The purpose of this study was to re-examine Kohn's theory of values by (1) determining whether or not the factor, self-direction/conformity, could be identified in a contemporary American data set, (2) testing for both maternal and paternal values, and (3) contributing to the understanding of parental values by linking empirical data with basic sociological theory. It was argued that Kohn's theory of values was inherently based on structure-functional theory and that by illuminating such points of reference the theory of values was more understandable. The basic question was: "What is it that may be important for understanding maternal and paternal values for child-rearing?" / For this study a purposive sample was drawn from the 1980 National Opinion Research Center General Social Survey (NORCGSS) which resulted in 209 mothers and 199 fathers. The respondents were Caucasian, married and never-divorced, parents of one or more children. / The major finding of this study differed from that of Kohn and revealed that in a selected set of independent variables the educational attainment of mothers is the most powerful independent variable whether investigating the values of mothers or of fathers. In the context of an alternate set of independent variables, own educational attainment was the most powerful predictor for both mothers and fathers. The theoretical proposition emerging from the research is that: the higher the educational level, the greater the likelihood of valuing self-direction; the lower the educational level, the greater the likelihood of valuing conformity. The findings are discussed within the framework of structure-functional theory and psychodynamic linkages. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-11, Section: A, page: 3456. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75448 |
| Contributors | BOETTCHER, BARBARA SAWYER., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 112 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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