Social and Cognitive Development Among Dual Language Learning Mexican-Heritage Children Attending Head Start: The Role of Adult–Child Relationships

• In Event: 35.053 - Understanding the Social Emotional Classroom Climate of Socioculturally and Neurodiverse Children in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

1. Objective
The purpose of this study is to assess social and cognitive development of 3-5 year old, dual language learning children of Mexican heritage descent and low-income backgrounds. During the data collection period children attended a Head Start preschool and participated in the Mi Clase Mágica (MCM) university-community partnership program. This study examines how interpersonal relationships with teachers in the classroom and interactions with undergraduate (UG) students in the MCM program setting are associated with the development of children’s school-readiness skills. Patterns of associations by child language dominance are investigated.

2. Theoretical Framework
This study is guided by Howes’ (2010) theoretical framework of culture and child development
within early childhood education (ECE) programs. Howes’ framework draws from Rogoff’s (2003) understanding of development as a cultural process and Bowlby’s (1982) theory of attachment to conceptualize ECE settings as cultural communities where interpersonal interactions with others are the most proximal cultural practices shaping children’s development. We examine teacher-child relationships and UG-child interactions to investigate how practices across two distinct cultural communities are associated with children’s development.

3. Methods and Data Sources
We collected data from children (n=101), their teachers (n=4), and UGs (n=67). We collected demographic information about children and assessments of their school-readiness in the fall and spring, including emergent literacy (Mason and Stewart, 1989), self-regulation (Smith-Donald, Raver, Hayes, & Richardson, 2007), and social skills and problem behaviors (Achenbach, 1992; Elliot, Gresham, Freeman, R. McCloskey, 1988). Data was collected from teachers using the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (Pianta, 2001) to assess the quality of teacher’s self-reported relationships with children. Field note data was collected from UGs and later coded by researchers to examine the emotional tone of UG-child interactions.

4. Results.
Children experienced close relationships with their teacher and sensitive, often close, interactions with UGs. The nature of UG-child interactions was correlated with the quality of child-teacher relationships as well as school-readiness outcomes. See Table 1.

Significant variations in adult-child relationships and school-readiness outcomes were evident by child dominant language. While sensitivity in the UG-child interaction did not vary, English dominant children tended to have more frequent instances of close interactions with UGs than Spanish dominant children (F(1,65)= 5.32, p<.05). English dominant and bilingual children demonstrated higher emergent literacy scores than Spanish dominant children along with higher rates of growth from fall to spring. See figure 1.

5. Scholarly Significance
This study contributes empirical evidence in support of Howes’ framework by demonstrating that warm caring relationships with teachers provide children with the skills to form close interpersonal relationships and engage in learning activities with other adults. Positive interactions with teachers and UGs supported the development of school-readiness skills, while negative interactions limited opportunities for rich language interactions and the development of positive social skills. Differences in adult-child interactions and school-readiness skills related to child language dominance may indicate that Spanish dominant children have fewer opportunities to engage in rich conversations or literacy activities in their dominant language and thus have fewer opportunities to develop close interpersonal relationships and emergent literacy skills.

Authors

• Alison Gallwey Wishard Guerra, University of California - San Diego

• Robert C. Carr, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill