- Published: September 28, 2022
- Updated: September 28, 2022
- Level: Secondary School
- Language: English
- Downloads: 11
work: Impact of children assuming parental roles on schooling Impact of children assuming parental roles on schooling Families and parents generally have the most lasting and direct impact on the learning as well as improvement of social competence particularly in the lives of the students is concerned. With the involvement of parents, students are able to accomplish more, demonstrate more positive behavior and attitudes, in addition to being quite comfortable even in new settings (Maltzman, 2008). In some families however students have been left to assume the roles played by the parents something that could be due to their parents’ negligence or engagement in other activities in life (Grimes, 2008). This has left children stepping into the boots of their parents and playing their role. This paper seeks to examine the effect of children assuming parental roles in their families and its effect on school.
In several countries of the world; it is commonplace to meet with children who are assisting parents in their roles or worse still fending for themselves. Studies carried out in Brazil for instance indicate that there is a considerable number of children who are forced to divide their time between schooling and working at home (Hindman, 2011).
This not only affects the children’s growth, it also interferes with their achievement in school. Nevertheless it should be noted that estimating the association between assumption of parental roles and schooling could be complicated since children who help out at home may perform poorly in school. Such poor performance in school could discourage the children and give their families a good reason to even neglect their schoolwork more and instead concentrate on parental roles (Ray, 1999). Deliberate parental practices can assist in teaching and inculcating responsibility to children. Research has shown that children who are taught to take care of themselves or their siblings at an early age tend to be more organized and responsible(Stamps, 2014). Every child requires opportunities so as to show that they can be responsible not only for their chores, actions, relationships but also schoolwork (Stamps, 2014). Responsibility requires one to be trusted in making appropriate decisions as well as responding for one’s behaviour. This is why it is important that parents start teaching their children lessons regarding responsibility early enough and must be continued throughout the child’s childhood as well as puberty hood (Damon, 2006). An excellent way of teaching and instilling responsibility is by assignment of parental roles to children. Such tasks should be viewed as opportunities and not punishments (Wentzel, 2014).
Background of the problem
In a community that is full of both negative and positive influences, it is always important that children be guided well. Generally, children start learning at a very age, and through an assortment of activities, discouragements, encouragements, opportunities, covert suggestions, overt behaviors as well as other different kinds of guidance, young people undergo the course of gender role socializing (Stamps, 2014). Children’s first exposure is through their parents. From their childhood, parents treat daughters and sons differently and the family being the basic unit of human existence provides a fertile learning ground for the young minds(Brophy, 2004). The children therefore internalize the messages from their parents at an early age and they consciously begin to assume or ape their parents’ roles(Witt, 1997). As children’s’ reasoning advances, it is important that they be given roles that are commensurate with their age. As children grow, parents must increase responsibility levels so as to boost their self-esteem (Spodek, 2014). This study will focus on children who take parental roles in their families and how it affects their schooling around Massachusetts. Children benefit a lot from assuming roles of their parents. They feel part of the family and take part in roles that assist the whole family unit. At school, they feel a sense of achievement especially when they are tasked with particular tasks that they execute well. A marked improvement is also noted in children’s organizational skills when they act responsibly; both at school and home.
Deficiencies in the evidence include the fact that most of the sources lacked comprehensive studies that had been carried to ascertain the actual effect of assuming parental roles and its influence in children’s schooling. Some of the available literature also is quite aged, making it lag behind the modern day research and technological advances.
References
Bernard, S. (2014). Handbook of Reserach on the Education of Young Children. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hugh, H. (2011). The World of Child Labor: An Historical and Regional Survey. New York, NY: M. E Sharpe.
Jere, B. (2004). Motivating students to Learn. New York, NY: Routldge.
Kathryn, W. (2014). Motivating Students to Learn. New York, NY: Routledge.
Lisa, G. (2008). Social Skills Training in Conjunction with Parent Training. California: University of the Pacific Stockton.
Lisa, S. (2014). Responsibility: Raising Children You Can Depend On. Columbus: Mississipi School of Mathematics and Science .
Rachelle, M. (2008). Effects of Traditional-Versus Learning-style Instructional Strategies on Community. New York, NY: ProQuest.
Ranjan, R. (1999). How Child Labor and Child Schooling Interact with Adult Labor. New York, NY: The World Bank.
Susan, W. (Summer, 1997). Parental Influence on Childrens Socialization to Gender Roles. Ohio: Ohio School of Home Economics and Family Ecology.
William, D. (2006). Handbook of Child Psychology, Social, Emotional and Personality Development. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
http://tip. duke. edu/node/745