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Parents' Views on Play and the Goal of Early Childhood Education in Relation to Children's Home Activity and Executive Functions: A Cross-Cultural Investigation.

ABSTRACT: The present study investigated the cross-cultural variations in parents' views on the role of play in child development and the primary purpose of preschool education from Ethiopia and Hungary. It also examined the cross-cultural variations in preschoolers' executive functions (EF), the frequency of their engagement in home activities, and the role of these activities in the development of EF skills. Participants included 266 preschoolers (Ethiopia: 139 of which 44.6% boys; M _age = 63.83 months; SD = 7.68 months; Hungary: 127 of which 48% boys; M _age = 62.06 months; SD = 9.37 months) with their parents (Ethiopia: 45.32% male; M_age = 36.66 years; SD = 7.14 years; Hungary: 13.18% male; M _age = 37.71 years; SD = 5.97 years). The independent samples t-test showed that Ethiopian parents view fostering academic skills for preschooler significantly more important than their Hungarian counterparts do. We also found that while Ethiopian parents hold the belief that academic and cognitive development is the major purpose of preschool education, Hungarian prioritize social-emotional development and entertainment. Additionally, preschoolers in Ethiopia were reported to engage in academic and arts and crafts activities after preschool significantly more frequently than their Hungarian counterparts. On the contrary, preschoolers in Hungary were found to engage in fine-motor activities, solitary play, sports and other physical activities significantly more frequently than their Ethiopian counterparts. No significant differences were found in EF skills between preschoolers from Ethiopia and Hungary. Results from hierarchical regression analyses showed that, after accounting for age and SES, preschoolers' frequency of pretend play and their parents' play support beliefs were found to be small to medium-sized predictors of inhibitory control skills in both samples. However, children's frequency of having breakfast at home was another significant predictor in the Ethiopian sample only. The frequency of participation in arts and crafts and other fine-motor activities were found to be important predictors of preschoolers' visual-spatial working memory skills in the Ethiopian and the Hungarian samples, respectively. We also found that, after controlling for SES, parental play support was an important factor associated with preschoolers' shifting skills only in the Hungarian sample. Based on the findings, we made important conclusions.

SUBMITTER: Metaferia BK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8108989 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:The management of childhood asthma is often sub-optimal. Parents and other caregivers are primarily responsible for disease management and this responsibility includes communication with health professionals. The aim of this multi-perspective qualitative study was to explore the views of children, parents and health professionals to gain insight into the approach to clinical care in the management of childhood asthma. Interviews were held with nine parent-child (6-8 years) dyads, and 13 health professionals working in primary and secondary care. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Three key themes emerged that were common to all data sets; (1) Child and parent awareness of symptoms; (2) Management and child wellbeing; and (3) Professional communication education and consultation with families. Although some children demonstrate good awareness of symptoms and appropriate use of medication, some parents expressed difficulty in identifying triggers and symptoms of asthma. Furthermore, parents lacked awareness regarding appropriate use of medication for preventing and managing symptoms of asthma. Health professionals believed that communication and education was lacking. Data from all participants suggested that consultations could be enhanced with greater emphasis on children's and parents' perceptions of asthma in the development of asthma management plans.Childhood asthmaGUIDING FAMILIES THROUGH DISEASE MANAGEMENT: Both parents' and children's perceptions and understanding of childhood asthma should be considered when developing asthma management plans. The management of asthma is challenging and can result in poor disease outcomes if care is not taken. An individual's perception of their (or their child's) asthma can also affect the efficacy of treatment. Aidan Searle at the Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, UK, and co-workers, interviewed nine parent-child groups and thirteen health professionals to determine their perceptions of childhood asthma management in primary care. While some children had a strong awareness of symptoms and appropriate medication use, some parents found it difficult to identify asthma triggers and symptoms. Parents also displayed a lack of understanding of management through medication. Health professionals focused on the need for clearer information for families when guiding management of childhood asthma.

Project description:BackgroundParents play a key role in infant's development through their interactions and the type of environment they provide to promote active play. The amount of time parents are able to spend with their infant is dependent on their working status, yet few studies have explored parent perception of their infant's active play by working status. The purpose of this study was to explore parent perception of active play and compare responses between working and stay-at-home parents.MethodsTwenty-nine parents participated in this qualitative study by completing a one-time, in-person semi-structured interview based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Themes were developed and compared based on parental working status using a directed content analysis approach.ResultsAll parents believed active play could have a positive effect on their child's development through physical, social and emotional, cognitive, and/or language and communication development. However, stay-at-home parents reported a broader impact of active play across these domains; whereas working parents most often referenced active play as impacting infant's physical development. Social and emotional interactions were the highest reported form of active play among all parents. Additionally, all parents described similar barriers to increasing the time for active play. The most commonly reported barrier for all parents was time or schedule followed by care needs of the infant, environmental concerns, and need for restrictive devices (e.g., car seats). More stay-at-home parents than working parents reported the care needs of the infant as being a barrier. Recommendations for active play were not widely known amongst all parents, with a higher percentage of working parents reporting they would desire advice from a healthcare provider.ConclusionsWorking status of parents appears to have implications on perceptions of active play which in turn may influence infants' development. Future studies should objectively assess the impact of parents' working status on infant development and explore how gender of the parent may serve as a confounding variable.

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Parents' Views on Play and the Goal of Early Childhood Education in Relation to Children's Home Activity and Executive Functions: A Cross-Cultural Investigation.

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