The Importance of the Home Learning Environment for...

The Importance of the Home Learning Environment for Infants

and Toddlers: From Research Findings to Evidence-based Practice

Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda New York University

Presented to the Texas School Ready Early Childhood Summer

Institute June 27-29 2017

Overview of Talk

•  Part I: Introduction of Core Principles •  Part II: Presentation of Research Findings •  Part III: Working with Parents •  Group Discussion

Part I: Core Principles

Three Core Principles

•  Building blocks in the first three years •  Parenting is vital: The early learning

environment •  Cultural context shapes experiences & skills

Principle #1: Building Blocks •  Language and communication skills •  Emotion understanding and regulation •  Attachment and social relationships •  Learning about the world

The Snowball Effect

Early Disparities Grow Over Time

Hart  &  Risley,  1995  

Principle #2: Parenting is Vital

•  Parents present infants with opportunities for learning (infants are dependent!) – Structure everyday activities – Materials for exploration – Physical and verbal stimulation (holding, talking)

Principle #3: Parenting & Development in Cultural Context

Cultural Views and Practices

•  Views/Values: – Emphasis on assertiveness versus obedience and

humility (individualistic & collectivistic emphases) •  Practices:

– How to communicate with children, how much, when, what is appropriate to talk about

– Not all parents view themselves as “teachers” to children

Part II: Research Findings

New York University Funded through National Science

Foundation

General Approach

•  Longitudinal (from birth or early infancy) •  Multiple aspects of parenting in relation to

emerging skills in infants and children (e.g., language & literacy development)

•  Across diverse cultural communities

Measures of Parenting: Focus on the

Early Learning Environment o Three components of the learning environment

assessed at multiple ages starting in the 1st year of life

Rodriguez, E., Tamis-LeMonda, C. S., et al. (2009) Applied Developmental Psychology

The Early Learning Environment

Parent-­‐Child  Interac0ons  

Learning  Materials  

Learning  Ac0vi0es  

Rodriguez, Tamis-LeMonda, et al., (2009). Applied Developmental Psychology

Positive Parenting Practices

•  Learning Activities – Engaging young children in everyday routines

around booksharing, oral storytelling, rhyming, drawing and writing, all of which indoctrinate children into the larger literate society

–  Interviews with mothers and time diaries

Positive Parenting Practices

•  Learning Materials – Providing children with opportunities to explore

and play with everyday materials in the environment, including access to books

– Observations of the HOME environment and interviews with mothers

Positive Parenting Practices

•  Quality of Interactions – Language that is richly “diverse” and behaviors

that are responsive to children’s behaviors – Coding of video-recorded observations of age-

appropriate tasks •  Play •  Booksharing •  Daily routines

Following the Infant’s Lead…

Mothers’ Responsiveness Predicts the Timing of Language Milestones

Tamis-LeMonda, Bornstein & Baumwell, 2001, Child Development

Responsiveness and Language Development: First Words

Tamis-LeMonda, Bornstein & Baumwell, 2001, Child Development

Snowball Effects

Snowball Effects

Developments in Children •  Children are changing

everyday: learning new skills, using new words, etc.

Snowball Effects

Developments in Children •  Children are changing

everyday: learning new skills, using new words, etc.

Attunement in Parents •  Parental responses to these

changes: –  Engagement in new forms of

learning activities –  Providing of age-appropriate

materials –  Interactions that are sensitive

to changes in child

Learning Experiences and School Readiness

•  Trajectories of children’s learning environments across the first years of life predict school readiness skills

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

14 24 36 60

Low rise Low decline Moderate decline Moderate rise High decline High stable

Child age in months

Lear

ning

Env

ironm

ent S

core

Rodriguez  &  Tamis-­‐LeMonda  (2012),  Child  Development  

Learning Environment Trajectories

70

75

80

85

90

95

100

105

Low Rise Low Decline

Moderate Decline

Moderate Rise

High Decline

High Stable

Model without covariates Model with covariates

Trajectory Group

PPVT

Literacy Environment Trajectories and

School Readiness

Rodriguez  &  Tamis-­‐LeMonda  (2012)  

PPVT

WJ Letter-Word Identification

WJ Applied Problems

< 85

≥ 100

< 85

≥ 100

< 85

≥ 100

Trajectory Group 1. Low rise 71% 7% 66% 8% 67% 8% 2. Low decline 56% 6% 59% 13% 65% 5% 3. Moderate decline 39% 22% 45% 20% 46% 17% 4. Moderate rise 23% 38% 29% 29% 29% 31% 5. High decline 12% 63% 35% 31% 25% 23% 6. High stable 8% 70% 16% 43% 17% 46%

Literacy Environment Trajectories and School Readiness

Early Learning Environments Predict 5th Grade Experiences and Skills

Tamis-LeMonda, Luo, Rodriguez et al., (under review)

Early Learning Environmentsà # Books at Home Grade 5

10

30

50

70

90

110

130

Low Decline

Low Rise Moderate Decline

Moderate Rise

High Decline

High Stable

Early Learning Environment

# of

Boo

ks

Tamis-­‐LeMonda  et  al.  (under  review)  

PPVT   ECLS-­‐K  Reading   ECLS-­‐K  Math  

Early  Learning  Environment  Low  decline   81.81   113.09   5.85  

Low  rise   82.19   113.94   6.79  

Moderate  decline   90.57   121.88   7.77  

Moderate  rise   97.32   132.15   9.07  

High  decline   105.36   144.92   10.79  

High  stable   105.99   145.37   11.05  

Prediction to Grade 5 Skills

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Low Decline

Low Rise Moderate Decline

Moderate Rise

High Decline

High Stable

Grade 5 Academic Success Grade 5 Academic Risk

Perc

ent

8%  

28%  

55%  

83%  

Early Learning Environment

Prediction to Grade 5 Skills

What about Fathers?

Father Toddler Interactions

Early Father Involvement Also Predicts Children’s School Readiness and 5th

Grade Academic Skills

*p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001, controlling for father race/ethnicity and time spent with child

Fathers’ Learning Activities and Children’s PreKindergarten Skills

McFadden,  K.  E.,  2012  

PPVT Reading Math

Financial provisioning .09** .12** .15**

Engagement in childcare .05 -.05 -.07*

Engagement in play activities

-.06* .00 -.02

Engagement in learning activities

.11** .14*** .08*

*p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001, controlling for father race/ethnicity and time spent with child

Fathers’ Learning Activities and Children’s 5th Grade Skills

McFadden,  Tamis-­‐LeMonda  &  Cabrera  (2011).  Family  Science  

PPVT ECLS-K Reading

ECSL-K Math

Father learning Early Learning Activities

.14*** .15** .09*

Child Positive Relationship with Biological Father

.16**

.17** .10

Child Positive Relationship with Father-Figure

.09* .15*** .14**

R2 .04*** .05*** .03**

The Cultural Context

Similarities and Differences

“Every man is in certain respects like all other men,

like some other men, and like no other man”

(Kluckhohn & Murray, 1955)

Similarities and Differences

"Every culture is in certain respects like all other cultures,

like some other cultures, and like no other culture."

Similarities

What are my hopes for my child and me as a parent?

What Makes a Good Mother?

•  Child Focus: Emotional connection, stimulating child intellectually, responsiveness, communication, playing with child

•  Instrumental: Financial provisioning, caregiving, being accessible, protection from danger

•  Role Model: Setting good example for behavior •  Discipline: Setting limits, patience, educating

child on good behavior

Instrumental  

Child  Focus  

Discipline  

Role  Model  

What  Makes  a  Good  Mother?  Dominican  

Mexican  

African  American  

What Makes a Good Child?

•  Undesirable Qualities

– What is one quality you would least like to see in your child when he/she is three years old?

•  Desirable Qualities – What is one quality you would most like to see in

your child when he/she is three years old?

Ng, Tamis-LeMonda et al. (2014) Social Dev

Goals for Children

•  Achievement

•  Individuality

•  Proper Demeanor

•  Connectedness

Goals for Children

•  Achievement – Literacy (e.g., “Read more”)

–  Intelligence (e.g., “Be intelligent”)

– Language Development (e.g., “Talk well”)

– General Learning/Curiosity (e.g., “Learn more”)

– School/Life Achievement (e.g., “Do well in school”)

Ng, Tamis-LeMonda et al. (2014) Social Dev

Goals for Children

•  Individuality –  Instrumental Independence (e.g., “Go to the

bathroom by himself”)

– Emotional Independence (e.g., “Not to be clingy”)

– Acclaim (e.g., “Be attractive”)

– Active/Athletic (e.g., “Be active”)

– Leadership/Individuality (e.g., “Be sure of herself”)

Goals for Children •  Proper Demeanor

– Well-Behaved (e.g., “Know her manners”) – Self-Control (e.g., “Be patient”) – General Obedience (e.g., “Be obedient”) – School Obedience (e.g., “Listen to the teacher”) – Respect (e.g., “Be respectful”)

Goals for Children

•  Connectedness – Compassion (e.g., “Be considerate”)

– Sociable (e.g., “Be sociable”)

– Affectionate (e.g., “Be sweet”)

– Generous (e.g., “Share”)

Undesirable Qualities: Lack of Proper Demeanor and Respect

2%  

6%  

73%  

13%  

6%  

Ng, Tamis-LeMonda et al. (2014) Social Dev

Undesirable Qualities

3%  6%  

76%  

13%  

2%  African  American  

2%   6%  

71%  

14%  

7%  

Dominican  2%   6%  

71%  

14%  

7%  

Mexican  

Tranquilo & Rispetto

Tranquilo & Rispetto •  “Well, he's learning how to say please. You know. When

you ask him to give you something, he gives it to you… He wanted the glass and he said “pleeease, Mommy?” So, you know, it's basically respect. It has to be respect. If there's no respect, that's a bad thing, you know? So teaching him very young you need to respect. And that's important.” –  Puerto Rican, Male, 2 years

Desirable Qualities: Achievement

35%  

12%  31%  

12%  

10%  

Ng, Tamis-LeMonda et al. (2014) Social Dev

Desirable Qualities

39%  

14%  

26%  

13%  

8%  

African  American  

32%  

12%  35%  

10%  

11%  

Dominican  

33%  

11%  32%  

12%  

12%  

Mexican  

Goals for Achievement

•  “A doctor, a pediatrician. I want him to be an active person who goes to college”

Dominican  mother  of  boy,  20  months  

•  “I surely would want them to graduate from elementary school, and move to Junior high school, Senior high school, and get in to college, even further, like you do, go to graduate school for master's and doctoral degree, all the way up.”  

       Chinese  mother  of  boy,  1  year  

But Parents also Recognize the Challenges of Poverty in Realizing

their Goals

Poverty and Parents’ Fears

•  “I don't want my son to be a statistic. I don't want my son to be another child lost in drugs, you know, or lost in the system, jail, you know.”

•  “Kids disappear… It's really important that he knows, not to go to strangers. And I started teaching Isaiah at three. So he'll start learning at three…So he'll learn at three. He'll start learning these things.” –  Puerto Rican mother of 2-year old boy

Be a Leader, not a Follower •  “…and you know be a leader, not a follower.

That's how a lot of people I knew got in trouble growing up… or doing what other people suggested you should do. It could've been trouble with the law. It could've been trouble like drinking behind the wheel, driving. Smoking. Being you know hooked on, getting caught up in like the peer pressure.” – African American mother of 2-year old boy

Differences

How do I get there?

Pathways to a Shared Goal

Achievement

Talk to babies and they will learn

Babies learn by observing

Mayan Highland vs. EA U.S. Mothers

•  Highland Mayan community – Much of learning occurs through observation,

rather than formal instruction •  U.S. European American community

– Direct verbal instruction of children

Rogoff  2003  

How Would this Look in Parenting?

•  Teaching in Mexican immigrant, Dominican immigrant, African American mothers

•  Hypothesis: –  If immigrant Mexican mothers believe that infants

learn by observing, will they emphasize more physical support and gestures than language when teaching a novel task?

Using Gestures in Teaching

Using Gestures in Teaching

Mothers’ Gestures to 14-Month Olds

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

African American Dominican Mexican

Freq

uenc

y

Mothers’ Responses to Infant Gesture with Referential Language

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

African American Dominican Mexican

Z S

core

s at 1

4 M

onth

s

Implications for Emergent Skills in Infants

Infants’ Gestures at 14 Months Standardized MacArthur (CDI)

-0.4

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

Z sc

ores

at 1

4 M

onth

s

Mexican Dominican African American

Tamis-­‐LeMonda,  Song  et  al.  (2012)  Dev  Science  

Infants’ Language Production at 14 Months: Standardized MacArthur

-0.3

-0.25

-0.2

-0.15

-0.1

-0.05

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

Z sc

ores

at 1

4 M

onth

s

Mexican Dominican African American

Tamis-­‐LeMonda,  Song  et  al.  (2012)  Dev  Science  

Assessments of 2 Year Gestural Skills

•  Direct assessments of toddlers’ sequenced actions after a demonstration and simple instructions – E.g., Placing shapes into a formboard – Examiner (a) points to the holes and places shapes

(‘Watch me put them in’); (b) removes the shapes (‘Watch me take them out’), and then (c) asks the child to re-place the shapes in their holes (‘Now, you put them in’).

Assessments of 2 Year Gestural Skills

•  Other examples: –  Imitating crayon lines of different orientations

(“Now we go this way”) – Placing pennies into slots of different orientations

(‘See we put them in’), – Building towers (‘You make one too’) – Screwing/unscrewing nuts and bolts (‘You do it’) – Stringing beads (‘Watch…It’s your turn’).

Infants’ Gestures and Action Imitations Standardized Scores (Mullen)

-0.2

-0.15

-0.1

-0.05

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

Stan

dard

ized

Sco

re

Mexican Dominican African American

Tamis-­‐LeMonda,  Song  et  al.  (2012)  Dev  Science  

Infants’ Expressive Language

-0.4

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

Stan

dardized

 Scores  

Mexican Dominican African American

Part III: Working with Parents

What Parents Can Do...

•  Respond to infants looks, vocalizations, gestures, object exploration with labels and descriptions – Children learn words for things that interest them.

•  Teach vocabulary in meaningful contexts. – Talk during everyday routines that are comfortable

•  Use gestures with language to facilitate learning •  Share books to promote literacy •  Question children (3+) about past experiences

– Elaborate reminiscing promotes children’s oral skills

But how to get there?

Working with Parents on Parenting

•  Educate and support parents on the: –  importance of early emerging skills –  role of parents in promoting learning

•  Help parents understand development* –  What are developmental changes in children – Why books are a good thing: they expose children to

novel concepts and words they might otherwise not learn (elephant and other animals in zoo)

*Parents are more likely to engage in a behavior if they understand why it is important

Working with Parents on Parenting

•  Start Early: Skills build on skills – Already by 1 year of age, infants are developing

skills that will matter over the long term –  Implementing positive parenting practices early

creates a “snowball” effect

Working with Parents on Parenting

•  Focus on language and literacy has huge payoffs for all areas of development – Language and literacy experiences benefit both

socio-emotional and learning outcomes – Duncan’s meta-analysis of 6 longitudinal studies:

•  Language and reading skills mattered for math and reading school achievements; socio-emotional did not

•  But, focus on rich & diverse language – nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, rather than

pronouns (“Yellow duck” not “Look at it”)

Working with Parents on Parenting

•  Consider the child’s broader social networks – Fathers matter as much as mothers for

development of language and literacy skills – Other kin matter too: siblings, grandparents, etc.

Working with Parents in Context

•  Recognize that parenting is multiply determined

Working with Parents in Context

Parenting

Parent and Child

Characteristics

Cultural Views and Practices

Family Resources

Working with Parents in Context

•  Understand the risks of poverty: – Poverty creates stress – Stress interferes with responsive parenting – Parents have fears about children’s futures

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Parent’s Concerns

Child’s Learning Needs

Working with Parents in Context

•  Keep the child in focus – Doing “everything” means doing “nothing” – Target proximal behaviors (e.g., parent talk to

infant). These have greater benefits than focus on indirect pathways (e.g., inter-parent conflict)

•  Use referrals to other resources – Clinical issues are beyond the scope of many

professionals

Working with Parents in Context

•  Be there for parents, but with boundaries – Leave time for parent to raise issues outside the

scope of the session, but save these for the end – Clarify visit goals and structure from the start

•  Work within a family’s daily routines – Do not make learning activities “parent work”!

•  Parents can keep or be interviewed using a daily diary •  Identify “moments of opportunity”

Working across Cultural Communities

•  Understand parents’ goals – Talk to parents about the qualities they wish to see

in their children •  Distinguish hopes for positive qualities vs. concerns

about negative qualities

– Then, work on ways to achieve those goals that are rooted in evidence-based research

•  Recognize the developmental strengths of children from different backgrounds

Working across Cultural Communities

•  Talk about beliefs that may pose obstacles – “Children should be obedient, not assertive” – “Children who vocalize and explore a lot are

getting into everything and being disobedient” – “Don’t talk to children until they are talking” – “She’s too young for books” – “If you respond to infants you spoil them” – “He’ll catch up!”

Working with Parents of Dual Language Learners

•  Identify ways that parents can support the language and literacy development of their infants who will learn two or more languages

DLL Growing up and learning language

Working with Parents of Dual Language Learners

•  Identify ways that parents can support the language and literacy development of their infants who will learn two or more languages

•  Learning two languages early in development is not harmful – Exposure to strong Spanish and strong English

helps

Working with Parents of Dual Language Learners

•  Children benefit from hearing rich language, regardless of language spoken! –  If parent has expansive Spanish vocabulary, use

Spanish – But, early exposure to English benefits children as

well: can parents identify resources for English language exposure (if they are not skilled)

Summary

•  Snowball Effects: Learning environments in the first years of life: – are highly stable over developmental time – predict children’s school readiness skills and

academic performance years later (5th grade) •  Common processes: Language/literacy

experiences in infancy –  are foundational to school performance across

diverse U.S. groups

Summary

•  Supporting Parents: Promote practices that support early learning and development –  learning activities, quality interactions, materials – work within the family’s situation – but keep focus on the prize (the child)

Strategies and Questions?

•  What works for you? •  What suggestions do you have? •  Questions?

Special Thanks to…

•  MetroBaby & EHS Participants •  MetroBaby & EHS Research Teams