The Role of Russian Parents’ Education in the Development of Intuitive Theories of Parenting

• Published in: Education & Self Development
• Main Authors: Bukhalenkova, Daria, Veraksa, Aleksander N., Gavrilova, Margarita, Kartushina, Natalia
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Russian
• Published: Kazanskij (Privolžskij) federalʹnyj universitet 2022
• Subjects: Sakha; Republic of Sakha; Yakutia
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10852/93358; http://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-95904; https://doi.org/10.26907/esd16.1.07

Previous research in English-speaking countries has shown that parental education predicts significantly parental attitudes and theories about parenting which, in turn, guide parental interaction with their child and might impact the child’s mental development. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no research aimed at studying the role of parental education in shaping the views of Russian parents on their children’s education and development. The current study aimed to analyze the role of Russian parents’ education in their intuitive theories of parenting, by controlling for the region where the families live, and taking into account the age and sex of their child. Intuitive theories of parenting were studied using the Early Parental Attitudes Questionnaire (EPAQ). The sample consisted of 995 parents who have children aged 1 to 7 and live in Moscow, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and Republic North Ossetia in Russian Federation. Two profiles of intuitive theories of parenting were identified. Differences and similarities in intuitive theories of parenting between regions, when controlling for parents' level of education were also identified. The results characterize modern parenthood in three geographically distant Russian regions and can be useful in understanding the profile of a modern parent, as well as for developing educational programmes aimed at self-development and increasing parental competence in Russian parents.