Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.15516/cje.v24i3.4599
Mealtime Talk in Contemporary Childhood of Croatian Language Speakers
Ines Strapajević
; Kindergarten “Različak” Wellerov vrt 1, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Jelena Vignjević
; Faculty of Teacher Education University of Zagreb Savska cesta 77, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Exposure to mealtime talk in daily life is stimulating to the overall speech development
of a child. However, nowadays children are less and less exposed to the experience of
eating together with their significant adults. A study was conducted within this context
to check the frequency of families eating together and mealtime talk in contemporary
childhood of Croatian language speakers. Research participants were parents of
children at an early and preschool age. The frequency of eating together, paying
attention to media during mealtimes as well as the topics of mealtime conversations
were evaluated. The purpose of the study was to determine the possible relation of
the mentioned elements to the family structure and parents’ employment status
and education level. The results indicate a more frequent habit of eating together
in families where a grandfather and/or a grandmother is present, in families where
one of the parents is unemployed and in families where parents are high school
graduates. Parents mostly reported that during family mealtimes they were focused
on communication rather than the media, and that they mostly discuss daily events.
Keywords
family mealtime; children’s language development; mealtime conversation
Hrčak ID:
285641
URI
Publication date:
16.11.2022.
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