MOTHERS READING TO THEIR 3-YEAR-OLDS - THE ROLE OF MOTHER-CHILD ATTACHMENT SECURITY IN BECOMING LITERATE

THIS STUDY explores the usefulness of the attachment relationship betw een children and parents for explaining differences in parent-preschoo ler reading in high- and low-socioeconomic-status families. On the bas is of a questionnaire completed by about 350 mothers of 3-year-olds, t hree matched groups were composed: infrequently reading dyads, low SES (n = 15); frequently reading dyads, low SES (n = 15); and frequently reading dyads, high SES (n = 15). The children's behavior during a reu nion after being separated from their mothers for about 30 minutes was scored on a rating scale for attachment security. Mothers and childre n were then observed while reading. The study supports the hypothesis that less secure dyads read less frequently. The groups also differed in the way parents shaped interactive reading: In the frequently readi ng group there was less communication about the book, whereas in the i nfrequently reading group more irrelevant interactions (such as discip lining) occurred. The frequently reading groups from low and high SES differed only in number of inferences. A developmental model of intera ctive reading is proposed, and it is concluded that programs must crea te a safe base from which children can explore literacy.