Poster #56 - The Roles of Maternal Structure versus Autonomy Support During Teaching-Learning Tasks with Toddlers

• In Event: Poster Session 07

Abstract

Contemporary conceptualizations of parenting suggest that both structure and autonomy support are crucial for children’s competence and achievement because the former conveys guidance and feedback, while the latter activates a sense of volition and intrinsic motivation. As both dimensions impact children’s engagement and mastery, investigations of teaching-learning should study them together. Nevertheless, studies with toddlers focus only on autonomy support. Moreover, despite the proposition that autonomy support benefits young children across all domains and situations, several studies suggest that the roles of structure and autonomy support may be context-specific. For example, Matte-Gagne et al. (2015) found that autonomy support during independent rather than dyadic play predicted better socioemotional outcomes. On the other hand, Grolnick et al. (2014) found that structure rather than autonomy support during newly unsupervised times versus homework or chore times predicted competence outcomes. The researchers, respectively, proposed that autonomy support may be important during challenging contexts that require parents to help children handle frustration, and that structure may be more beneficial than autonomy support when children have less comfort with a domain. Ultimately, research should assess whether dimensional salience depends on context, even as the situational parameters that may influence salience remain unclear.

We investigated whether maternal structure or autonomy support, or both, predicted toddler performance during two teaching-learning tasks: board lacing and a multi-dimensional shape puzzle. Our sample included 117 30-month-olds (55 females, 62 males) and their mothers. Although both tasks presented a challenge, lacing allowed flexibility in completion whereas puzzle half-pieces required fixed orientations and locations, thus constraining completion. Using 15-second intervals within each 3.5-minute task, separate coders independently rated aspects of structure (e.g., clarity of guidance, informative feedback, consistency), autonomy support (e.g., provision of choice, expansion, non-controlling behavior), and child performance (persistence and accuracy). An independent coder also globally rated initial task difficulty. All ratings showed high interrater reliability. Based on Cronbach’s alpha, we merged six of seven ratings of structure, and six of seven ratings of autonomy support, into two composite measures for each task.

Results confirmed that maternal structure and autonomy support did not correlate. Importantly, mothers displayed remarkable consistency in their structuring and autonomy supportive behaviors across tasks. On the other hand, children expressed more difficulty and less persistence with the puzzle task. Relationships between maternal and child behaviors also differed across the two learning contexts. Regression coefficients showed that even though both dimensions predicted toddler persistence during lacing, maternal structure was a much stronger predictor. Furthermore, regression confirmed that maternal structure, and not autonomy support, predicted toddler persistence during the puzzle task. Results revealed similar patterns across contexts for children’s degree of accuracy per interval. Taken together, these findings suggest that maternal structuring should not be overlooked during early childhood learning situations. Rather, structure seems to be a more potent predictor than autonomy support of toddler engagement and mastery during difficult learning tasks, and this association may be magnified as tasks permit less flexibility in successful outcomes. Follow-up analyses examine whether child temperament factors contribute to or moderate these relationships.

Authors

• Adriana Molitor, University of San Diego
  Presenting Author

• Huichin Hsu

• Kobe Huynh, University of San Diego

• Andrea Rodriguez, University of San Diego

• Bryn O’Gara

• Sukhmani Nagra