This thesis explores cultural specificity and universality in maternal metacognitive guidance of preschoolers’ puzzle-solving. Anglo-Australian and immigrant Indian mothers’ interactions with their 4-year-old children on a puzzle-solving task were videotaped, and the mothers were interviewed about their views on child development, adult guidance and interpretations of puzzle-solving. The nature of the metcognitive guidance was analysed with respect to task initiation, task regulation, metcognitive guidance, strategic assistance, speech styles, and forms of sustaining the child’s mindfulness. The results generally supported the notions of cultural universality and specificity in maternal metcognitive guidance. While similarities were noted in mothers’ collaboration, supportive intent and verbal strategic guidance, differences were revealed in task initiation, linguistic mediation, non-verbal strategic guidance and metacognitive modeling. The findings on metcognitive guidance as a function of gender of the child indicated similarities, suggesting that differential guidance of male and female children’s metacognitive learning may be less pronounced in the preschool years compared with later childhood years. Indian mothers guided and supported their male children’s metcognitive/strategic learning more frequently than did Australian mothers. The findings are discussed in the light of notions of socio-cultural and activity theories. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (Education)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/240746 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Sanagavarapu, Prathyusha, University of Western Sydney, Nepean, Faculty of Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Source | THESIS_FE_XXX_Sanagavarapu_P.xml |
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