Poster #101 - Sibling Teaching and Learning: Birth Order Differences in Imitation Use as a Learning Strategy

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Family Context & Processes

Integrative Statement

Teaching is a collaborative and bidirectional process that requires both the teacher and learner to be actively engaged (Frye & Ziv, 2005; Rogoff, 1998). The sibling relationship, characterized by its closeness and intimacy, is a unique context through which to study children’s teaching and learning. Research on sibling teaching has generally focused on the teacher, while the role of the learner has garnered limited attention. Imitation is a process where a child observes a model and attempts to reproduce the actions exhibited by that model (Butterworth, 1999; Tomasello, 1998). Previous evidence shows that siblings imitate one another naturally and spontaneously (Howe et al., 2018). As such, imitation is represented as a means through which a learner actively attempts to be engaged during the teaching process. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the learner’s use of imitation during a semi-structured teaching task. Specifically, we examined the extent to which learner imitation varied as a function of birth order, how teachers responded to the learner’s imitation, which teaching strategies were likely to elicit greater imitation, and whether sibling relationship quality was positively associated with more frequent imitation.

Participants included 72 sibling dyads; the teacher role was counterbalanced between the older (M = 6.78 years, SD = 1.19 years) and younger sibling (M = 4.66 years, SD = 1.07 years). Teachers were taught by research assistants how to construct a tractor toy, who subsequently attempted to teach the learners the same task. Learner imitation was coded as (a) verbal or nonverbal and (b) spontaneous or deferred. Learner involvement in the teaching process was coded on a scale of 1 (not involved) to 5 (active involvement). Teacher responses to learner imitation were also coded (e.g., positive, correction, imitation). Sibling relationship quality was measured using the Sibling Behaviour and Feelings Questionnaire (Mendelson et al., 1994), where children rated both positive (e.g., closeness) and negative (e.g., conflict) features.

Analyses revealed five main findings. First, nonverbal spontaneous and deferred imitation was more frequent than verbal spontaneous and deferred imitation, but did not vary as a function of birth order. Second, teachers generally responded positively to the learner’s use of imitation and also sometimes responded by imitating themselves. Third, compared to older sibling learners, younger sibling learner’s imitation significantly and positively predicted greater involvement in the teaching process. Fourth, praise as a teaching strategy positively predicted greater overall imitation. Lastly, partial correlations indicated significant positive correlations between overall learner imitation and sibling relationship quality for younger siblings (r = .26) but not for older siblings (r = .04).

Taken together, the present findings address a significant gap in the literature by focusing on the learner during the teaching process. Regardless of birth order, it is apparent that imitation is an important strategy in the learner’s repertoire as he/she actively attempts to cooperate with the teacher in the transfer of knowledge. Further, these findings underscore the importance of the sibling relationship and its contribution to children’s learning and development.

Authors

• Ryan Joshua Persram, Concordia University
  Presenting Author

• Nina Howe, Concordia University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Catherine Bergeron, Concordia University
  Non-Presenting Author