The objective of this study is to examine longitudinally the influence of parental behaviors and beliefs and child participation on the development of children's planning skills in Euro-American and Mexican-American families using a multi-method, multi-informant strategy. The planning opportunities and practices of 200 school-aged children and their parents will be assessed over a three year period. Data to be collected include: (1) the children's participation in activities outside of school and their roles and responsibilities in deciding, planning and carrying out these activities, (2) the children's individual planning skills, (3) child and parent performance in laboratory planning tasks, (4) parenting style, (5) parental beliefs concerning the development of children's ability to plan and conduct various everyday activities, (6) teacher and observer ratings of child classroom behaviors related to planning, and (7) child school performance. Analyses of stability and change in child, parent, and family planning participation and expectations across the three years and analyses of the predictive value of early child and family behaviors on children's later planning activities and skills will be conducted. Theoretically, the results of this project will permit further explanation of the familial processes and mechanisms which contribute to the socialization of complex cognitive skills like planning during early to middle-childhood, with particular attention to how cultural values, goals and practices help shape this process. Within an applied perspective, the findings will lead to improved specification and effectiveness of childhood intervention programs that rely on children's ability to plan and/or carry out planned activities.
| Gauvain, Mary; Perez, Susan M (2005) Parent-child participation in planning children's activities outside of school in European American and Latino families. Child Dev 76:371-83 |
