This study examined the maternal teaching practices of Mexican American mothers and the relation of these practices to their children's task performance. The questions considered in the study were: (1) what teaching behaviors characterize maternal instruction; (2) how does use of these behaviors change throughout instruction; and (3) how do these…

A study examined the teaching behaviors of Mexican American mothers using an "everyday" and a "school-related" task. The sample consisted of 37 Mexican American mother-child dyads. All children were preschoolers, with a mean age of 6.1 years and no history of developmental delays or learning difficulties. All mothers were proficient in English and…

A qualitative approach explored the unique instructional conditions and practices used by five Mexican American mothers when teaching their preschool children the letters of the alphabet. In contrast to the dyadic novice-expert model, these interactions at home were influenced by maternal decisions about social organization (sibling activities)…

During a 48-hour period, 36 Mexican American and Anglo mothers were videotaped at home teaching their 5-year-old child to tie shoelaces. Contrary to previous research, Mexican American mothers used less "controlling" and nonverbal teaching behaviors than Anglo mothers. Groups differences were also found for relationships between maternal teaching…

Examines the comparative research on maternal teaching behaviors of minority and low-status families. Offers some exploratory data that reexamines the verbal teaching behavior of Chicana- and Anglo-American mothers while instructing their children to tie their shoelaces. Contrary to earlier studies, the findings support that ethnic differences in…

Compares findings from the six studies in this special journal issue, focusing on the role of Mexican-descent family conversations in young children's social, emotional, and conceptual development and on patterns of maternal teaching behaviors across socioeconomic backgrounds. Discusses the need for further research that represents the diversity…

Examined the teaching behaviors of 37 Mexican American mothers using an everyday task and a school-related task. Findings indicated that for the everyday tasks, mothers relied on various verbal utterances to guide their children to task completion, whereas for school-related tasks, they relied on nonverbal instructional behaviors. (TJQ)