National Survey of Families, Media, and Learning: Analysis of a Latino Parent Oversample

• In Event: Latino Families, Digital Media, and Learning

Abstract

Objectives. This paper reports on a nationally representative survey of how Latino families with young children are using media for educational purposes. While recent large-scale surveys have been able to tell us what young children in the U.S. are doing with media at home (e.g., Common Sense Media, 2011, Rideout & Hamel, 2006), none have focused exclusively on this rapidly growing segment of the US population (US Census Bureau, 2012) or probed the content of the media they are consuming, who they are consuming it with, and for what purposes. Knowledge yielded by analyses may be used to inform the design of products and programs that better serve the learning needs of Latino families and children.

Theoretical Framework/Perspectives. This research takes an ecological approach to learning (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) in that survey questions examine how children’s use of educational media is shaped by the contexts in which they live their lives (i.e., home, school, community), as well as by family circumstances (e.g., immigration status) and cultural values.

Methods/Data Sources. In mid-2013, we administered an online survey to a probability-based, nationally representative panel of 682 Latino parents of 2–10-year-old children. Respondents who did not have Internet access received laptops and Internet connections. The survey was offered in English and Spanish. Questions queried parents about the use of educational media, the types of media their children use and with whom, parental beliefs about educational media, and parents’ own experiences using media. The survey also gathered data on respondents’ country of origin (e.g., Mexico, Cuba), nativity status (immigrant vs. native born), and primary language spoken at home. Since language is a proxy for a range of socio-economic markers, we analyzed media use by families that speak only English, only Spanish, and both languages. Data came from the online survey described above.

Results. Latino parents reported that their child learned academic skills from educational media, particularly in reading and vocabulary. Most bilingual and Spanish-only families also reported that their child learned English from educational media. Educational media often catalyzed other interest-driven learning opportunities for children, such as initiating dialogue, imaginative play, and asking questions. Despite these generally positive perceptions of educational media, Latino parents were more likely to say they wanted more information about media for their children than White or Black parents. The paper will share details on these results in the context of how the methods we used supported and/or posed challenges to studying the home media practices of Latino families.

Significance. This research tackles two issues of methodological salience to researchers of Latino populations. First, by gathering information on home language use, we have been able to analyze data by meaningful subgroups and avoid generalizing across an entire Latino racial designation (Vaala, 2013). Second, as Latinos are less likely to access the Internet than whites, the provision of laptops and Internet connections gives a voice to families that are not online. These methods will contribute to the reliability of findings and set a benchmark for subsequent research of this nature.

Authors

• June Lee, Sesame Workshop

• Lori Takeuchi, Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop