I V . Pa r e n t s’ Pe r ce pt ion s Of Ex pe r ie n ce s Th a t I n flu e n ce Socia l, Em ot ion a l, a n d Cogn it iv e Ch ild D e v e lopm e n t
This r esear ch exam ines par ent s’ per cept ions of fact or s t hat influence young childr en’s social, em ot ional, and cognit ive developm ent . The good new s is t hat
effor t s over t he year s t o help infor m par ent s’ under st anding of child developm ent and t he exper iences t hat play a posit ive r ole in fost er ing healt hy gr ow t h m ay be
pay ing off. How ever , t her e also ar e indicat ions t hat t hese effor t s m ay not be r eaching all par ent s. This m ay be due t o t he fact t hat t his infor m at ion is not
r eadily available, or because t he infor m at ion par ent s do r eceive is not consist ent w it h t heir fam ily’s cult ur al beliefs or values. While t his r esear ch does not shed
light on w hy t hese differ ences exist , it does indicat e t hat t her e is addit ional w or k t o be done t o im pr ove out r each and dialogue on t he exper iences t hat influence
child developm ent w it h som e par ent s.
U n d e rs t an d in g O f Exp e r ie n ce s T h a t F o st e r S o cia l Em o t io n a l D ev elo p m e n t
25 41
42 46
53 52
55
Majo r influence 10 rating on 10-point scale Strong influence 8-9 ratings
Perceived influence of activities on supporting social and emotional development of children ages birth to three
Setting and enforcing rules
Playinginteracting with other children
Comforting when child is upset
Establishing routines
Talking about feelings with child
Encouraging child to keep working at
difficult tasks Following child’s
lead during play
85 84
83 79
71 71
61 Mean
rating 8.9
8.8 8.8
8.6 8.3
8.3 7.7
A significant m aj or it y of par ent s under st and t hat t he follow ing exper iences have a st r ong or m aj or influence on helping a child t o develop socially and
em ot ionally:
4
Set t ing and enfor cing r ules 85 ,
Giving a child oppor t unit ies t o play and int er act w it h ot her childr en 84 ,
Com for t ing a child w hen upset 83 ,
4
Using a 10- point scale, par ent s w er e asked t o r at e t he influence of a num ber of act ivit ies on helping a child age bir t h t o t hr ee t o develop socially, em ot ionally, and cognit ively 10 m eans a
m aj or influence and one m eans lit t le or no influence .
Page 18
Est ablishing r out ines 79 ,
Talking about feelings w it h a child 71 ,
Encour aging a child t o keep w or king on a difficult t ask 71 . Differ ences exist am ong var ious par ent subgr oups in t heir per cept ion of t he
im por t ance of t hese ear ly exper iences.
Mot her s ar e subst ant ially m or e likely t han fat her s t o believe t hat t hese ex per iences hav e a st r ong or m aj or influence on t he social and em ot ional
developm ent of a young child.
Par ent s w it h m ult iple childr en ar e m or e likely t o indicat e t he im por t ance of m any of t he exper iences set t ing and enfor cing r ules, com for t ing a
child w hen upset , and est ablishing r out ines .
Whit e par ent s ar e m or e likely t han t heir Afr ican- Am er ican or Hispanic count er par t s t o ident ify set t ing and enfor cing r ules, com for t ing a child
w hen upset , and encour aging a child t o keep w or king at a difficult t ask as st r ong or m aj or influences.
Afr ican- Am er ican par ent s ar e less lik ely t han t heir w hit e or Hispanic count er par t s t o ident ify est ablishing r out ines and t alking about feelings as
hav ing a st r ong or m aj or influence on t he social and em ot ional developm ent of a young child.
U n d e rst a n d in g O f Ex pe rie n ces T h at Fo st er So cia l Em ot io n a l D e ve lop m en t
Perceptions Vary Among Subgroups
rating each as a majorstrong influence ratings of 8, 9, 10
Setting and enforcing rules Comforting when child is upset
Playinginteracting with other children
Establishing routines Talking about feelings with child
Encouraging child to keep working at difficult tasks
Following child’s lead during play
Whites 87
85 84
80 70
75 60
African Americans
77 75
79 72
65 66
59 His-
panics 77
74 82
82 74
64 59
First-time parents
81 80
85 75
71 69
62 Repeat
parents 86
85 84
82 71
73 61
Page 19
St r on g Un d e r st a nd in g Of Ex pe r ie n ce s Th a t Fa cilit a t e Le a r n in g
33 45
56 46
63 70
73
Majo r influence 10 rating on 10-point scale Strong influence 8-9 ratings
Perceived influence of activities on helping children ages birth to three learn
Reading to child Speaking to baby
in main language Reading to baby
in main language Playing with
other children Talking to newborn
Singing to baby Playing pretend
with child
93 88
83 81
74 70
65 Mean
rating 9.4
9.1 9.0