The Grandparent Advantage: Intergenerational Scaffolding in Arab Households and Global Family Systems

Abstract

Parental influences on children’s learning are well documented, but the role of grandparents remains underexplored, particularly in non-Western and multigenerational contexts. This study presents the first mixed-methods analysis of Arab households linking grandparental scaffolding to developmental outcomes. Guided by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems framework, data were collected from surveys with 412 families (N = 1,236 respondents) and interviews with 78 families across the Gulf, Levant, and North Africa. Quantitative results show that children with active grandparental involvement scored significantly higher on school readiness (p < .01, η² = .12), narrative reasoning (p < .01, η² = .14), and heritage language retention (p < .01, η² = .15). Qualitative insights portray grandparents as storytellers, moral guides, and cultural anchors, while also revealing barriers of digital exclusion and generational dissonance. By integrating statistical evidence with lived narratives, the study demonstrates that grandparents act as cognitive architects and cultural stewards within Arab kinship systems. These findings challenge nuclear-family-centric models in developmental psychology and education and highlight the global relevance of intergenerational caregiving. Positioned at the intersection of developmental research and cross-cultural family studies, the article calls for policies that recognize elder knowledge as a vital pedagogical resource.