ACCULTURATION AND TEACHING BEHAVIORS OF DOMINICAN AND PUERTO-RICAN MOTHERS

The relationship between acculturation and maternal teaching behaviors was studied by observing 101 low-income Puerto Rican and Dominican mothers in a teaching task with their preschool children and rating six teaching behaviors frequently used by parents. Puerto Rican mothers tended to be more acculturated than Dominican mothers. Although the two groups tended to prefer teaching behaviors that involved giving directives, visual cues, and modeling, Puerto Rican mothers made significantly more use of inquiry and praise, and Dominican mothers used more modeling behaviors. Significant correlations for the total sample were found between acculturation and three teaching behaviors (inquiry, praise, and modeling). These correlations were the function of group difference in acculturation and not socioeconomic status. Acculturation was only significantly related to negative verbal feedback and visual cues in teaching, and positively related to modeling among Puerto Rican mothers.