Publication year
2010
Citation Title
Caregiver involvement in infant peer interactions: Scaffolding in a social context.
Journal Name
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
Journal Volume
25
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
251-266
DOI
10.1016/j.ecresq.2009.11.004
Summary
Infants learn a great deal about social skills and interactions from their caregivers, and it is important to identify techniques caregivers can use to promote positive outcomes. The relationship between daycare caregivers’ scaffolding techniques (e.g., offering suggestions, giving gentle feedback, altering the environment) at baseline and infant sociability at follow-up were examined. Results suggest child-centered scaffolding is more beneficial for infant sociability than adult-centered or group scaffolding.
Key Findings
Analyses identified three broad types of social scaffolding, including adult-centered (e.g., caregiver distracting the child, giving directions, inviting or moving the child into the peer group), child-centered (e.g., caregiver incorporating the child into the peer group, communicating about child's peers and their belongings, feelings, or intentions), and group (e.g., caregiver interacting with child and informal or structured peer groups).
Adult-centered scaffolding was used more often than child-centered or group scaffolding; however, group scaffolding was used for the greatest overall duration.
Greater duration of adult-centered and group scaffolding, but not child-centered scaffolding, at baseline were associated with poorer peer sociability at follow-up.
Greater duration of child-centered scaffolding at baseline was related to less refusal to interact with peers at follow-up; greater group scaffolding was associated with more peer refusal at follow-up.
Implications for Military Professionals
Offer trainings where military families can watch trained caregivers provide child-centered scaffolding in a community daycare setting
Help develop trainings about caregiver scaffolding and child outcomes to educate professionals working with military families
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer workshops to military families that train caregivers to use child-centered scaffolding techniques
Provide classes that educate military caregivers on how a child-centered parenting approach can be used, particularly as opposed to using adult-centered approaches for child behavior management
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend teaching child-centered scaffolding techniques within existing military parenting programs
Encourage military daycare providers to use child-centered scaffolding and plan activities that allow this scaffolding
Methods
Infants' families and caregivers were recruited from three child care centers in Northern California with a 92% participation rate for both families and caregivers.
Caregivers were video-taped with each infant at baseline, and scaffolding technique use and duration was coded for interactions; parents and caregivers also completed demographic and sociability questionnaires at baseline and follow-up.
Caregiver's use of scaffolding techniques was analyzed for themes, as well as the relationship between types of scaffolding used and child sociability outcomes at follow-up.
Participants
Participants included 11 daycare providers and 36 infants, who were 47% female and ranged in age from 12-17 months at baseline and 18-24 months at follow-up.
Infants were 69% White, 6% Latino, 3% Asian American, and 23% another race; most were from middle class (71% greater than or equal to $50,000 per year income) two-parent (97%) families.
Caregivers were all female and identified as 64% Latina, 18% White, 9% Asian American, and 9% another race.
Limitations
The small sample size with all female caregivers limits generalizability to the broader population.
Only infants in center-based child care programs were observed, and scaffolding may differ in other childcare settings.
Caregivers were aware that they were being observed and may have attempted to perform in a manner that they perceived as more socially acceptable.
Avenues for Future Research
Explore whether differences in the effects of scaffolding exist between demographically different groups (e.g., race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, family structure)
Conduct a study with more long-term follow-up to examine how the effects of scaffolding impact children's sociability into middle childhood and adolescence
Examine whether caregiver scaffolding for infants effects other long-term youth outcomes (e.g., academic achievement, delinquency, community involvement)
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
Establishing positive peer relationships is integral to children's social development and is linked to a variety of long-term outcomes and life skills. The present study provides an in-depth examination of the ways in which child care providers guide young children in their early social experiences with peers during infancy; when social competence with peers is first being developed. Findings documented multiple avenues through which child care providers help to scaffold infants’ naturally occurring social encounters with their peers, including creating opportunities for peer interaction, preventing and interrupting peer interaction, communicating to children about their peers and peer relations, providing direct instructions and rules for peer interaction, and modeling social behavior during group interactions. Scaffolding strategies were categorized as adult-centered, child-centered, and group-based. Results also revealed some specific effects of scaffolding on infant social competence with peers over a 6-month time period.
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