FAMILY UPBRINGING PRACTICES OF NOMADIC MONGOLIANS: TRADITION AND MODERNITY

Abstract

This study examines the ways in which traditional family upbringing practices of nomadic Mongolians have been preserved and transformed in contemporary society, drawing on empirical data collected from parents. It focuses on the interplay between educational values rooted in nomadic culture and modern parenting practices adopted by today’s families. A mixed-methods research design was employed, integrating historical and logical analysis of traditional family upbringing with a quantitative survey of contemporary parenting styles. The empirical component involved 850 parents and utilized a standardized questionnaire based on the parenting style framework proposed by Baumrind and further developed by Maccoby and Martin, which classifies parenting into four types: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved. Parenting style is conceptualized as parents’ general attitudes, emotional orientations, and habitual behaviors in interactions with their children (Darling & Steinberg, 1993). The findings reveal both continuity and change in nomadic Mongolian family upbringing, demonstrating the coexistence of enduring traditional values and modern parenting approaches. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of cultural adaptation in family upbringing within a rapidly changing social context.