Model Essay

Source 1: Researchers at an institute for child development were interested in investigating the relationship between parenting style and academic outcomes. In particular, the researchers were curious whether this would differ across cultural contexts. The sample consisted of 600 adolescents, between the ages of 15 and 17, who attended the local high school. The researchers had already pre-determined whether the children came from collectivist (N = 130) or individualist backgrounds (N = 170) before conducting the survey. The adolescents self-reported the parenting style of their guardians, classifying it as authoritarian, authoritative, or permissive. The academic performance of each participant was sourced from the school, the performance was measured using Grade Point Average (GPA) on a 100 point scale.

Source 2: A qualitative study explored the values and goals parents hold for their children’s development. The sample consisted of the same adolescents as in Source 1, but in this study, their parents were interviewed. The sample consisted of 20 parents, 10 from a collectivist background and 10 from an individualist background. The parents took part in semi-structured interviews about their aspirations for their children. Researchers recorded and transcribed the interviews, and analysed the transcripts thematically.

Source 3: An undergraduate conducted a small-scale survey project on childhood discipline. The sample consisted of 60 university classmates, aged between 18-22. The self-reported survey was simple, and included the following items, among others: a) “How often were you disciplined physically?” (scale 1–5) and b) “How strict were your parents?” (scale 1–10). The student grouped responses into categories of “strict” and “lenient” parenting. Within these groups, the researcher then examined the participants’ self-reported GPAs (grade point averages). The student researcher concluded, based on their analysis, that strict parenting led to academic success.

Source 4: A correlational study examined whether collectivist values were associated with a stronger sense of filial responsibility in adolescents. The sample consisted of 250 adolescent participants, between ages 14-18, who originated from a variety of diverse cultural backgrounds. As part of the study, participants completed two researcher-created, standardised tests: a) Collectivism scale, measured on a scale of 1-7, b) Filial Responsibility scale, measured on a scale of 1-10. Higher scores on the collectivism scale suggested strong collectivist background, higher scores on the filial responsibility scale suggested a greater duty to one’s family.

r= 0.672, p < 0.01

Source 5: Researchers at an institute for research on education conducted an experiment to investigate whether cultural framing of achievement influenced persistence in children. The researchers’ sample consisted of 120 children, aged 13-15, who had volunteered to participate in the study with their parents’ permission. The sample was randomly assigned to one of two conditions:

Group-framed task: Puzzle framed as “helping your class succeed.”

Individual-framed task: Puzzle framed as “doing your best.”

The researchers then measured the time, in minutes, by children in either condition persisting on a difficult puzzle.

(f) Using at least three of the sources in the resource booklet (sources 1-5), and your own knowledge, answer the following question: To what extent can we conclude that cultural values shape child development?