The Kindergarten Readiness Research Program

Parental practices and beliefs have been recognized as having an important influence on the development of children's self-regulation. Using a mixed methods approach, the present study explored how parental practices and beliefs influence low-income Mexican American children's (N = 44) self-regulation during the fall of preschool. Quantitative results indicated that the family learning environment and parental control were significantly related to stronger self-regulation in Mexican American children from low-income families. Qualitative interviews indicated that "respect" and "being well educated" emerged as key factors guiding parents' expectations of children's behaviors and discipline. Additionally, these results indicated that parents struggled to provide additional educational materials to enrich the home learning environment of their children. This study highlights the importance of understanding the parental practices and beliefs of low-income Mexican American parents and their influence on children's self-regulation to better serve the needs of Mexican American parents and their children.