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Acculturation and Teaching Styles Among Young Mainland Puerto Rican Mothers

Kent State University

Josefina M. Contreras-Grau

Kent State University, jcontrer{at}kent.edu

This study examined associations between acculturation and teaching styles among 55 young mainland Puerto Rican mothers. Mothers (M age = 19.2 years) and their children (M age = 19.2 months) were videotaped during a puzzle-completion teaching task. Three aspects of acculturation were assessed: language, cultural involvement, and exposure to Euro-American culture. More highly acculturated mothers used less modeling and more verbal inquiry and encouragement than relatively unacculturated mothers. The overall teaching styles were also associated with acculturation: Whereas the least acculturated mothers employed a predominantly nonverbal and directive style, the style of more acculturated mothers was more verbal in nature, in both directive and nondirective modes. The findings suggest that an increase in acculturation may be related more strongly to an increase in the use of verbal tactics than an increase in nondirective ones.

Key Words: Hispanic • Puerto Rican • mothers • acculturation • maternal teaching

Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 28, No. 1, 84-101 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0739986305284092


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