Observing mother and child behavior in a problem-solving situation at school entry: Relations with academic achievement

Abstract

This study examined relations between ratings of mother-child interactions in a problem-solving situation at school entry and academic achievement in grades 2, 3, and 4. Data on the child's cognitive and fine-motor ability and mother's education were also collected at school entry. Academic achievement was assessed with the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). A factor score reflecting mother-child competence in the interaction situation correlated approximately .40 with ITBS total and subtest scores in grades 2, 3, and 4. In regression analyses with the mother-child measures entered first, mother's education, child cognitive and fine-motor ability added significantly to the prediction of ITBS scores and did not appreciably reduce the predictive relation of the mother-child competence factor. When the mother-child competence factor was entered last in regression, the majority of the variance was accounted for by the ability and demographic measures. The partial correlations of mother-child competence and the three ITBS total scores were significant when controlling for cognitive ability. An interaction term representing the combination of cognitive ability and mother-child competence accounted for a small, but significant increment in variance for the second and third grade ITBS. Implications for professional practice are discussed.