Involving children in collaborative tasks supports their cognitive, motor, and social development. This study, conducted in Portugal, aims to describe and compare the collaborative and interactive behavior of early childhood educators and parents when working with children. For that purpose, 55 educators (of both genders) with a child from their class and 45 parents (of both genders) with their children, participated in an everyday-like quasi-experimental situation for 20 minutes. The participants were invited to build an object of their choice, using a range of available materials and tools. The children included 47 boys and 48 girls, between 3 and 5 year-old. In comparison with the parents, the educators encouraged the children more to explore and find their own solutions. Conversely, the parents helped their children by offering demonstrations and directions. When the educators and the parents were grouped by gender (“men” versus “women”), different opportunities were offered to boys and girls by male and female adults. Our study suggests that educators and parents serve as diverse, but complementary educational role models and provide different learning opportunities.

Authors:
Marina Fuertes, Polytechnic University of Lisbon, Portugal

About the Presenter(s)
Marina Fuertes is a Full Professor at the Polytechnic University of Lisbon and is an Associated Researcher at the University of Porto at the Centro de Psicologia.

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