Here is a sample bibliography entry. Remember, you’ll need to include 2 entries for this draft.
Topic: I am researching the differences between Chinese and Western parenting styles. This topic is interesting to me because I’ve spent half of my life in China and the other half in the US. I can see a difference between my parents’ style and my American friends’ parents.
Research Question: How do cultural beliefs affect parenting styles?
Reference Entry #1
Chua, A. (2011). Why Chinese mothers are superior. Wall Street Journal, 8.
Interesting Quotes and Paraphrases of Key Points
According to Chua (2011), “the Chinese parent believes that their child will be strong enough to take the shaming and to improve from it” (p. 2).
Reason for Selecting this Quote: I am surprised that the author defends shaming children, so I took this quote out of the reading to allow me to show to the reader that the author did make this surprising claim that children should be shamed. After showing in my writing that Chua did make this surprising statement, I will then proceed to provide evidence against shaming.
I want to paraphrase the following paragraph because it captures a critical distinction between Chinese and Western parenting:
Western parents try to respect their children’s individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they’re capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away (Chua, 2011, p. 4).
Paraphrase of this Quote: While Western parents value and nurture individuality, passions, and choices, Chinese parents focus on instilling useful skills, hard work, and unshakable confidence in their children (Chua, 2011, p. 4).
Summary of Main Ideas
Chua (2011) highlights the difference between Chinese and Western parenting, focusing on the characteristics of Chinese parenting. She argues that children build confidence when they excel at such a skill as playing a musical instrument after rigorous practice. Also, she calls for shaming and punishing children when they are not respectful or fail to receive an A in school. In fact, she states that:
Western parents try to respect their children’s individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they’re capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away (Chua, 2011, p. 4).
In addition, the author maintains that Chinese children must spend their lives repaying their parents and making them proud. In order to illustrate the positive influence of coercion, the article describes in rich detail how she resisted her husband to successfully coerce her daughter Lulu into playing a piano piece. Finally, Chua (2011) explains that, whereas all parents want what is best for their children, Chinese parents have a unique way to go about it. For example, while Western parents value and nurture individuality, passions, and choices, Chinese parents focus on instilling useful skills, hard work, and unshakable confidence in their children (Chua, 2011, p. 4). In summary, Chinese parenting is unique, relying on skill-building, shaming and coercion to raise strong and hard-working children.
Response/Analysis
I believe that Chua (2011) makes a strong case in support of remaining firm when children are about to give up. However, in my view, the author’s argument lacks evidence of the consequences of her parenting style on children’s long-term mental health. My proposed compromise is not to shame children, while remaining firm when motivating them.