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Teaching Through Collaboration: Flexibility and Diversity in Caregiver–Child Interaction Across Cultures
Author(s) -
Clegg Jennifer M.,
Wen Nicole J.,
DeBaylo Paige H.,
Alcott Adam,
Keltner Elena C.,
Legare Cristine H.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.13443
Subject(s) - praise , psychology , nonverbal communication , fidelity , developmental psychology , diversity (politics) , teaching method , facilitation , flexibility (engineering) , child development , pedagogy , social psychology , neuroscience , electrical engineering , engineering , statistics , mathematics , sociology , anthropology
Teaching supports the high‐fidelity transmission of knowledge and skills. This study examined similarities and differences in caregiver teaching practices in the United States and Vanuatu ( N = 125 caregiver and 3‐ to 8‐year‐old child pairs) during a collaborative problem‐solving task. Caregivers used diverse verbal and nonverbal teaching practices and adjusted their behaviors in response to task difficulty and child age in both populations. U.S. caregivers used practices consistent with a direct active teaching style typical of formal education, including guiding children’s participation, frequent praise, and facilitation. In contrast, Ni‐Vanuatu caregivers used practices associated with informal education and divided tasks with children based on difficulty. The implications of these findings for claims about the universality and diversity of caregiver teaching are discussed.