Cultural Values & Parenting Practices

Understanding Cultural Differences

When working with an early intervention population, it is important to remember that the US-dominant culture emphasizes individualism, which focuses on the individual and independence. In contrast, other cultures place a high value on collectivism, which values group harmony and interdependence over the independent individual. Variations along the continuum from one end of the spectrum, individualism, to the other end, collectivism, occur not only within cultures but within cultural groups, families, and generations. These variations and values impact child-rearing practices, parenting roles, rituals, and goals. A family’s child-rearing practices and values will ultimately determine how they perceive early intervention goals, roles, and rituals expected for them to adhere to when receiving mainstream early intervention. Misunderstandings may occur between speech-language pathologists- and families if specific cultural values conflict with the intervention framework (Peña & Fiestas, 2009).

What we can do as professionals

Consideration of how the values of one specific culture may influence goals and training practices when working with individuals from differing cultural backgrounds is essential. Sometimes dominant cultural goals will conflict with family goals, and there can be unfortunate misunderstandings. An example of cultural difference is the contrast between some Latino cultures’ parenting styles and mainstream American parenting styles. Latino parents tend to view themselves as providers in helping their children with support rather than a playmate. A cultural mismatch example of expected parental role is illustrated in a study with Latin American mothers. The study revealed that while playing on the floor with their child during the intervention, the mothers appeared uncomfortable. This sentiment was attributed to their role as a communication partner, in contrast to a play partner in the child’s life. This dynamic often conflicts with the EI (early intervention) goal to involve the parent as a playmate and be on the floor engaging with the child (Peña & Fiestas, 2009). Another example of differing parenting interaction styles includes the use of storytelling. Studies have shown that European Americans use stories for entertainment and affirmation while Taiwanese families, for example, use stories to teach morals and social standards. 

The differences outlined here do not imply that the child is not getting the education they need; they only emphasize that the families are providing education differently according to the values of their culture (Miller, Fung, & Mintz, 1996).

Considerations for intervention:

1. Use a routines-based intervention approach; build interventions into existing family routines and the strengths inherent in the individual family system.

2. Incorporate parent training that involves the communication opportunities available during a child’s daily routines and activities to increase generalization and applicability).

3. Communication aspects important to parents/families can be highlighted depending on the goals of the family and the child’s abilities (i.e., grocery store trip to provide parent modeling of food items of interest to the child to work towards a vocabulary goal; Peña & Fiestas, 2009).

Considerations when Working with Culturally Diverse Populations in Early Intervention

Parent training and education are primary goals for Speech-Language Pathologists working in the early intervention setting. Part of the training involves teaching parents strategies to use in the home to improve their child’s communication. When working with culturally diverse populations, it is essential to remember some key considerations to facilitate communication strategies of relevance and value to each family. Mainstream child-rearing practices suggest values such as independence, talking to demonstrate knowledge, turn-taking, and encouraging interactive play involving the parent in the role of a playmate (Peña & Fiestas, 2009).

Some considerations to keep in mind:

1. Variations in child-rearing practices are evident depending upon which theoretical framework a family relates to (along the continuum of individualism to collectivism) as influenced by their specific culture.

2. Variations (according to culture and at any point along the individualistic-collectivist continuum) may include adult and child roles, the role of experts, and communication expectations.

3. Cultural mismatches can occur if parents are expected to interact with their children in ways specified according to a culture significantly different from their own. Mainstream early intervention in American culture emphasizes interactive play between parents and children to promote early interactions such as joint attention, mutual enjoyment, eye contact, and turn-taking.

4. Developmental expectations may be socially defined. Evidence in cross-cultural research indicates variations in skill acquisition such as verbal communication (socially defined) and infant crawling (thought to be biologically determined; Peña & Fiestas, 2009).

Differences in cultural values when comparing individualistic & collectivist societies 

Individualistic Societies

Examples of individualism and the values associated with individualistic cultures are as follows (typically in North American countries and Northern European countries): 

Social value placed on:

• Independence

• Scientific knowledge

• Competition

• Financial freedom

Parent’s focus:

• Developmental milestones

• Talking to demonstrate knowledge

Communication values:

• Turn-taking

• One-on-one communication

Revered child characteristics:

• Happy

• Assertive

• Inquisitive

• Generous

(Peña & Fiestas, 2009)

Child-rearing practices:

(Specific for Western societies) 

• Self-initiated discovery and learning. 

• Physical and verbal assertiveness. 

• Self-maximization. (Omayya, Theodora De Baz, Ibrahim, 2021) 

Collectivist Societies

Examples of collectivism and the values associated with collectivist cultures are as follows (many cultures within African, Asian, and Latin American countries tend to be closer to the collectivist end of the continuum):

Social value on:

• Group harmony

• Helping

• Cohesiveness

Parent’s focus:

• Family (not individual child)

• Helping the child

• Encouraging siblings to support the child. (Peña & Fiestas, 2009) 

Revered child characteristics:

• Obedient

• Respectful

• Cooperative

• Honest

• Helpful

• (Disdain for assertiveness and inquisitiveness)

Child-rearing practices:

(Specific for Asian societies) 

• Respectfulness and obedience.  

• Interdependence and interrelatedness. 

• Frequent social exchange. (Omayya et al., 2021) 

General descriptive examples of how parenting and family values reflect differences across cultures according to ethnicity:

Puerto Rican

1. Value respect/affection expressed verbally and physically.

2. Child-rearing strategies promote individual obligation and connectedness with others. 

3. Demonstrate physical control of infants.

4. Turn to family members for advice, demonstrating a higher level of satisfaction within family life. (Mogro-Wilson, 2013) 

Mexican

1. Value cooperation, obedience, motivation, and social competence as a link to overall intelligence.

2. Expression of independence/personal achievement is valued less than positive relationships with family and others.

3. Family obligation through child’s engagement in home tasks. 

4. A socialization goal is to grow a strong connection with ethnic heritage; (Tsai, Telzer, Gonzales, & Fuligni, 2015). 

Native American

1. Enculturation is the central goal.

2. Storytelling/oral tradition way children learn about themselves and their traditions.

3. Protecting children from family stressors and closely monitoring them. 

4. Parents become guardians of their children through compassion and trust. (McKinley, Lilly, Liddell, & Knipp, 2021) 

Chinese

1. High standard of conduct taught by parents.

2. Expectation to excel at school from an early age. 

3. Behavioral inhibition by the child is a desirable trait.

4. Mothers assumed the primary role of teaching and training. (Luo et al., 2021) 

Indian

1. Most parents use an adult-centered parenting style.  

2. Cuddling between mother and child to provide a sense of security. 

3. Overprotection for girls and more freedom for boys when it comes to interacting with society.

4.  Children are raised and trained according to predefined gender roles. (Sahithya, Manohari & Vijaya, 2019). 

Student contributor: Janelle Breault, Winter 2013

Updated May 2023