A Developmental Approach to Parenting Education: Parenting as a Growth Process. Draft.

A study field tested and evaluated an instructional approach to parent education that tried, from a developmental perspective, to help parents become aware of their parenting practices. A program was developed to support parents in becoming aware of personal themes and actions that influenced the nature of parent-child interaction and in becoming aware of personal themes about their own growth as parents. The instructional design incorporated Newberger's (1977) developmental continuum of parental awareness of children and theme expressions parents used in conceptualizing child rearing patterns. Field testing and evaluation of the program was completed in five educational settings, including secondary and adult education settings, at-risk population settings, and higher education. Thirty-one parents participated. The educational program reflected three phases of learning: parental awareness of support-restrict theme expression, theme elaboration and linkage to existing perceptions of parenting practices, and reorganization and reevaluation of parenting practices. Pre- and post-assessments and interviews assessed degree of change in levels of awareness and patterns of theme expression. Parental growth was most evident in theme expression. Parents became more child focused and less self and culture bound in their perspectives. (Appendixes include 32 references, data tables and figures, and examples of levels of awareness and theme expression.) (YLB)