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Abstract
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Our study aims to examine whether mothers conduct different types of activities with preschool and young school-age children, and to determine how mothers perceive their own and their children’s satisfaction with their interaction. Overall 467 mothers participated in the study. Mothers indicated the frequency of various activities on a check list created for the purpose of our research. Based on the factor analysis, two different types of activities were extracted – entertaining activities (e.g., playing, going out), and formal activities (e.g. doing homework, talking about school). Satisfaction with interaction was measured using one-item scales and mothers estimated their own and their children’s satisfaction with quantity and quality of interaction. Two-step cluster analysis based on child’s age, types of activity, mothers’ satisfaction and perceived child’s satisfaction with interaction extracted three clusters. First cluster includes 211 mothers of 1st and 2nd grade children who show high satisfaction with the interaction with their children, as well as perceive their child as highly satisfied with this interaction, and these mothers engage in more formal activities compared to entertaining activities. Second cluster includes 175 mothers of preschool children with high levels of satisfaction with the interaction, both their own and perceived child’s satisfaction, and these mothers engage in more entertaining than formal activities with the child. Third cluster includes 78 mothers of both child age groups whose levels of satisfaction, as well as perceived child’s satisfaction are low, and who indicate spending little time in both entertaining and formal activities with the child. Our findings show mothers engage in different type of activities with preschool and young school-aged children. These results, although in need of longitudinal confirmation, could implicate adaptive changes in family activities during transition from preschool to primary school. Our result show that mothers satisfied with the interaction with their child engage in more entertaining activities with preschool children and in more formal activities with the school-aged children. As expected, mothers who spend less time in interaction with their children show lower levels of satisfaction, regardless of the child’s age. This study is a part of the project no. 179022, supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia.
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