The effect of early maternal sensitivity on child academic achievement in primary school

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Gisa Aschersleben; Professorin Dr. Anne Henning
• Subject Area: Developmental and Educational Psychology
• Term: from 2020 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 445334310

The aim of the proposed project is to analyze the effect of early maternal sensitivity on children’s academic achievement. Specifically, we want to assess whether early maternal sensitivity is a predictor of children’s academic achievement at the end of primary school, and if so, whether this relation is specific to one or more age points during children’s first four years of life. Previous studies have reported relations between maternal sensitivity and children’s social, emotional and cognitive development. However, most of these studies focus on children’s early years up to preschool age. In the proposed project, already available video material showing mother-infant play interactions at 5 age points (6, 12, 18 months, 3 and 4 years) will be coded and analyzed using the Emotional Availability Scales (EA Scales; Biringen, 2008).Children’s parents will be sent questionnaires to assess children’s grades at the end of primary school in the subjects Mathematics, German and General Studies (6th age point). As previous studies have shown that children‘s intelligence and language development are strong predictors of their school grades, available data on children’s cognitive and language development at the first 5 age points will be included as control variables. A further aim of the proposed project is to longitudinally assess stability and continuity of maternal sensitivity during the first four years of children’s life by using the Sensitivity Scale of the EA Scales, and by controlling for child temperament. For the latter, parental ratings on the respective version of Rothbart’s Child Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ-R, ECBQ, CBQ) are available for each of the 5 age points.Overall, we hope the proposed project will yield further knowledge regarding if, and at what time in early development, maternal sensitivity has long-term effects on children’s academic achievements, and regarding changes in maternal sensitivity in response to changing demands as children develop.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants