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Resumen
El rol del contexto social inmediato del niño es considerado actualmente como esencial para su desarrollo cognitivo. Este estudio examina diferencias por nivel socioeconómico en la interacción verbal materno-infantil con libros con ilustraciones y sin texto. Se observaron 22 díadas de madres y niños argentinosde 20 a 24 meses de edad, 10 de nivel socioeconómico bajo y 12 de nivel medio. Se encontró que el estilo de la interacción difería según el nivel socioeconómico. Un estilo materno más elaborado, demandante e indirecto, junto a un niño más verbal se observó en el nivel socioeconómico medio. Se analizaron también las estrategias de distanciamiento empleadaspor las madres en la interacción. Los resultados se discuten en relación al desarrollo cognitivo infantil en general, y simbólico y lingüístico en particular, y sus posibles aplicaciones en la educación temprana.
Abstract
Today the role of the immediate social context is considered essential for the child's cognitive development. Therefore, the study examines differences in the interaction of mother-infant dyads from two SES groups in Argentina, while reading a picture-book. Twelve middle-and ten low-SES mothers with their 20 to 24 months-old toddlers were observed. The results showed that the style of the interaction was different depending on the SES of the mother-child pair. The mothers in the middle SES group had a more demanding, indirect and elaborate maternal style than those in the low SES group. The children in the middle SES group also had more developed verbal skills than those in the low SES group. Maternal distancing strategies were also analysed. The results are discussed both in terms of the children's overall cognitive development, and their linguistic and symbolic development. The potential implications for early education are discussed.
Extended Summary
This research work studies early mother-child interactions during a joint “reading” situation using books with pictures but no text. Its main purpose is to examine socio-economic (SES) differences in mother-child dyads from middle and low socio-economic backgrounds living in Argentina. The study analyses the structural and content characteristics of oral picturebook interaction. Structural characteristics refer to the form of the interaction; content characteristics to the specific nature of verbalizations or the way in which the mother talks to the child about the different figures represented in the book. The study also analyses mothers' distancing strategies (Sigel, 1993, 1997). These strategies refer to behaviours that stimulate the child to go beyond the immediate perceptual world and to develop and use representational abilities.
Picturebook reading is a common form of interaction between mothers and young children. This activity, besides being enjoyable and relaxing, is perceived by the mothers as a learning experience for the child. Picturebook reading is thought to promote both children's general cognitive development and their linguistic development.
Previous studies suggest that during joint reading interactions middle SES (MSES) mothers use specific strategies that facilitate their children's emergent literacy and influence their subsequent success in school based literacy events (e.g., Pellegrini, Brody, and Sigel, 1985; Teale, 1984; Peralta de Mendoza, 1995). These strategies seem to depend on the child's competence level, as the mother provides less external regulation (Vygotsky, 1978; Wertsch, 1979) or scaffolding (Wood, Bruner, and Ross, 1976), and introduces more demanding strategies when the child is more competent.
Twenty-two mothers with their 20 to 24 months-old children participated in this study. The sample was drawn from both private and public day-care centres of the city of Rosario (Santa Fe, Argentina). Two books with pictures and no text were used. Systematic seminaturalistic observations of the interactions were carried out in the day-care centres.
First, the data analyses focused on the structural and content characteristics of oral interactions, and, second, on maternal distancing strategies. A coding system used in previous studies (DeLoache, and Peralta de Mendoza, 1987; Peralta de Mendoza, 1995) was adapted to code the structural and content characteristics of mother-child picturebook interactions. Maternal verbal behaviour was classified according to Sigel's (1993) categorization of levels of distancing acts. Non-parametric statistic tests were chosen for the data analyses (Mann-Whitney U-Test and Wilcoxon's t-Test).
The results showed that mother-child interaction style differed for each group. Compared with the Low SES (LSES) group: 1) MSES mothers displayed a more complex and demanding interaction style, and their children's verbal participation was more active; 2) MSES mothers' elaborations on each picture were also more complex; 3) MSES mothers asked their children more question, thus, demanding a greater verbal participation from them. This style of interaction is probably not limited to picturebook reading events, but constitutes a more general pattern of language use (Hoff-Ginsberg, 1991).
With respect to mothers' distancing strategies, it was found that, overall, mothers in both groups preferred low-level strategies. In general, MSES mothers used a greater amount of distancing strategies; particularly, medium-level strategies. However, the most effective distancing is not the one involving the greatest distancing, but the one that best adjusts to each child's real and potential competence levels.
Finally, this type of research work may have important educational implications. By studying and observing early interactions, it is possible to identify teaching strategies aimed at improving learning conditions in the family and the immediate social environment. Thus, helping to prevent certain situations of disadvantage associated with later school failure.