Parent child interaction in Nigerian families: conversation analysis, context and culture

Influence of culture and context on parent-child interaction

Every child develops within complex and interactive social relationships, located within social
institutions and organisations such as families and communities. The immediate family
environment of the child, where interactions occur, is the main learning site for most of the
preschool years. As far as the early development of language and communication skills is
concerned, the importance and influence of parent-child interaction (PCI) has been highlighted by
many. Early work, comparing adult-child with adult-adult speech, laid claim to the existence of a
particular mother-child language code called child directed speech, that differs in form and
functional characteristics from adult-adult speech (Furrow, D., Nelson, K. and Benedict, H.,
1979). Of particular interest to our study are the ways in which changes in parental linguistic
input impact on language development (Girolametto, L., Weitzman, E., Wiggs, M., and Pearce,
P., S., 1999).

Speech and language therapy (SLT) with preschool children, particularly those for whom
English is not their first language, frequently focuses upon the parent-child relationship and
interaction style. However, the applicability of PCI therapy to parents of ethnic minority
communities has been called into question. Researchers express caution in that their findings may
not be applicable to teachers, families or settings which are ethnically diverse (Girolametto and
Tannock, 1994; Girolametto et al, 1999; Girolametto L., Weitzman, W. and Riet van Lieshout,
D.D. 2000). The majority of intervention studies that examine the effectiveness of PCI therapy,
have involved white, middle class families. Anecdotal and written evidence suggests that the PCI
style of non-white and non-middle class families is markedly different from the norms that PCI
therapy recommends (van Kleek, 1994).

Cultural differences in child rearing and interaction

<<   1   2   3   4   5   6   >>

More intriguing information