Effects of Encouraging Israeli Mothers to Co-Observe "Sesame Street" with Their Five-Year-Olds

Abstract

SALOMON, GAVRIEL. Efects of Encouraging Israeli Mothers to Co-observe Sesame Street with Their Five-Year-Olds. CmHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1977, 48, 1146-1151. The study examined the effects on learning produced by encouraging Israeli mothers to co-observe Sesame Street with their 5-year-olds. 93 kindergarten children, about half lower and half middle class, were divided between mothers' encouraged and not encouraged conditions. Mothers' co-observation significantly affected the amount of time that lower-SES children watched the show, as well as their enjoyment of the program, producing in turn an effect on learning and significantly attenuating initial SES differences. Co-observation effects were not found in the middle-class group, except for field dependency performance where encouragement of mothers accentuated SES differences.