The Influence of Education Context and Beliefs on the Teaching Behavior of African American Mothers

Abstract

The goal of this study is to examine the influence of maternal education level, context, and maternal beliefs on the teaching behaviors of African American mothers. In addition, the relationship between maternal teaching and children’s mastery of the information is explored. Fifty-one African American mothers were observed teaching their 4-year-old preschool children three memory tasks and were administered a three-part questionnaire to determine their metamemory beliefs, their assessment of their children’s memory competence, and the amount of time they engaged in memory activities with their children. The results of the MANOVA applied to the data reveal that maternal teaching varied significantly according to education level and context. Several of the maternal strategies are predictive of the preschoolers’mastery of the information as well. Explanation of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.