Extending the developmental niche model to studies of intergenerational co-parenting in China

Abstract

Despite the global prevalence of grandparents' involvement in child care, research findings linking specific dimensions of involvement to children's outcomes remain inconsistent. Increasingly, studies on intergenerational co-parenting recognize the coordination between parents and grandparents but often assess the quality of relationships broadly rather than examining the specific settings, practices, and beliefs through which co-parenting unfolds. In this article, the author proposed extending the developmental niche model developed by Super and Harkness as an integrative framework for studying Chinese intergenerational co-parenting families. The model highlights how parents and grandparents jointly construct three interconnected subsystems of children's developmental ecology: physical and social settings, customs of care, and caretakers' psychology. Examining these subsystems and their transactions may clarify how sociocultural change and intergenerational negotiation shape caregiving and children's development.