Children's evaluative skills in informal reasoning: The role of parenting practices and communication patterns

Good reasoning skills are integral to the ability to think reflectively, critically and effectively. Research is scarce on the role of family, specifically parents, in the shaping of children's evaluative reasoning skills in everyday problems. The aim of this study is therefore to first investigate the role of two parenting practices, namely autonomy-support and control, on children's evaluative reasoning. The second goal is to investigate if family communication patterns of conversation- and conformity-orientations are significant mediators between parenting dimensions and reasoning skills. The data consisted of questionnaire measures given to 1300 participants (fifth-graders and their parents), as well as tests to assess children's informal reasoning. In line with theoretical assumptions, results revealed significant associations between both parenting practices and children's skills in evaluating reasons. However, the mediation role of family communication patterns was confirmed only for conformity-orientation. The implications are discussed.