2-027 - Parent-child Interactions and Children’s School Readiness in Chile and the U.S.

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Interactions between parents and children are proximal processes that promote children´s development in academic domains before starting school (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006; Tudge et al., 2009; Sonnenschein et al., 2012; Tudge & Doucet, 2004; Weigel et al., 2005). By examining parent-child interactions in communities with diverse SES and cultural background, this paper symposium contributes to our understanding of the complexities and dynamic characteristics of proximal processes (parenting) supporting child development within broader ecological contexts. By using different methods of data collection, three papers investigate how parent-child interactions relate to the development of math, language, and self-regulation in 4-5 year old children in Chilean and American samples. The first paper presents findings from a study of naturalistic mother-child conversations about math at home and the variations in math talk related to the educational background of the families in a sample of middle-class Mid-Western families in the U.S. The second paper explores the quality of parent-child conversations about math and its relation to preschoolers’ math and self-regulation skills in a sample of low-income Chilean families. The third paper investigates how self-reported maternal practices about literacy predict vocabulary and early reading skills, over and above maternal education, in a sample of disadvantaged Chilean children attending preschool. These three papers underscore variations in frequency and quality of parent-child interactions relevant for math, reading and self-regulation development, both within and between countries. Implications for designing and implementing family interventions in communities with diverse cultural and SES background will be discussed.

Sub Unit

• Family Context & Processes

Chair

• Maria Ines Susperreguy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Discussant

• Natasha Cabrera, University of Maryland

Individual Presentations

• Mother-child Naturalistic Conversations about Math during the Preschool Years: Frequency and Length of “Math Talk” - Presenting Author: Maria Ines Susperreguy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Pamela Davis-Kean, University of Michigan

• The Effect of Executive Function and Parent “Math Talk” on Children’s Mathematics Skills in Low-Income Chilean Families - Presenting Author: Julia Lindsey, Davidson College; Diana Leyva, Davidson College

• Do maternal practices mediate the relation between maternal education and early literacy skills in Chilean low SES population? - Presenting Author: Susana Mendive, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; María Rosa Lissi, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Roger Bakeman, Georgia State University; Adriana Reyes, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile