The role of parent self-efficacy and parenting behaviors on school readiness outcomes

The Darling and Steinberg model (1993) emphasizes the contribution of parental goals and parenting behaviors on child outcomes. This study investigated the utility of the model in understanding parental influences on school readiness skills in preschool age children. Additionally, the current study considered the potential influence of parents' beliefs about their parenting abilities (e.g., parental self-efficacy) in predicting young children's school readiness skills. Results of the current study did not find support for the full Darling and Steinberg model. However, partial support was shown for several of the relationships specified in the model. Unique relationships were demonstrated between domains of parental goals (e.g., parent educational and developmental goals for children) and parenting behaviors (e.g., parenting practices, parenting style). Parent educational goals for children and domains of parenting style (e.g., active-responsive, passive-permissive) were found to predict children's school readiness scores as measured by the DIAL-3.;Results showed that specific domains of parent self-efficacy (e.g., general parenting self-efficacy, self-efficacy for promoting learning) were significantly correlated with specific domains of parental goals, parenting practices, and parenting style. Parents' developmental goals for children were shown to mediate the relationships between parents' general parenting self-efficacy, parenting practices (approaches to learning), and parenting style (active-responsive). Additionally, supplemental analysis demonstrated both direct and indirect (via parental goals) relationships between parents' self-efficacy for promoting learning and children's school readiness scores.