This exploratory study examined mothers' and fathers' reports of time involvement in their school-age children's care and academic activities. The study also explored the relationship between parents' socioeconomic status (SES) variables (age, education, income, work hours, and length of marriage) and their relative involvement with children. Mother and father dyads from 34 two-parent Navajo (Diné) Indian families with a second- or third-grade child participated in the study. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that mothers invested significantly more time in children's care on demand and academic activities than fathers, but the differences in maternal and paternal perceptions of time involvement in routine care were not significant. The gender of the child did not influence the amount of time parents invested in children's care and academic activities. Mothers' involvement with children was not related to any of the SES variables. Fathers' involvement was significantly associated with work hours and length of marriage, and work hours produced significant interaction with fathers' involvement with children. Findings are discussed in light of gender role differences in parental involvement with children within Navajo families.
The children in a preschool class are exploring the topic of houses. They have drawn houses, refurbished a dog house, and visited construction sites. The carpentry center has provided opportunities for their own building and the resulting structures become part of a village drawn on a shower curtain--an experience in mapping. This experience with threedimensional mapping is extended as children build two-dimensional towns on the computer. Now they are designing an ant farm Wait a minute! Are they exploring houses or earth? Earth becomes adobe, and suddenly they're back doing construction work. This time the house topic results in a life-size hogan built by the children from cardboard. A Navajo teacher brings her infant. Now they're exploring the concept of babies! These activities have occurred, one or two or three a week, with groups of children over the course of seven months. The possibilities and connections inherent in the series of related webs this teacher uses could last for
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