Mother-Child Engagement in a Categorisation Activity: Implications for Parental Pedagogy and Early Education Research
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| Title: | Mother-Child Engagement in a Categorisation Activity: Implications for Parental Pedagogy and Early Education Research |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Seyma Inan (ORCID |
| Source: | International Journal of Early Years Education. 2026 34(1):42-58. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Mothers, Parent Child Relationship, Classification, Preschool Children, Interaction, Cues, Positive Reinforcement, Questioning Techniques, Correlation |
| DOI: | 10.1080/09669760.2024.2367533 |
| ISSN: | 0966-9760 1469-8463 |
| Abstract: | Maternal support for children's cognitive competence has received considerable attention in the developmental and early childhood education literature. However, little research has examined the link between maternal behaviour and children's categorisation performance. The current study explored the strategies that mothers and children used as they engaged in a categorisation task. Twenty-seven mother-child dyads from middle-class mothers and their three-to-five-year-old preschool children were videotaped while engaging in a categorisation activity. Total testing time, including video recordings, did not exceed one hour. The mother-child interaction codes were analysed using frequency analyses to extract empirical estimates. Certain maternal strategies (e.g. interrogative strategies) were positively related to children's verbal responses. However, maternal stylistic (taxonomic and thematic) differences were not associated with children's strategies. The study found that mothers use a variety of strategies to engage with their children in the categorisation activity. Theoretical perspectives and implications of the current research for parental pedagogy and early childhood education research are discussed. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1504139 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | Maternal support for children's cognitive competence has received considerable attention in the developmental and early childhood education literature. However, little research has examined the link between maternal behaviour and children's categorisation performance. The current study explored the strategies that mothers and children used as they engaged in a categorisation task. Twenty-seven mother-child dyads from middle-class mothers and their three-to-five-year-old preschool children were videotaped while engaging in a categorisation activity. Total testing time, including video recordings, did not exceed one hour. The mother-child interaction codes were analysed using frequency analyses to extract empirical estimates. Certain maternal strategies (e.g. interrogative strategies) were positively related to children's verbal responses. However, maternal stylistic (taxonomic and thematic) differences were not associated with children's strategies. The study found that mothers use a variety of strategies to engage with their children in the categorisation activity. Theoretical perspectives and implications of the current research for parental pedagogy and early childhood education research are discussed. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0966-9760 1469-8463 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/09669760.2024.2367533 |
