This article presents a literature review on issues about parenthood based on Ecological-System Theory, aiming at to describe some of the factors that are involved in the setting of goals and practices used by mothers and fathers from families of low socioeconomic status. We identify the concepts of educational values, goals and practices and describe their interconnections presented in empirical researches which examine the variables to be considered in the educational process. We have started from the premise that the way to think and promote children's development and education is constructed in relation to the socioeconomic and cultural context in which the families are inserted. We have concluded that is fundamental to think about the idiosyncrasies of the milieu in which low socioeconomic status families live, since they reflect and are reflected in the interaction patterns established among their members.
Low socioeconomic status families; parental values; child-rearing practices
