An Examination of Multicultural Parents’ Understanding of Supporting Their Children’s Creativity

Abstract

This study explores how multicultural parents support their children’s creativity and examines the influence of cultural factors on this process. The study employed a qualitative cultural analysis/ethnography approach to examine in depth the multicultural parents’ perspectives on supporting their children’s creativity and how they evaluate and encourage creativity within their cultural context. The study group consisted of multicultural parents with children aged 36–72 months living in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Data were collected using the three tools. The first was a researcher-developed form to provide participants’ demographic information. The second was a researcher-developed semi-structured Interview Form. Finally, the researchers conducted home visits, and collected relevant visual and written materials related to the activities, shared by parents to enhance data diversity. Content analysis was used to examine the collected visual and written records. The findings indicated that multicultural parents supported their children’s creativity through various cultural activities both at home and in external social environments. They encouraged their children to assume various roles to promote active engagement in cultural activities. Children were not only spectators but were also active participants. Furthermore, the interaction of diverse cultures contributed to the formation of new ideas and perspectives in children’s minds.