Children's activities and talk in their everyday routines

: a qualitative exploration in naturalistic settings

Abstract

When preschool children present as late talkers, parent-child interaction (PCI) interventions are a common approach in speech and language therapy. This involves working with parents to modify their everyday interactions, using strategies to support their child’s language development. The theory behind PCI interventions comes from studies of interaction between mainly Western, highly
educated mothers and their typically developing children, observed during structured laboratory tasks. In this thesis, I investigate the cultural and ecological validity of PCI interventions, by exploring the everyday opportunities for interaction of a diverse group of children.

Twelve parents and their typically developing children (aged 2.5 – 4 years old) were recruited to the study. Recruitment targeted diversity in terms of socioeconomic status, ethnicity and family size. Children wore an automated recording device for one day, and parents took photographs of their activities. Parents then participated in a qualitative interview, incorporating creative activities.

Quantitative analyses of the recording data revealed that across families, the highest adult and child word counts occurred during reading and structured play. Subsequent in-depth analyses of photographs, recording extracts and interviews suggested that engagement and interaction in activities varied within and across families, depending on factors like the perceived purpose of the
activity.

Parent interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The resulting thematic framework revealed the inter-connected nature of factors affecting children’s everyday interactions. Themes included factors immediate to parent and child, such as the parent’s priorities and child’s characteristics, as well as extrinsic influences, like cultural and societal attitudes and family dynamics.

This study highlights the value of a socio-cultural approach to PCI interventions, considering a child’s interactions as embedded within their everyday context. Implications for clinical practice include the need to explore each family’s meaningful opportunities for interaction, and the value of creative methods for learning about a family’s individual culture and context.

Date of Award	1 Oct 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Yvonne E Wren (Supervisor) & Sam Harding (Supervisor)