Culture, Parenting Goals and Parenting Practices: The Theory of Developmental Niche

The aim of the current study was to explain the way culture influences the development of children based on the theory of developmental niche. For this, a library based method was conducted. The current research concluded that culture organizes the environmental factors influencing child development. Hence, organized factors impact development more likely than unorganized ones. The theory gives a more important role to parental ethnotheory subsystem which acts as a nexus through which parents’ beliefs are related to the larger culture and organises the other two subsystems. Also, parental ethnotheories influences parenting goals and in consequence parenting practices. Additionally, child has an active role in his/her development. Child and his/her niche are developed together. This implies that developmental niche is dynamic and flexible adapting itself to individual differences of children.