Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler, associate professor of psychology, and two recent Elon graduates, Erin Way ’01 and Jennifer Umpleby ’02, had the results of their research published in two professional journals recently.
Their article, “Guided participation in a cooking activity over time,” was published in the journal Early Child Development and Care, 2002, Vol. 172. In their study, Vandermaas-Peeler, Way and Umpleby examined changes in maternal guidance over time, observing 14 mothers and their preschoolers in a baking activity on two occasions over the course of one year.
From the paper’s abstract: “Maternal scaffolding and guidance, as well as parent and child engagement in the task, were assessed both times. Both scaffolding and guidance decreased at the second observation, supporting the premise that parental support is lessened as the child’s experience and abilities increase….Finally, when asked about how they normally provide help to their child in various contexts, mothers mentioned the importance of positive encouragement, verbal instruction, asking questions, and modeling appropriate behaviors.”
Vandermaas-Peeler, Way and Umpleby also published “Parental guidance in a cooking activity with preschoolers” in the April-May 2003 issue of the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. For this study, the researchers observed 36 mothers and their 3- to 6-year-old children as they baked cookies at home. They assessed the amount of direct intervention and overall guidance provided by the mothers, and the parents’ and children’s engagement in the cooking activity.
The paper’s abstract explains: “We found that mothers employed higher levels of intervention with younger children, and especially for steps with higher difficulty, such as reading the instructions. Children whose parents provided more guidance overall were more engaged in the activity, though parental engagement and parental guidance were not related. Parents who provided more guidance overall employed lower levels of intervention, giving more hints or helping the children perform the step rather than doing it for them. Thus, their didactic focus encouraged the child’s increased participation in the joint activity.”
Way is continuing her graduate studies in developmental psychology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.