlu

Sociocultural Influences on German and Turkish Immigrant Mothers’ Long-Term Socialization Goals:

The major aims of this study were (a) to investigate the differences and similarities in long-term socialization goals of German mothers and Turkish immigrant mothers living in Germany and (b) to examine socialization goals of Turkish immigrant mothers in relation to their acculturation attitudes. Participants were composed of 79 Turkish mothers who were either raised in Germany or migrated to Germany and 91 German mothers of preschoolers living in Germany. Turkish immigrant mothers were more likely to expect their children to have close relations with the family and to be well-mannered and they were less likely to value autonomy than were German mothers. Turkish mothers who were more integrated into German culture were found to value individualistic goals such as self-control more than Turkish mothers who were more separated from the German culture, yet both groups valued mutual support within the family very highly. The findings reveal that socialization goal patterns of Turkish immigrant mothers represent the pattern depicted in the psychological interdependence model proposed by Kagitcibasi (2007).

Parenting and temperament as predictors of prosocial behaviour in Australian and Turkish Australian children

Abstract This study investigated the direct and indirect roles of parenting, child temperament and sociocultural context in predicting prosocial behaviour as identified by behavioural assessments and parent and teacher ratings. Comparisons of Australian children and Turkish children living in Australia allowed examination of cultural similarities and differences in levels of prosocial behaviours and in their predictors. Participants were 153 Australian 4–6-year-old children and 58 children with a Turkish background recruited from childcare centres serving low- and middle-class communities. Turkish and Australian children were similar in their levels of prosocial development, but the factors that predicted prosocial behaviour were somewhat different. Hierarchical multiple regression showed that maternal warmth and child persistence predicted prosocial behaviour for the Australian sample. For the Turkish sample, obedience-demanding behaviour had a facilitating effect upon prosocial development. The results ...

Acculturation and Parenting Among Turkish Mothers in Australia

This study investigated acculturation attitudes of Turkish immigrant mothers in Australia and the associations between their interaction levels with Australian society and their parenting values and behaviors. Turkey is traditionally collectivist, and punishment is more common than verbal reasoning among parents; in Australia, which is predominantly individualistic, normative parenting goals emphasize independence (over obedience) and induction-based discipline (over punishment). Participants included 58 Turkish mothers living in Melbourne. Each had a child attending a child care center located in a generally lower socioeconomic area. Questionnaires were used to assess acculturation attitudes, parenting goals, and child-rearing practices. Findings support the hypothesized relationships between acculturation attitudes and parenting behaviors. Mothers who had a tendency to integrate with Australian society reported higher levels of self-direction goals and inductive reasoning and lower levels of compliance goals and obedience-demanding behavior. Findings are discussed in relation to the functions of child-rearing values and practices in sociocultural context.

What counts in externalizing behaviors? The contributions of emotion and behavior regulation

The aim of this study was to examine the distinct roles of emotion and behavior regulation in externalizing behavior problems of elementary school children. Parents and teachers of 104 seven-year-old children living in Istanbul were given the Emotion Regulation Checklist and the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire. The Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory was used to measure children’s externalizing behaviors. Results revealed that emotion and behavior regulation are modestly related to each other, and in general, both abilities are linked to externalizing behaviors. Low emotion and low behavior regulation significantly predict externalizing behaviors. Interaction between the two regulatory abilities predicts externalizing behaviors. Emotion and behavior regulation appear to be separate dimensions operating together in relation to children’s behavior problems.

It Takes a Village to Support the Vocabulary Development of Children with Multiple Risk Factors.

Data from a nationally representative sample from Turkey (N = 1,017) were used to investigate the environmental factors that support the receptive vocabulary of 3-year-old children who differ in their developmental risk due to family low economic status and elevated maternal depressive symptoms. Childrens vocabulary knowledge was strongly associated with language stimulation and learning materials in all families regardless of risk status. Maternal warmth and responsiveness supported vocabulary competence in families of low economic status only when maternal depressive symptoms were low. In families with the highest levels of risk, that is, with depression and economic distress jointly present, support by the extended family and neighbors for caring for the child protected childrens vocabulary development against these adverse conditions. The empirical evidence on the positive contribution of extrafamilial support to young childrens receptive vocabulary under adverse conditions allows an expansion of our current theorizing about influences on language development.

Social competence, theory of mind, and executive function in institution-reared Turkish children

This study had two aims. The first aim was to measure mental state understanding in institution-reared children by using a theory of mind (ToM) scale, and to examine the role of cultural context in sequencing of ToM acquisition. The other aim was to investigate ToM in relation to social competence and executive function (EF). Due to its pronounced role in mental state understanding and social interactions, we assessed receptive language as well. The participants were 107 institution-reared children aged 3 to 5 years in Turkey. Two visits were held within 2 days for behavioral assessments. In the first visit, the ToM scale was administered; in the second visit, the child was given the language test and the EF tasks. The social competence scales were completed by the child’s primary care provider in the institution. Guttman scaling analysis revealed that an understanding of diverse beliefs developed earlier than knowledge access, favoring the “individualistic pattern.” The regression analysis showed that EF was a significant predictor of ToM, but neither of them was associated with social competence when age was controlled. Receptive language predicted social competence and EF directly, and ToM indirectly through EF, pointing to the importance of this ability for early development.

Parenting: the turkish context

This chapter aims to give the reader an analysis of parenting and family in Turkish culture. It first summarizes the main theoretical accounts that are helpful in understanding cultural differences in parenting. It then presents an overview of Turkish society, especially its women. The authors try to give a general idea about common parenting cognitions (values and goals) and behaviors in the Turkish context, but also emphasize the significant within-culture variation that appears as a function of parental education and rural vs. urban settlement. The chapter concludes with a discussion of future directions for research.

Self-reported maternal expectations and child-rearing practices: Disentangling the associations with ethnicity, immigration, and educational background

This study aimed at: (1) disentangling the associations between ethnicity, immigration, educational background, and mothers’ developmental expectations and (self-reported) child-rearing practices; and (2) identifying the cross-cultural differences and similarities in developmental expectations and child-rearing practices. Participants were 111 Dutch and 111 Turkish immigrant mothers in the Netherlands, and 242 Turkish mothers living in Turkey. Dutch and higher-educated mothers had a tendency to believe that children learn certain skills and behaviors at an earlier age than did Turkish and lower-educated mothers, respectively. Turkish mothers, majority group, and higher-educated mothers reported more child-centered parenting practices than Dutch mothers, immigrants, and mothers with less education, respectively. Parent-centered parenting practices were reported mainly by less educated mothers. The analyses on disentangling the associations between sociodemographic background variables and parenting pointed to the relative importance and consistency of maternal education as a predictor of parenting, compared to ethnic background and immigration history. It is concluded that disentangling variables that are often associated with studies comparing immigrant and majority groups is essential for a proper understanding of similarities and differences in developmental expectations and child-rearing practices.

Parenting practices and pre-schoolers’ cognitive skills in Turkish immigrant and German families

The present study aims to investigate the association between parenting behaviours, children’s daily activities and their cognitive development. Participants were 52 Turkish-German and 65 German pre-school children and their mothers, who were matched in terms of education level (10–12 years of schooling). Children’s cognitive skills were assessed using a developmental test (ET 6–6). Parenting behaviours were measured with a modified version of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire. Children’s daily activities and their literacy environment were captured with interviews as well as with a time budget diary covering two days. For parenting practices, we found mean differences inasmuch as parents in the German sample were more likely to be engaged in dyadic interaction and book reading, and less likely to endorse inconsistent parenting practices and rigid discipline practices when compared to the Turkish immigrant parents. We found similarities in the sense that parents in the two samples were equally likely to engage in positive parenting behaviour and in social play, and girls received higher scores on cognitive performance than boys. Separate regression analyses for each sample revealed that parent’s involvement indicating a more stimulating environment was positively associated with children’s cognitive development. Taken together, the findings point to the importance of programmes geared at supporting Turkish immigrant parents’ involvement with their pre-schoolers.

Self-Regulation Mediates the Link between Family Context and Socioemotional Competence in Turkish Preschoolers.

Research Findings: In this study, we examined self-regulatory skills, namely, effortful control and executive function, in Turkish preschoolers (N = 217) and their mediating roles in the associations between parenting and children’s socioemotional competence. We also investigated the role of family socioeconomic status and maternal psychological well-being in these concurrent associations. Mother reports were used for maternal depressive symptoms, parenting behaviors, and children’s effortful control. Individual assessment was utilized for executive function, and socioemotional competence was assessed via multiple methods (mother report, teacher report, and individual assessments). Structural equation modeling results showed that effortful control mediated the paths from power-assertion to children’s socioemotional competence. The pathway extending from depressive symptoms to socioemotional competency was mediated by power-assertiveness and effortful control. Socioeconomic status was not associated with socioemotional competence through either parenting or self-regulatory constructs. Practice or Policy: The results revealed that even moderate levels of depressive feelings experienced by mothers presented a risk factor for early effortful control and socioemotional development in young children through increasing harsh child rearing. These findings suggest that, given its potential role in the development of early fundamental abilities, it is important to take precautions against adverse effects of even low levels of maternal depression.