| Abstract: | The present study addressed socialization values of 187 mothers of preadolescent children. The Child-Rearing Goals Questionnaire consisted of item rating and item-choosing tasks. The study found mothers to be similar in emphasizing the values of self-direction and self-expression in their children, whereas conformity values were stressed more by the mid-SES mothers and mothers of sons. In the item-choosing task the first choice of all mothers was the same — for their children to be happy — despite their SES and the child's gender. Independence was the second choice of the high-SES mothers and the third choice of the mid-SES mothers whose second favourite value was to be hard working. The results demonstrate that all Estonian mothers were likely to emphasize such characteristics as independence and self-expression desirable for meeting the demands of a rapidly changing society while they varied in the extent of supporting conformity values in their children. |
