The Interaction Strategies of Mothers and Their Children in the Contexts of Free Play and Joint Problem Solving

상호작용맥락에 따른 어머니와 유아의 상호작용 전략 : 자유놀이와 과제해결 맥락을 중심으로

The purpose of this study was to examine if mothers and their children used different interaction strategies depending on the interacting contexts. Sixty-five mothers and their children were observed while they interacted with each other in two contexts, that is, a free play context and a joint problem solving context. The result of this study showed that first, the mothers' strategies and their children's strategies were closely related. When the mothers used positive strategies, their children also responded with positive strategies. In contrast, when the mothers used negative strategies, their children also tended to use negative strategies. Second, the contexts which the mothers and their children interacted affected the strategies that the mothers and their children used. The mothers and the children were more likely to use positive strategies in the context of free play than in the context of the joint problem solving. This result points out the importance of free play as the context of producing a positive atmosphere where the mothers and their children interacted positively and had a good time. Suggestions for further study and implications for parents were provided.