Variability in Toddlers’ Learning Environments With Mothers and Fathers in Diverse Families

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Cognitive Processes

Abstract

Introduction. Already by school entry, children display substantial variability in math and literacy skills (Sonnenschein & Galindo, 2015). Such differences are mostly attributed to early home experiences, with high-quality home environments (e.g., more learning materials and activities) being more supportive of learning than homes with fewer learning opportunities (Cabrera et al., 2020). This is particularly true in the area of language development (Rodriguez & Tamis-LeMonda, 2011), but few researchers have extended the study of home learning environment to mathematical skills. Information about the variability of mathematical learning experiences (e.g., counting, sorting shapes) of ethnically diverse children, especially during toddlerhood—a critical period for language and cognitive development—remains scarce. In addition, this literature often does not include fathers, who on average are less involved in home learning activities than mothers but uniquely contribute to children’s development (Baker et al., 2018; Duursma, 2014). Yet understanding the variability in early home experiences is highly important given associations to math skills at school entry and representation in STEM fields (Galindo & Sonnenschein, 2015; Olszewski-Kubilius et al., 2017).

Hypotheses. We address research gaps by asking: 1) What are the types of learning materials (i.e., toys and books) and home activities (e.g., counting objects, identifying alphabet) experienced by toddlers in ethnically diverse families? 2) Do fathers and mothers differ in how frequently they engage their toddlers in math and literacy activities? We present descriptive data on the home learning materials and activities and hypothesize that fathers and mothers will differ in the frequency with which they engage their children in learning activities.

Study Population & Methods. We use data (n = 83) from a sample of ethnically diverse (40% White and 57% Latino), two-parent families of two-year-old children. Mothers and fathers reported on the number of home learning materials and the frequency of home learning activities with their child.

Results. Preliminary results showed that toddlers in our sample had access to many children’s books and toys (e.g., puzzles, blocks) at home (mean = 78.94, median = 52) and there was a large variability in the learning materials (range = 1 - 415). Mothers reported reading to toddlers more frequently than did fathers (t(27) = 3.72, p < .001; Figure 1). Mothers on average reported engaging in the math- and literacy-related learning activities more frequently than did fathers. While fathers on average reported counting objects as the most frequent activity, mothers on average reported singing movement songs most frequently. Differences between the mean frequency of learning activities indicate that mothers and fathers may differ in the type of activities that they engage in (Figure 2). Findings suggest that toddlers in our sample are exposed to a modest level of cognitive stimulation from both parents and that mothers and fathers differ in their engagement in learning activities. Therefore, including both parents in research provides a more complete picture about the early home experiences of children, which gives us insight on what families are already doing to support their toddlers’ learning and how programs can strengthen these efforts.

Authors

• Yu Chen, New York University School of Medicine
  Presenting Author

• Valerie Mejia, University of Maryland-College Park
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alex M. Silver, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jessica A Ferraro, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author

• Darcy Smith, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author

• Natasha J Cabrera, University of Maryland - College Park
  Non-Presenting Author

• Catherine S Tamis-Lemonda, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Melissa E Libertus, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author