In a new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, researchers found that the children of mindful mothers who were more involved with their child’s online learning tended to have higher pre-academic ability and engage in less internalizing and externalizing behaviors. The findings offer some preliminary evidence that maternal mindfulness can play an important role in children’s education and development.
Due to COVID-19, many children transitioned to online learning platforms. Parental assistance for children who learn online is beneficial for the children’s well-being. Parental involvement regarding online school may be difficult considering many parents need to balance work and family responsibilities. Research shows that mindful parenting is important for children’s well-being and involves attending to the present moment, and being curious, accepting, and compassionate.
Researchers Chun Bun Lam and colleagues were interested in investigating whether mothers’ involvement is associated with higher pre-academic ability and lower internalizing and externalizing behaviors in their children. Internalizing behaviors refer to negative behaviors or psychological states that are directed inwardly toward oneself, such as unhappiness or anxiety. Externalizing behaviors refer to negative behaviors that are directed outwards, such as fidgeting or fighting with other children.
The researchers recruited 236 Chinese mothers who had children in kindergarten. 95% of the households had internet access and the others were given weekly take-home packages of schoolwork from their school. Participants (mothers) responded to questionnaire items regarding maternal involvement in their child’s online learning, maternal mindfulness, child pre-academic ability, child internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and maternal use of technology to occupy the child.
Results from this study show that mothers who were more mindful had children that engaged in less internalizing and externalizing behaviors. In addition, greater maternal involvement was associated with increased child pre-academic ability and reduced internalizing behaviors, but these associations were only significant for children with more mindful mothers.
However, mothers’ mindfulness did not moderate the negative relationship between maternal involvement and the child’s externalizing behaviors. Lam and colleagues argue that the mere presence of a supervising adult reduces that child’s externalizing behaviors, even if the adult is not paying full attention to the present moment. However, adults likely must pay more attention to be aware of and reduce the number of internalizing behaviors the child engages in.
A limitation of this study is that causal conclusions cannot be made. The findings could mean that the children’s academic and emotional challenges negatively impact the mother’s level of mindfulness. A longitudinal study design is needed to determine how the child adjusts to the mother’s involvement over time.
“As this study was based on cross-sectional data from only one sample, our results should be treated as hypothesis generating,” the researchers stated. “However, our findings appeared to suggest that, when helping their children learn via the Internet, it may be important for mothers to be as mindful as possible so that they can build connections with their children and optimize their children’s awareness. The COVID-19 pandemic may—hopefully—come to an end soon, but online learning is likely to stick around. Therefore, future researchers should reexamine the link between online learning and child adjustment in the post-pandemic era, when online learning may be part of the ‘new normal’.”
The study, “Linking maternal involvement in child online learning to child adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of maternal mindfulness“, was authored by Chun Bun Lam, Chung Sze Lam, and Kevin Kien Hoa Chung.