The educational resources and needs of mothers of preschool children from two socioeconomic levels

• Published date: 01 December 2024
• Author: Senem Han‐Uysal,Zeynep Kızıltepe,Sibel Akmehmet‐Şekerler,Aylin Buran
• Date: 01 December 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.13049

RESEARCH

The educational resources and needs of mothers of

preschool children from two socioeconomic levels

Senem Han-Uysal

1

| Zeynep Kızıltepe

1

| Sibel Akmehmet-Şekerler

1

|

Aylin Buran

2

1

Faculty of Education, Department of

Educational Sciences, Bo

gaziçi University,

Istanbul, Türkiye

2

Independent Researcher, Izmir, Türkiye

Correspondence

Senem Han-Uysal, Do

gan Yayınları

Yayıncılık ve YapımcılıkA.Ş. 19 Mayıs Cad.

Golden Plaza No:1 Kat:10 34360,

Şi¸sli—_

Istanbul, Türkiye.

Email: senemhanuysal@gmail.com

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the educational

resources and needs of mothers of children aged 60 to

72 months and the differences between those of high and

low socioeconomic status (SES).

Background: Parents have a crucial impact on their chil-

dren’s development in the preschool years. Mothers are

especially challenged by the variety of information sources

available and struggle with parenting decisions.

Method: Thirty-three structured interviews with mothers

were carried out in one private and one public school, rep-

resenting high and low SES, respectively.

Findings: Between the two SES groups, both similarities

and differences were observed in terms of their educa-

tional resources and needs. The following themes emerged

in the study: general sources of parenting information,

challenges, the first source to consult when problems

occur, topics preferred in a parent education program,

and the phase of maternity in which they preferred to

receive training. The two SES groups were similar in

terms of their main challenges, the topics preferred in a

parent education program, and the phase of maternity in

which they preferred to receive education. Differences

were observed in terms of the sources of parenting infor-

mation, the first source to consult when problems occur,

and some of the preferred topics of a parent education

program.

Implications: These findings may be useful in revisiting

existing parent education programs, or in creating new

ones, for the caregivers of preschool children.

Received: 11 April 2023 Revised: 5 February 2024 Accepted: 11 April 2024

DOI: 10.1111/fare.13049

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits

use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or

adaptations are made.

© 2024 The Author(s). Family Relations published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of National Council on Family Relations.

Family Relations. 2024;73:3493–3512. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare 3493

KEYWORDS

educational needs, family education, parenting resources, preschool

mothers, socioeconomic differences

In the early years of their child’s life, parents’understanding and beliefs about the care and

development of the child affect their parenting practices. In addition to parents’genes defining

their children’s genetic makeup, parental attitudes have a crucial effect on their experiences and

development (Bornstein & Sawyer, 2006). Epigenetic processes govern neural functions, so that

environmental influences on genetic activity and expression persist across an individual’s

lifespan (Juruena et al., 2021). Therefore, the vital role of parental attitudes in shaping chil-

dren’s emotional and developmental well-being, particularly in the context of epigenetic factors,

has been emphasized (Van Aswegen et al., 2021).

Parent education and intervention programs can bring fresh insights into how positive par-

enting can enhance epigenetics and overall health (DeSocio, 2019). Positive parenting, which is

“the continual relationship of a parent(s) and a child or children that includes caring, teaching,

leading, communicating, and providing for the needs of a child consistently and uncondition-

ally”(Seay et al., 2014, p. 207), has a crucial role in defining the link between parent education

and epigenetics.

This study contributes to existing research by emphasizing socioeconomic status (SES) dif-

ferences of families of 60- to 72-month-old children in relation to parents’education resources

and needs. SES consistently emerges as a significant determinant of child development out-

comes, with parenting practices playing a substantial role in contributing to this relation (Hoff &

Laursen, 2019). In Türkiye, which is classified as a developing nation, SES exerts a profound

influence on demographic and family attributes, lifestyle, and, consequently, parenting. Hence

our investigation not only delved into the comprehensive educational resources and needs, but

also examined potential SES differences in relation to these two facets. Although the obligations

of raising a child seem natural to most parents, it may be difficult for them to confront the chal-

lenges regarding parenting skills (Kuhl, 2007). In fact, it has been suggested that parents who

attend parent education programs engage in activities that support their children’s cognitive

and language skills more often than parents who do not engage in such activities (e.g., playing

with and reading to their children; Chang et al., 2009).

Each parent is unique according to their life contexts. Thus, families who attend parent

education programs differ in many ways from each other in terms of culture, income level,

education, life standards, and the amount of time and resources they can afford to dedicate to

childrearing (Forehand & Kotchick, 2002). Further, parents have varying educational needs

depending on the unique conditions of their family, such as medical complexities (Foster

et al., 2022; Huang et al., 2020; Lernevall et al., 2021), youth athletics (Sarmiento, 2019), or

the specific needs of multicultural migrant parents (Elmersjö et al., 2022). Therefore, needs

assessment studies incorporating various SES levels are necessary for parent education

programs.

The current study focused on the parental educational needs of mothers from two SES

levels: low socioeconomic status (LSES) mothers and high socioeconomic status (HSES)

mothers. The researchers’aim is to gain vital information to inform parent education programs

to match the content and structure of the education offered with the actual needs of parents.

Therefore, we had two main questions:

1. What are the educational resources and needs of mothers of children aged 60 to 72 months?

2. Are there any differences regarding educational resources and needs of mothers coming from

different socioeconomic backgrounds?

3494 FAMILY RELATIONS