Cultural socialization and school readiness of African American and Latino preschoolers.

Abstract

Cultural socialization practices are common among ethnic minority parents and important for ethnic minority child development. However, little research has examined these practices among parents of very young children. In this study, we report on cultural socialization practices among a sample of parents of low income, African American (n = 179) and Latino (n = 220) preschool-age children in relation to children’s school readiness. Cultural socialization was assessed when children were 2½ years old, and child outcomes assessed one year later included pre-academic skills, receptive language, and child behavior. Children who experienced more frequent cultural socialization displayed greater pre-academic skills, better receptive language, and fewer behavior problems. This association did not differ by child gender or ethnicity. The implications of these findings for the development of parent interventions to support school readiness are discussed.

Measuring Cultural Socialization Attitudes and Behaviors of Mexican‐Origin Mothers with Young Children: A Longitudinal Investigation

“…Developmental theories suggest that family is an important context for socializing youth (e.g., Bronfenbrenner, ), and that cultural socialization, in particular, is a normative process among ethnic‐racial minority families with young children (Hughes et al, ). Furthermore, in the small body of literature that has examined this aspect of socialization among families with Latino children, cultural socialization from caregivers has been positively associated with children's adjustment (Caughy & Owen, ; Quintana & Vera, ). Despite the potential benefits to adjustment of cultural socialization behaviors, measurement development in this area has been limited primarily to parents of adolescents and failed to distinguish between cultural socialization attitudes and behaviors.…”

“…Despite these limitations, the present study contributes to the field by providing two measures that can be used in research and practice to assess the cultural socialization attitudes and behaviors of mothers with preschool‐ and kindergarten‐aged children. For example, in clinical settings, the CSBM and CSAM could be administered as part of an initial assessment to better understand mothers' attitudes and behaviors concerning socializing their children about their ethnic‐racial culture, a process that has been linked with children's positive outcomes (e.g., Caughy & Owen, ). Further, both measurement tools could be useful as pre‐ and posttests for family‐focused intervention programs with mothers and their children that are designed to bolster children's positive youth development via family engagement in cultural socialization, which has been demonstrated to promote youth adjustment.…”

“…Scholars have found links between cultural socialization behaviors and children's adjustment in early and middle childhood. Among African American and Latino families with preschool‐aged children, cultural socialization was positively associated with children's preacademic skills and receptive language, and it was also associated with fewer behavior problems (Caughy & Owen, ). In another study of 7‐ to 13‐year‐old Mexican‐origin children, parents' cultural socialization was positively associated with children's knowledge about their ethnic‐racial group (Quintana & Vera, ).…”

Child Vocabulary, Maternal Behavior, and Inhibitory Control Development Among Spanish-Speaking Children

“…A confirmatory factor analysis of the ratings of the larger study’s entire Hispanic sample of mothers indicated that a single factor for five of the maternal behaviors—sensitivity, cognitive stimulation, positive regard, negative regard, and detachment—fit the data best (Caughy & Owen, 2014), χ 2 (2) = 4.11, p = .13, comparative fit index = 1.00, Tucker–Lewis index = .99, root mean square error of approximation = .07, sample size 220. A maternal sensitivity composite was formed as the sum of the global 5-point ratings of sensitivity/responsiveness to child, cognitive stimulation, detachment (reversed), positive regard for child, and negative regard for child (reversed).…”

Dissonance Between Home and School: Does it Exist and How Should it be Measured?

“…In addition to these enculturation practices, Latino parents also socialize their children in ways that help them to be more successful. One study found that even in early childhood, Latino and African American children's identification with their culture was associated with positive outcomes including better academic skills, behavior, and receptive language (Caughy & Owen, 2015). Another study with high school students found that Latinos who received socialization messages from family were more likely to have started high school with a clear sense of their own racial-ethnic identity, which continued to develop in a positive direction as they became more engaged throughout high school (Douglass & Umaña-Taylor, 2015).…”