The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a six-week parent education video program followed by reflective writing on maternal efficacy and examine the components of mothers’ reflective writings. The study was guided by a theoretical framework composed of two established theories of learning: (1) constructivist learning theory and (2) social learning theory. These theories were examined with reference to maternal efficacy within the social context.
The study was based on a pre- and post-test design using a control group. Data were collected from 32 mothers of preschool aged children in Florida. The 16 mothers in the experimental groups participated in a reflective writing activity base after viewing parent education videos over a six week period. The 16 mothers in the control group participated in viewing the parent education videos during the same time period, but they did not complete the reflective writing tasks. The instruments used were a Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC) and Parental Self-Efficacy of Scale (PSES). Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of means and standard deviation, individual sample t-test, and analyses of covariance (ANCOVA). There was a statistically significant difference in the means of obtained by the experimental and control groups on the measure of maternal efficacy. Mothers exposed to the parent education video program with reflective writing activities had higher scores on the measure of maternal efficacy. Parent education video program with reflective writing activities proved more effective in improving mothers’ knowledge of parenting issues. The reflective writing of the mothers addressed the following themes or topics: parenting style, the methods of choice, mutual respect, logical consequence, “I” messages, four goals of behavior, the FLAC method, the BANK method, and building on strengths. Their written products included three components: description, analysis, and application. Results are discussed in terms of the use of reflective strategies in parent education programs.
