Psychometric Properties of Helicopter Parenting Instrument (hpi) Among Malaysian Undergraduates and the Association of Demographic Characteristics on Helicopter Parenting

Psychometric Properties of Helicopter Parenting Instrument (HPI) among Malaysian Undergraduates and the Association of Demographic Characteristics on Helicopter Parenting

1001231346

SP315                      

Independent Project A

UCSI University

Chapter 1: Introduction

        Chapter one presents an overview of this research. First, the background of study is presented. Next, statement of problem, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework of this research are explained. Following this, research objectives, hypotheses, and definitions of terms are stated to direct the research. Finally, significance of research is presented to explain the importance of this research to the parties involved. Chapter two presents a review of the literatures. Lastly, chapter three presents the research methodology of the proposed study.

1. Background of Research

Since the mid-1980s, child rearing practices have changed significantly. Parents nowadays are more involved in their children’s lives as compared to parents of past generations. They live up to the contemporary society’s expectation that a good parent should be cultivating, monitoring, and well-informed of their children’s lives and progress. Due to this as well as the increasingly competitive society, many parents engage in helicopter parenting (Bernstein & Triger, 2011), a parenting style that is overcontrolling, overprotecting, and overperfecting (Bayless, 2015).

Helicopter parents put their children as the center of their lives, treat their children as friends and are overfocused in their children’s education and future competitiveness (Lavin, 2012; LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011). In addition, they often perceive their children as helpless and vulnerable, regardless of their age. This believe has led to them engaging in problematic overprotective behaviors (Bernstein & Triger, 2011).  

        Generally, a child is able to fully assume adult responsibilities when he or she reaches the age of 18 (Northern Territory Government, 2011). However, helicopter parents’ excessive involvement does not end even when their children enter college. They edit their children’s class assignments (Bottner, 2009), contact college professors to protest about grades (Bradley-Geist & Olson-Buchanan, 2014) and speak to university administrators on behalf of their adult children (Schiffrin, Liss, Miles-McLean, Geary, Erchull, & Tashner, 2013).

To handle these parents, some colleges and universities have invested both money and staff on courses that help parents to prepare their children for independent college lives. (LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011). Some universities even give instruction about communicating with such parents to their staff. (Bradley-Geist & Olson-Buchanan, 2014). This is money and manpower consuming for universities.

According to recent empirical research, the estimated prevalence of helicopter parenting for undergraduates might be as high as 40 to 60 percent (Kwon, Yoo, & Bingham, 2015). Moreover, as much as 60 to 70 percent of undergraduates report having parents who display some forms of helicopter parenting behaviors (Odenweller, Booth-Butterfield, & Weber, 2014). Apart from affecting students’ grades, helicopter parenting can affect students’ self-esteem, ability, and motivation to mature in adults (Odenweller, Booth-Butterfield, & Weber, 2014).

In line with increasing concerns regarding helicopter parenting, the Helicopter Parenting Instrument (HPI) was developed to measure this construct (Odenweller, Booth-Butterfield, & Weber, 2014). However, in the Malaysian context, no study can be found to date that has validated this scale. Validation of this scale in Asian countries is as important as validating it in Western countries, it is because helicopter parenting is a global phenomenon (Muise LCSW, 2014).

Therefore, in this study, the primary purpose is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Helicopter Parenting Instrument (HPI) in a sample of Malaysian university students. Also, the demographic characteristics that predict Malaysian’s helicopter parenting as it varies across cultural contexts (Kwon, Yoo, & Bingham, 2015).

1.2        Statement of Problem

         The problem of helicopter parenting is a common phenomenon in Asian countries. Among students of all ethnicities, it was discovered that Asian students are more likely to report having overparenting parents (Bradley-Geist & Olson-Buchanan, 2014). Nevertheless, empirical research conducted in Asian countries are very limited.

        Among Asian countries, helicopter parenting in Malaysia may be more prevalent in some ways. First, high parental focus and investment on children’s education (Dzulkifli & Alias, 2012; Koay, 2014). Second, culture that limited parental involvement school (Salleh, Mohammad, Taib, Mohammad, 2008). Third, highly competitive job markets for recent Malaysian undergraduates (Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, 2012).

        To accurately measure the extent to which Malaysian parents engage in helicopter parenting, it is essential to validate the Helicopter Parenting Instrument (HPI). However, this instrument has not been validated to date using the Malaysian undergraduates’ population. This prevents the practicality of this scale in this high-risk population.

1.3        Theoretical Background        

According to Bowen’s Family Systems theory, a positive parent-child relationship requires parents to let go of their children and allow them to be independent at times. For this, parents must adjust themselves according to the frequent happening of individuation and separation as this is part of a child’s developmental process. If a parent has failed to do so and is over-involved in their children’s lives, this may affects the child’s sense of self-control as well as psychological well-being which may in turn inhibits the child from developing into independence adult (Kwon, Yoo, & Bingham, 2015).

1.4        Conceptual Framework

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Figure 1.1: Conceptual framework

The conceptual framework is demonstrated to explain the factor structure of Helicopter Parenting Instrument (HPI) and the relationship between demographic characteristics and helicopter parenting.

According to Odenweller, Booth-Butterfield, and Weber (2014), all 15 items of HPI load on one solid factor in factor analysis. Thus, it is hypothesized that similar factor dimensionality, which is unidimensional solution, will be obtained in this study.