
I know that we are all very different and for each of us something else plays a key role in our choices - for one it is the visual design, for another it is the personalised approach, for someone it is simply the lowest price. Here I will summarise some of the findings that have emerged from the research on the results of the Child Emotional Education course. For those of you who love research as much as I do, I hope you will take a look!
The first parent training programme in Latvia was introduced and adapted from Canada in 2004 under the name "Children's Emotional Education" or "BEA" for short. The programme was developed for parents of preschool children with the aim of providing knowledge, skills and techniques to help change children's behaviour and promote their emotional and personal development.
In the first study in Canada on the BEA programme, results showed that children's behaviour improved significantly and aggressive and delinquent behaviour decreased after participating in the programme. Mothers showed greater sensitivity in their interactions with the child, became more responsive to the child's needs and were able to use more appropriate techniques in both play and task structuring. The authors suggest that the new knowledge mothers gained about development, parenting strategies and an overview of their own childhood experiences may have contributed to changes in the way parents viewed themselves and their children (Landy, Menna, & Sockett-Dimarcio, 1997).
The second study evaluated the effectiveness of the programme for children with various "behavioural difficulties" - chronic non-compliance, disengagement, outbursts of anger and aggression, lack of control, etc. The measurements showed significant improvements in participation and effectiveness as a parent, greater social support, increased involvement in parenting and more effective setting of limits for the child, as well as a sense of control as a parent. Mothers also showed greater knowledge of child development and parenting after participating in the programme compared to the control group (Landy, & Thompson, 2006).
Similarly, an important study on the effectiveness of "Children's Emotional Education" groups in Latvia was developed by Skreitule-Pikše, whose in the thesis I will discuss the lessons learnt in the entry below.
Child Emotional Education (CEA) courses have proven to be a useful tool for parents who want to improve interactions with their children and reduce behavioural problems. Here I will review the main findings from a study on the BEA programme and its impact.
The results show that high mother-child emotional availability has a positive impact on children's behavioural development. A mother's sense of competence or satisfaction with her role and perception of her own effectiveness are key factors contributing to successful parenting. The higher the mother's perception of her own effectiveness, the more flexible and determined she is in dealing with difficulties.
Research on parent training groups shows that following such a programme improves parents' self-concept, sense of purpose and emotional availability to their children. The BEA programme, which in its early days was offered outside Latvia to parents of children with behavioural problems, is much more widely used in Latvia. The research has shown that the programme is effective for all groups of parents, regardless of whether the child has behavioural problems.
After participating in the BEA courses, mothers reported higher satisfaction with their role and fewer child behaviour problems. Importantly, these positive changes persisted six months after the course.
The programme was more effective when mothers were actively involved in the homework and put what they had learned into practice. Those mothers who completed the tasks improved their emotional availability to their children, while less involvement did not.
As a result of the programme, parents become more aware of their children's needs and become aware of mistakes in parenting and issues affecting children's development. By educating parents and changing parents' views on child development and education, parents are empowered to recognise the important role they play in shaping their children's lives. Parents' negative views of child development, which include an underestimation of their child's psychological needs and an underestimation of the importance of the parental role, are changing.
Parents' perspectives after the programme become more empathetic, calm, accepting, and they provide more support to their children, which is in line with the theory that the higher the parents' self-efficacy, the more supportive they are able to be. (Study here)