Parenting beliefs and practices among Chinese families in Macau: a case study

Parenting beliefs and practices are shaped by time and culture. Recently there has been an increased research focused on the role of parenting in Asian children’s development. Parenting beliefs and practices are an important component of the family system and in Macau this area of the social life needs
further investigation, as there are very few studies carried out. Parenting beliefs and practices help shape parents’ interactions with children and thus the environment in which their children develop.
The purpose of this study is to identify the prevalent parenting beliefs and practices among Chinese families in Macau, and to investigate the relationship between parenting styles and young children achievements in school among Chinese families in Macau. In addition, differences in parenting styles of
Chinese mothers and fathers will be examined by way of paired comparisons. This work follows a qualitative approach through a case study methodology. The information was collected through a questionnaire filled out by 40 parents (26 mothers and 14 fathers) and complemented with 7 interviews conducted
with the purpose of examining the prevalent parenting beliefs and practices of Chinese mothers and fathers and exploring the values in which those practices and styles are based. The purpose of the research was to find meaning rather than do measurements, although a Likert scale was used to let the researcher find out regularities and patterns. The study is not generalizable beyond the group of participants involved, but the outcomes may lead to a better understanding of the real life situation of parenting in urban centers. The findings in the study hint that participants' main styles are found to be authoritative and psychologically controlling rather than authoritarian as reported in previous research. Parenting in Macau is becoming less gender-bound and fathers are becoming more involved in raising children. Fathers are more and more involved in the lives of their young children and becoming positive role models. Lastly, the study makes some recommendations that may be useful for helping parents to develop better parenting attitudes and skills towards the children’s wellbeing and needs, helping teachers to modify or re-adjust the mode of parental involvement towards achieving a better future for their young children.