Record Details
The effect of nursery school observation on mothers' understanding of behavior in preschool children
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | The effect of nursery school observation on mothers' understanding of behavior in preschool children |
| Names |
Goldman, Allene Townsend
(creator) Aikin, Marian C. (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 1965-07-29 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 1966 |
| Abstract | The purpose of this study was to compare the level of behavioral understanding of preschool children of mothers who had observed in the nursery school with the level of behavioral understanding of mothers who had not observed. "Behavioral understanding" was defined as a mother's degree of awareness of the factors and forces which contribute to the actions and/or responses of a child in given situations. The hypothesis to be tested was that observing in the nursery school does not affect the mothers' understanding of the behavior of preschool children. Twenty-two mothers who had a child enrolled in the nursery schools at Oregon State University participated in this study. The mothers were randomly divided into two groups, a control and an experimental group. The experimental group observed in the nursery school for a period of three weeks, a total of six hours of observation. At no time during the study were the mothers in the control group allowed to observe. During the course of the study no mother in either group was allowed to discuss with the teachers or students any subject relevant to children and their behavior. A measure of the mothers' level of understanding was determined by The Film Test for Understanding Behavior (FUB). The purpose of the test is to give an objective measure of: (1) understanding of guidance principles as they relate to specific behavior, (2) knowledge of expected behavior and development in three-and four-year-old children, and (3) sensitivity to the feelings of children. The test consists of ten one-minute episodes of behavior of three-and four-year-old children which were filmed in the nursery school. Specific items have been developed for each episode and the response to each item is given in terms of a five point agreement-disagreement continuum: Agree, Agree with hesitation, Uncertain, Disagree with hesitation, and Disagree. The scores range from + 2 for the most correct to - 2 for the least correct response. The FUB was administered twice to both groups of mothers: (1) before the experimental group began their observations and (2) after the experimental group completed their three-week period of observation. The scores for each test were computed by two different procedures. First, a total score was computed which showed the scores for the three subscales of the test: (1) knowledge of guidance principles, (2) knowledge of expected behavior and development, and (3) sensitivity to the feelings of children. Second, each test was scored by a procedure which discriminates between those having an extensive background in child development and psychology (medium-high scale) and those having limited academic work in these subjects (low-medium scale). The mothers having two or fewer courses in child development and psychology were considered to have limited academic course work and those mothers having three or more courses in these subjects were considered to have an extensive background. A t-test of significance was used to determine the difference of scores between the two groups before and after observation. The results did not show a significant difference of scores at the .05 level of confidence. This was true for both scoring procedures. These findings indicate a need for further research in establishing the reliability and validity of the FUB and in the use of observation as a method of parent education. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Topic | Child rearing -- Study and teaching |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/48557 |
