Patrones de crianza y desarrollo infantil. Estudio de niños, madres y docentes en un jardín de infantes

Abstract

This research purpose is to provide information about patterns of maternal upbringing and their relationships with the development of kindergarden children from lower middle class families in La Plata, Argentina. This empirical research was carried out in a kindergarden in a marginal urban zone wich shares similar characteristics with other public schools in similar urban settlements. Throught semi-structured interviews with 25 mothers, the following information was registered: family data, children upbringing practices, knowledge and beliefs about children development, childcare targets related to behaviour and child characterization. The IQ of the 25 children was evaluated by the Terman Merrill Test (LM Form). Results: Maternal knowledge on childhood development was similar to the expected for this study in half of the cases and most interviewed mothers did not detect any difficulties in their respective child development. Most children ranked in the middle lower IQ category, finding significant statistical difference when compared with the standard test and in relation with the whole population. The evaluation registered by the teacher in each child´s school record was also analyzed, concluding that 92 % of the children were considered by the teacher as ‘normal’ according to their age. Mothers and teachers’ evaluation about those children development contrast with the IQ test results.