Native American Caregivers' Developmental Priorities for Young Children

Native American tribes and families are highly pluralistic in their ideologies, beliefs, traditions, and values. Very little research has described the parenting and child-rearing beliefs of Native American caregivers. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of Native American caregivers' developmental priorities and preferences regarding their young children's development. Participants included 21 Native American caregivers from a reservation in the Mountain West region of the United States. Ethnographic interviewing techniques described by C. E. Westby (1990) were used to collect caregiver perspectives. Through the use of a naturalistic inquiry paradigm, the process of template analysis was used to organize concepts and identify central themes and subthemes regarding caregivers' priorities and preferences for their children's development. The following 4 themes were identified: (a) supporting Native culture and language preservation, (b) teaching preacademic skills, (c) acquiring social and emotional competence, and (d) teaching self-care and independence. Clinical implications based on these themes and subthemes are discussed in the context of intervention with young Native American children and their families.