Preschoolers’ difficult questions: variations by informant and gender

Abstract

ABSTRACT This qualitative study looks at differences in how preschoolers’ difficult questions are reported by parents and teachers, and according to whether the children and parents in question are male vs. female. The participants consisted of 131 parents whose children attended public kindergartens in Turkey and 131 preschool teachers. A background-information form and a structured interview protocol were used as data-collection tools. It was found that girls asked four times more questions about sex and fertility, and approximately twice as many difficult questions about daily life, than boys did. On the other hand, boys asked more questions related to religion, science and nature. Sex and fertility questions were more frequently directed to mothers than to fathers, while religion and daily life questions were more often asked of fathers, irrespective of the gender of the child. However, teachers were asked science and nature questions more than either fathers or mothers were, but fewer questions about religion, sex and fertility.