Educational Styles and Consequences of Birth of Children for Binational Couples

Abstract

The paper examines the dynamics of bicultural couples in which one partner is autochthonous and the other is of foreign nationality. Referring to family dynamics, has taken into consideration two levels of analysis: the impact that the presence of children creates on the dynamic of couple and the educational styles adopted.

According to the basic assumptions of qualitative research, 22 mixed couples living in Sicily were interviewed. To analyse the contents, which emerged from interviews, the Atlas.ti software was used. Through the narrative method we explored the meanings that partners assign to their daily lives and differences they experienced.

The birth of children marks the passage from a couple dynamic to a family one and forces the two partners to confront themselves with their respective origin families. There are a lot of aspects which make these parents different from monocultural ones.

About the educational styles, the results show that the couple frequently adopts biculturalism together with bilingualism, as a strategy to evaluate the cultural background of both partners.