1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« The present study was an investigation of the relationships between low SES [Socio-economic Status], children’s level of environmental risk, level of resilience and their narrative ability. » (p. 34)
Questions/Hypothèses :
« Children from low SES environments who were exposed to a higher number of environmental risk factors (e.g., number of household members, single vs. dual parent household) would have lower levels of general competence as compared to low SES children who have a lower number of environmental risk factors. [...]
It was hypothesized that children from low SES environments that have higher levels of competence would generate narratives that were both quantitatively and qualitatively different from children of low SES environments who had a lower level of competence. » (pp. 39-40)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« Twenty-five children who attended one of three day cares located in a lower income area(s) of the Montreal region participated. The children were between the ages of 4 and 5 years (M= 57.52 months, SD = 5.62) and attended day care on a full-time basis. Of the 25 children, 12 were female and 13 were male. » (p. 42)

Instruments :
- Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (Harms, Clifford & Cryer, 1998)
- Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (Dunn & Dunn, 1981)
- Demographic Questionnaire
- Early Development Instrument (Janus & Offord, 2000)
- MacArthur Story Stem Battery (Bretherton, Oppenheim, Buchsbaum, Emde & The MacArthur narrative Group, 1990)
Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« The present study examined the issues of environment risk, competence, and narrative ability in a group of low-income preschool children. Current developmental research has examined the factors that promote resilience or competence in young children’s lives and one way this has been explored is through the narrative ability of children. Twenty-five children from lower socio-economic backgrounds who attended day care participated in the study. The participants were assessed for their level of environmental risk and competence and were asked to complete stories based on everyday household events. Each story was coded for the amount of information units level of chronology, and level of organization. It was found that children who had lower levels of competence generated narratives that lacked both chronology and organization. The level of environmental risk did not appear to be related to competence and narrative ability. The relationship between competence and narrative ability is discussed as an important issue in the day care and future school environment. » (p. iii)