AbstractsSocial Work

This study is undertaken to explore the values which 110 mothers of varying religious and socio-economic backgrounds assign toward child behaviour and care. Of these mothers 78 participated in Child Study Groups sponsored by the Parent Education Department of the Mental Hygiene Institute in conjunction with the Quebec Federation of Home and School Associations. The remaining 32 mothers never participated in any Child Study Group. These two groups were compared in order to determine the effect of experience in Child Study Groups on parental concepts. The study also seeks to obtain knowledge concerning sources of information most frequently used by mothers and the direct opinion of mothers regarding their conception of the value of Child Study Groups. The data was collected by the use of a Sentence Completion Inventory and by an interview. It was found that the values of mothers who had attended Child Study Groups differed from those who had not attended such groups. There was also an indication that mothers’ values varied according to differences in religious and socio-economic background. Evidence revealed that mothers were helped in their roles as mothers through attendance at Child Study Groups.