Mother-child engagement in a categorisation activity: implications for parental pedagogy and early education research.

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Title: Mother-child engagement in a categorisation activity: implications for parental pedagogy and early education research.
Authors: Inan, Seyma1 (AUTHOR) sinan@mercyhurst.edu, Harris, Yvette R.2 (AUTHOR), Modirrousta, Annahita D.2 (AUTHOR)
Source: International Journal of Early Years Education. Mar2026, Vol. 34 Issue 1, p42-58. 17p.
Subject Terms: *Mother-child relationship, *Developmental psychology, *Educational support, *Cognitive development, *Early childhood education, *Preschool children, Categorization (Psychology)
Abstract: Maternal support for children's cognitive competence has received considerable attention in the developmental and early childhood education literature. However, little research has examined the link between maternal behaviour and children's categorisation performance. The current study explored the strategies that mothers and children used as they engaged in a categorisation task. Twenty-seven mother–child dyads from middle-class mothers and their three-to-five-year-old preschool children were videotaped while engaging in a categorisation activity. Total testing time, including video recordings, did not exceed one hour. The mother-child interaction codes were analysed using frequency analyses to extract empirical estimates. Certain maternal strategies (e.g. interrogative strategies) were positively related to children's verbal responses. However, maternal stylistic (taxonomic and thematic) differences were not associated with children's strategies. The study found that mothers use a variety of strategies to engage with their children in the categorisation activity. Theoretical perspectives and implications of the current research for parental pedagogy and early childhood education research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of International Journal of Early Years Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Mother-child engagement in a categorisation activity: implications for parental pedagogy and early education research.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Inan%2C+Seyma%22">Inan, Seyma</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> sinan@mercyhurst.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Harris%2C+Yvette+R%2E%22">Harris, Yvette R.</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Modirrousta%2C+Annahita+D%2E%22">Modirrousta, Annahita D.</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22International+Journal+of+Early+Years+Education%22">International Journal of Early Years Education</searchLink>. Mar2026, Vol. 34 Issue 1, p42-58. 17p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mother-child+relationship%22">Mother-child relationship</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Developmental+psychology%22">Developmental psychology</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+support%22">Educational support</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+development%22">Cognitive development</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+childhood+education%22">Early childhood education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Preschool+children%22">Preschool children</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Categorization+%28Psychology%29%22">Categorization (Psychology)</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Maternal support for children's cognitive competence has received considerable attention in the developmental and early childhood education literature. However, little research has examined the link between maternal behaviour and children's categorisation performance. The current study explored the strategies that mothers and children used as they engaged in a categorisation task. Twenty-seven mother–child dyads from middle-class mothers and their three-to-five-year-old preschool children were videotaped while engaging in a categorisation activity. Total testing time, including video recordings, did not exceed one hour. The mother-child interaction codes were analysed using frequency analyses to extract empirical estimates. Certain maternal strategies (e.g. interrogative strategies) were positively related to children's verbal responses. However, maternal stylistic (taxonomic and thematic) differences were not associated with children's strategies. The study found that mothers use a variety of strategies to engage with their children in the categorisation activity. Theoretical perspectives and implications of the current research for parental pedagogy and early childhood education research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: <i>Copyright of International Journal of Early Years Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/09669760.2024.2367533
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 17
        StartPage: 42
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      – SubjectFull: Mother-child relationship
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Developmental psychology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational support
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cognitive development
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Early childhood education
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      – SubjectFull: Preschool children
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Categorization (Psychology)
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Mother-child engagement in a categorisation activity: implications for parental pedagogy and early education research.
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            NameFull: Inan, Seyma
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            NameFull: Harris, Yvette R.
      – PersonEntity:
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            NameFull: Modirrousta, Annahita D.
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            – D: 01
              M: 03
              Text: Mar2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 34
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            – TitleFull: International Journal of Early Years Education
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