Research In To Day Care

Question 1

What is it?

Answer 1

Care for children under school age, generally at a day nursery or by a childminder, not full time
- Bowlby’s research led to enormous concern about the effects of maternal separation on child development, especially with more women wanting to go to work

Question 2

Research studies for day care

Answer 2

Violato and Russel, NICHD and EPPE

Question 3

Violato and Russel (2000)

Answer 3

Meta-analysis of 88 studies found that day care over 20 hours had negative effects on social development, attachment and aggression. But studies were short term.

Question 4

Longitudinal studies: NICHD

Answer 4

NICHD - 1400 families studied over 16 years
- good methodology, large sample so generalisable of all backgrounds
- weakness = the more children of 5 years spent in day care, the more adults rated them as disobedient BUT,
- strength = other studies pointed out about NICHD do not show same results with more than 20 hours. Friedman shows 83% children didn’t show higher aggression - selective reporting
- weakness = behavioural problems such as lying, unpredictable behaviour and hitting is 3 times more likely in for children in day care than those being cared at home

Question 5

Longitudinal studies: EPPE

Answer 5

Study followed 3000 children through day care from different social backgrounds from 3-7yrs
- strength = supported by Sylva et al. who found sociability, independence, communication and cognitive skills improve as a result of day care

Question 6

Advantages of day care

Answer 6

• Sylva et al, increases sociability and independence with day care
• Field et al, a pop stove correlation between number of years spent in day car and friends at school
• Head start Project found IQ gains of +10 and long term more likely to get a higher level qualification.

Question 7

Disadvantages of day care

Answer 7

• NICHD, the longer a child of 5 years spent in day care, the higher their aggression and ratings of obedience by teachers
• Belsky et al, children with day care at the start of schooling with aggression likely still had aggression at the end of schooling
• NICHD, behavioural problems such as lying, unpredictable behaviour and hitting 3x more likely for children in full time day care than those cared for by mothers at home
• NICHD, data shows that the sensitivity from a mother is a better predictor of problem behaviours in day care. Higher maternal qualification and salary linked to better behaviour, not as a result of day care.