The Role of Educational Background, Activity, and Past Experiences in Mexican-Descent Families’ Science Conversations

Abstract

Debate exists regarding the extent to which Mexican-descent parent-child conversations are explanatory. Moreover, suggestions have been made that differences in the amount of explanatory conversation may be based on parents’educational background. This article reports on two studies investigating conversations between parents and children in two different contexts. Results of an observational study conducted at a children’s museum reveal that although parents with high levels of formal education used more explanations about science than did parents with lower levels of formal education, both groups engaged in causal conversations with their children. In a second study examining parents’ reports of science talk after attending family science workshops, results indicated no difference in the explanation frequency between two groups of families with different levels of formal education. Overall, the findings suggest that Mexican-descent parents across differing educational backgrounds encourage their children’s developing understanding of the scientific world.