| Using multiple, longitudinal methods to assess changes in socialization practices in northern Taiwan, this research contributes to our understanding of the ordinary, everyday processes of social change. Retrospective accounts, comparison of longitudinally administered structured interviews, and field observations provided the measures of changes in practice, and of participants' abilities to perceive such changes. Results demonstrate that, although practices are not uniformly labile, there were many practices in which statistically significant levels of change were observed across two generations of parents. This research also provides evidence about parents' abilities to perceive changes in socialization practices and about their abilities to accurately recall their own practices after 35 years. Although given individuals may feel strongly about socialization practices, the freedom with which some practices have changed and the limits of people's ability to recall their practices over time suggests that most socialization practices (including some that this research demonstrated to be relatively stable) are situationally appropriate responses to presenting circumstances rather than ideologically enduring practices. Thus, this research suggests a dynamic model of socialization practices—one which has every thing to do with how Taiwanese parents of any generation respond to new conditions—rather than fixed formulae for the training of children. |
