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Canadian Open Educational Research Journal
Vol. 1, No. 1, April 2014, pp. 1 - 7
Available online at http://crpub.com/Journals.php
Open Access
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Research article
CHILD REARING AND INFANT CARE IN
EARLY CHILDHOOD FOR NATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
DR (MRS.) FLORENCE A. UNDIYAUNDEYE,
Department Of ECCEDE
Federal College Of Education,
Obudu, Cross River State, Nigeria.
E-mail: atube2001@yahoo.com
PHONE: NO. +234 805 742 2724/+234 806 412 7750
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
________________________________________________________________
Abstract
This paper seeks to determine child rearing strategies and infant care in early childhood for national
development. A total number of 35 females and males in non delinquents from a normal school from aged 4 to
12 took part in the study. Two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Chi-square was used in testing
the study hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The result from the data analysis showed that parental child
rearing from infant has influence on the three aspects of dishonest behaviours namely lying, stealing and truancy
in later life of the child and parents bonding with their children is also significant. The paper also recalls that
the role of the parents in moulding the child character wise results in facilitating positive development and it is
determined on the discipline techniques or dealings with the day-to-day issues affecting young children.
Hence it is imperative on everyone to get a grip on what typical early childhood development is. As the child
moves through the preschool years into early grade school ones, he or she will begin to become sociable, have
some ability to regulate his or her emotions, build cognitive skills such as attention and memory and understand
concepts such as rules and consequences. Based on the findings, it was recommended among other things that
parents should adopt more of authoritative child rearing styles. Parents are expected to guide and modify
behaviour of children to conform with acceptable norms.
Keywords: Child rearing, family, parental responsibilities, infants, societal norms and early childhood
development
________________________________________________________________
Canadian Open Educational Research Journal
Vol. 1, No. 1, April 2014, pp. 1 - 7
Available online at http://crpub.com/Journals.php
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Introduction
Child rearing is a task engaged by every parent to redirect a child’s potential towards appropriate goals.
The plasticity of the individual behaviours during infancy and childhood affords a great opportunity for parents
and educators in child rearing approaches. Parents and educators influences affect the fundamental organization
of children’s behaviour. They play significant roles in giving final shape to the child’s physical fitness,
emotional stability, learning skills and cognitive urge. The infant continuously pushes forward in every area of
development. The studies that the baby makes in his first three years become the foundation of his growth and
development as a person. Parents vary in their rearing practices and are frequently unpredictable (Amashi,
Kambi and Mabo 2013).
Their interactions with children are often tinged with add-contributions of traditions, personal
prejudice, emotional regards and role of thumb procedure. The family is commonly perceived as the smallest
unit of the society which consists of father, mother and their offspring. The children depend on the parents for
upbringing, care, love provision of their needs.
Ekiran (2003), Schaefer (2005) and Denga & Denga (2007) says that in most societies, the family is
regarded as the agent of socialization of infants and it is the most basic unit of human interaction. They went
further to say the family is assigned the responsibility of reproducing human race and the upbringing of children
for a healthy society. The family given responsibility of taking care and providing the basic needs of children
has the cardinal roles of parenthood and parenting.
Child rearing is a skill or activity of looking after your own children. It is important to mention that
children rearing connote family life that is living in a family set up. Furthermore, living in a family involves
father, mother and offspring as a result of marriage or other means of taking the responsibility of child rearing.
Child rearing is a whole lot of responsibility which is taken up by father, mother and other responsible adults
contributing individually their own parts which make lots of impact to the whole development of the children
for societal wellbeing (Fox, manning, Murphy, Urbom, Marmick and O’shea 2008). A lot of researchers have
argued that it takes two to bear a child and so it is only very necessary that children are properly reared by both
parents. Ohuakanwa (2010) is of the opinion that as agent of socialization, most societal norms specify that
children should grow up in intact families with both parents seeing to the physical and moral needs of the
children.
The task of parenting or child rearing can be at time so feculent. It is a truism that many parents in
today’s world do not have an ideal value of what it means to rear children. For them, God gives children and it
is Him also who sees their training and upbringing. To them, God will see them through and make them
become what He has destined them to be in life. Some parents are not there for the children at all. They are not
shown love and acceptance. It is important to observe that it is joyous to become a parent, but a greater joy
abound in rearing a child very well in such a way that he/she develops into a full filled dependable personality.
Agreeing with this fact, Denga & Denga, (2007) and Edeman (2001) maintained that the task of child rearing
can sometimes be onerous that some parents count on external support from well to do relatives, charitable
people to assist; they also maintain that adequate parenting brings up sound and progressive children. On the
other hand, inadequate parenting breeds unproductive and undesirable citizens who often turn out to be
criminals later. This means that some parenting practices or styles are adequate and some are not adequate.
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Parenting Styles
Parents may stage methods on how they can mould their children into their exact vision or societal
ideals or expectations. For this reason, parents and responsible adults in a family setting do play roles on how
their children develop according to the type of child rearing practice or parenting style they follow. Child
rearing parenting styles influences behaviour of the child, so do genetics and experiences children have outside
the home with peers and other adults. Santrock (2004) observed that behaviour, genetics and experiences act
together to determine how children variables mentioned is their parental styles. Undiyaundeye (2013)
prescribed four basic types of parental styles namely;
1. Authoritative
2. Authoritarian
3. Permissive
4. Uninvolved
Authoritative Style
The authoritative parents always strive to achieve the rights balance of warmth and approval in the way
that they are responsive to a child’s needs. These group of parents are affectionate and engaged with their
children but at the same time set limits and enforce consequences when the children misbehaves. Children
raised by authoritative parents are likely to be happy, kind children who can solve problems on their own and
are self-motivated and confident. They are usually excellent children in school and out of school performance.
Authoritarian Style
Authoritarian parents tend to have many household rules which their children are expected to follow.
They are consistent with discipline if their children misbehave. But unlike the authoritative parents who explain
the reason for the discipline, authoritarian parents don’t believe they need to offer a reason.
Permissive Style
With permissive parents, the balance tips the opposite may from that of authoritarian parents. These
parents typically display a lot of love and affection for their children but maintain and enforce few, if any rules.
Many permissive parents want to be friends with their children when they ask their children to do something
like getting ready for bed, the typically end the request with “OK”, if the children don’t get ready for bed, the
permissive parents might play with the children until they are ready to go. Children raise by permissive parents
tend to be demanding and whiny. They become easily frustrated when things don’t go their way and they lack
empathy and kindness for others. They are usually average to poor students.
Uninvolved Style
This is a dysfunctional parenting style and very low on being responsive to child’s needs and low on
controlling and disciplining a child. Parents on the most extreme of this style neglect their children or reject
Canadian Open Educational Research Journal
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them completely. This parents lack strong emotional bond with their children, they aren’t involved in their
children’s life and if they provide discipline, its inconsistent and unpredictable. Children raised by uninvolved
parents tend to be clingy and needy. They might be rude or act in unsuitable ways away from home. They tend
to get into trouble with teachers or with the law and are usually poor students.
Statement of the Problem
Issues of vandalism, terrorism and display of violence are becoming a familiar decrial in the Nigerian
society and the world at large (Anifewose, 2004, Ekiran 2004). The society is breeding these delinquents in
large numbers. Sexual offences like rape, indecent assault, incest and so on are committed regularly. Some
children have taken to drugs, some exposed to violence, immorality and all sorts of vices. Many of this children
who become vagabonds, pick pockets, armed robbers, terrorists are those who suffer neglect or who did not go
through appropriate child rearing styles. In school ,teachers are contending with the problems of truancy,
stealing, examination malpractice and lawlessness among students. Parents are expected to inculcate in their
children from infancy acceptable ways of life. Regrettably, familiar scenario of inappropriate behaviour among
youths on campuses and the larger society seem to suggest that the family may have failed in their basic
responsibility of proper socialization of their offspring (Barns, 2004; Nnorom, 2005 & Amasthi & Kaushik,
2007).
Research Hypotheses
1. There is no significant difference between parental child rearing styles from infant and juvenile
delinquent behaviour.
2. There is no significant difference between delinquent behaviour of children and parental attitude.
Methodology
Research Design – A descriptive survey and experimental design were used in the study.
Sample and Sampling Procedure
The sample for the study was selected from two female and male correctional centres. One in Ogoja
and Yala respectively and a public secondary school in Bekwarra areas in Cross River State – Nigeria.
The Sampling Procedure was Cluster sampling because the children in correctional centres are chosen
as they were because of their limited number while children in the public schools were randomly selected.
Instrumentation
Child Rearing Questionnaire (CRQ) designed by the researcher was used to gather relevant data for the
study.
Data Analysis
Data was analyzed using the inferential statistical methods
Canadian Open Educational Research Journal
Vol. 1, No. 1, April 2014, pp. 1 - 7
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Results
Table 1: Parental Child Rearing Style on Early Child Care for National Development
Cel
Fo
Fe
O - E
(O – E)2
(O – e)2 E
t-crit
Normal school
Yes
209
200
9
81
0.41
6.25
No
161
170
-9
-81
-0.48
Correctional
Yes
191
200
-9
-81
-0.48
No
171
170
9
81
0.48
df= 6.25 t-crit P < .05 = 6.25
Since t-cal (0.00) < t-critical 6.25, the null hypothesis is rejected
This means that there is a significant style from infant and juvenile delinquent behaviour. Since
parental child rearing style has a bearing on delinquent behaviours, parents need to adopt better rearing styles
which is authoritative rearing style. This is associated with task persistence, academic achievement, social
maturity, high self-esteem and confidence.
H2 2 There is no significant difference between delinquent behaviour of children and parental attitude.
Children whose parents do not show love and care exhibit more anti-social behaviours and many of the
participants preferred their mothers to their fathers because of the harsh disposition of their fathers.
Recommendations for Improved Parenting Skills
There is need to bring up children that are well adjusted. To assist parents meet their responsibilities,
the following strategies are recommended;
- Parents should display proper role models for children to emulate
- Child parenting should be included in pre-marriage courses for intending couples before wedding.
- There should be radio information on appropriate societal ideals and child nurturing practices.
- Parents should endeavour to stop perpetuating abusive parenting that they themselves went through.
- Parents should find time to talk to their kids and also listen to them in order to get into their innermost
feelings, thoughts and emotion for proper guidance.
- Children should be helped to develop a sense of self-worth and positive self concept because the way
the child judges himself determines how balance his personality is.
- Priority should be given to spirituality. Parents should meditate on the scriptures, pray and worship
together with children to instill moral core values.
- More affordable quality daycare and after school programmes should be established since we are
dealing with a changing society.
- School should introduce family friendly school policies to ensure parental involvement at school which
is an important aspect of home school relationship.
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Conclusion
Young children are building the basics and often show immaturity when it comes to developmental
areas such as emotional or social skills. The national child development organization notes that young toddlers
are yet to develop a sense of self control or build prosocial skills. This can lead to unacceptable or even
aggressive behaviours.
Parents have some responsibilities which they can never escape from as much as they bring children
into the world. Therefore, they have the responsibility to meet the physical, social, emotional, psychological
and spiritual needs of their children. Through proper socialization they are expected to nurture the children and
groom them, ready for launching them into the society. Sometimes, some of these parents fail in their
responsibilities and rather encourage anti-social behaviours in the children. They openly exhibit maladaptive
behaviours for children to emulate and do not monitor what these children do. There is therefore the need to
arrest these prevailing conditions if the societal development must forge ahead in its sustainable development
programmes. As future leaders, it is pertinent to catch the children when they are still early in life. When
children are well shaped, the nation, the citizenry and the world at large will experience a serene and peaceful
atmosphere.
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