Abstract:

In democratic societies, attitudes towards the family and its possible models together with attitudes towards parenthood and duties and responsibilities of family education are changing. What is more, liberal attitude towards aims, ways, and means of bringing up children in the family is emerging. In this changing environment, parents are confronted with an overwhelming flow of information and advice on how to educate their children and ensure their well-being. This information is often contradictory, leaving parents confused about parenting styles, disciplinary measures that are permissible, and etc. (Özgür, 2016). The parenting experiences as childhood experiences that adults bring to their own families determine family environment and socialization (determine their interaction with their children). Research supports the fact (Coley, Kull, & Carrano, 2014) that some parents who have experienced physical punishment in their childhood are more likely to choose the same type of punishments when modifying their children's behaviour. According to UNICEF in 2019, nearly one billion children experience some form of maltreatment by their parents or caregivers each year (UNICEF, 2020). The post-Covid 19 pandemic situation and the rise in child abuse only confirm the scale of the problem (UNECE, 2024). Parents' perceptions of parenthood, its role, and goals they set for parenting together with the methods they choose to encourage and control their children's behaviour are important for their children physical, social and psychological well-being. Positive parenting knowledge and skills become particularly important when raising a child with special educational needs (SEN) (Malinauskienė  Žukauskienė, 2008; Laursen  Collins, 2009; Coste, 2009; Holliday, 2014; Carroll  Hamilton (2016); Ulferts, 2020; ICVAC, 2023). Most parents do not know and/or cannot apply positive discipline methods to encourage social and behaviour development of appropriate behaviour of children with special educational needs, so they choose inadequate methods of disciplining their children, which do not comply with the principles of a democratic society. Moreover, wrongly chosen methods usually lead to children's inappropriate behavior in educational institutions, emotional difficulties and problems with learning, thus failing to sufficiently ensure the well-being of these children (Jonikaitė-Kievišienė - Ivanauskienė, 2008; Power et al., 2013).

The research presented in this paper aimed to reveal the attitudes of parents, who raise preschool children having behavioral and emotional disorders, towards the concept of positive discipline in the family, its expression, and content in order to ensure child's well-being in the context of democratization of society and to explore the possibilities of parental education. A qualitative study (semi-structured interviews; N=20) was carried out to summarize the experiences of positive parenting of parents of SEN children, and the parents' need for access to quality education related to positive parenting. The results of the study provide insights and suggestions for school leaders, teachers, and education support professionals involved in parental education.

Keywords:

Positive parenting, children with special educational needs (SEN), parental education.