A systematic review of research on immigrant parenting of young children in the 21st century (2000–2020)

Abstract

As the immigrant population grows in many countries, immigrant parenting has become a prominent research topic and generated an extensive body of literature. This bibliometric study conducted a systematic review of 1090 articles published from 2000–2020 within the field of immigrant parenting (IP) of young children. Using the citation and co-citation data, the study delineated the developing trends of IP research, explored the significant shifts, and mapped the future directions. The analysis identified remarkable evolutions and revealed the future of the IP field in both optimistic and problematic lights. This was attributed to a combination of factors, in particular to the diverse topics, increased recognition of the gaps between immigration and parenting, limited methodological choices, a lack of theoretical underpinnings and the influence of the intensification of digitalization upon many dimensions of people's lives. Future studies should broaden the field's understanding of underlying reasons that properly account for IP varieties.