Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.5559/di.24.3.06
Maternal Verbal Strategies in the Process of Scaffolding Children of Different Sex to Solve Cognitive Problems
Lara Cakić
orcid.org/0000-0002-7880-6528
; Faculty of Education, Osijek
Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate maternal verbal
strategies in the process of scaffolding their children to
complete cognitive tasks in the zone of proximal
development, and to examine whether mothers used
different verbal strategies with children of different sex. The
study was conducted with mothers (N = 80) and their
children (41 boys and 39 girls) aged 5 to 7. The dyads were
video recorded during interaction on problem-solving tasks
and the recordings were analyzed. The analysis of maternal
verbal reactions was conducted after child's correct and after
child's incorrect answer when children provided first incorrect
and, later, correct answers. In this study there were no
significant differences between maternal verbal strategies
used either in the process of scaffolding children of different
sex on problem-solving tasks or after the children solved the
problem correctly. When children offered an incorrect
answer, the most frequent maternal strategy was to
encourage girls to re-think and to use the technique of
scaffolding for boys. When the correct answer was given
after one or a number of failed attempts, the most frequent
maternal verbal strategy for boys and girls was to confirm its
correctness.
Keywords
mother-child teaching strategies; zone of proximal development; scaffolding; mothers; pre-schoolers; boys; girls
Hrčak ID:
149878
URI
Publication date:
1.12.2015.
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