Maternal involvement in preschool children's education in Japan: Relation to parenting beliefs and socioeconomic status

Studies conducted in the US consistently demonstrate that parenting self-efficacy and construction of the parent role are critical elements associated with parents’ involvement in their children's elementary school education. Less is known about the dynamics of parent involvement during the preschool period, or in nations outside the US. This study examined the relation of maternal beliefs and family SES to three dimensions of parent involvement in Japan: preschool selection strategies, engagement in reading at home, and involvement in activities at the preschool. Interview and questionnaire data were obtained from 108 Japanese mothers, all of whom had a child in the last year of preschool. Consistent with theory and findings in the US, parenting self-efficacy and family role construction were associated with Japanese mothers’ strategies for selecting preschools and frequency of engaging in home reading. Findings regarding family SES demonstrated a culturally specific pattern; mothers of higher SES background were more likely to access formal sources of information and to engage in daily home reading but less likely to participate at the school site.