Katsuko Makino

Perceived Parenting Success of Mothers in Japan

The purpose of this study was to find out how Japanese mothers of 10- to 14-year-old children saw their strengths and limitations as parents, and to learn how children in this age group perceived the parent performance of their mothers. The Parent Success Indicator was administered to 589 mothers and 646 adolescents. Analyses revealed significant differences between generations on four of six scales. Mothers saw themselves as better teachers and reported greater satisfaction with their role than was observed by adolescents. Children rated mothers more favourably than the mothers did for how well they dealt with frustration and acquired information needed to give relevant advice.

DEVELOPING CURRICULA FOR GRANDPARENTS IN JAPAN

The purpose of this study was to determine how three generations view the contribution and needs of grandparents in Japan. A sample consisting of 239 grandparents, 266 parents, and 274 grandchildren from, urban and rural areas completed the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory (Strom & Strom, 1993). Grandparents reported more satisfaction, success, and involvement in teaching than was observed by parents or grandchildren. Grandparents experienced greater difficulty as well as frustration and saw themselves as less informed about their role than was reported by younger people. Significant main effects were generation, grandchild gender, grandchild age, generations living together, frequency of grandchild care by the grandparent, and amount of time the generations spent together. Implications for building curricula and guidelines for program development are identified.