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7evaluated at the beginning and end of the first lockdown period in their respective countries (from March to September 2020). Shortly after lockdown began in early March 2020 across 13 countries, parents were asked to complete an online questionnaire containing questions on the child's age, exposure to different languages, number of siblings and vocabulary development. Parents were then contacted again at the end of the lockdown (for that family or in that area, in general) and asked about the amount of time children spent during lockdown on different activities. Parents were also asked to complete a standardized vocabulary checklist indicating the number of words their child understood and/or said at the beginning, and again, at the end of lockdown. Thus, the number of words gained over lockdown could be calculated. Children who had less passive screen exposure and whose caregivers read more to them showed larger gains in vocabulary development during lockdown, after considering SES and other care-giver-child activities. Children also gained more words than expected (based on normative data) during lockdown, either caregivers were more aware of their child's development, or vocabulary development benefited from intense caregiver-child interaction during lockdown, or both. We discuss these results in the context of the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, passive screen exposure, vocabulary development DOI:
PROMOTION OF AN AUDIOVISUAL CULTURE FOR CHILDREN IN EARLY CHILDHOOD. REALITY AND
CHALLENGE?
Isabel Rios Leonard
Full Professor and Assistant Researcher, Central Institute of Pedagogical Sciences, Havana, Cuba; e-mail:
isa5celep@gmail.com
Annia Cano Pérez
Full Professor and Assistant Researcher, Central Institute of Pedagogical Sciences, Havana, Cuba; e-mail:
anniacanoperez81@gmail.com
Idania de la Vega Hernández
Assistant Researcher, University of Pedagogical Sciences Enrique José Varona, Havana, Cuba; e-mail:
isa5celep@gmail.com
Abstract: The paper aims to present a theoretical reference framework to support the actions of the sectoral project (Ministry of Education in Cuba) entitled "Promotion of an audiovisual culture for children and families in early childhood". The theoretical reference framework is structured in relation to the three dimensions determined by Gallego (2018) from a dialectical materialist position: contextual, conceptual, and methodological history. Early childhood is recognized as an indispensable stage for the appropriation of culture, which is an essential factor for development. From this perspective, such appropriation must be conceived not as a process in which the child is a mere recipient, but as an active process in which their participation is essential. In this way, they will not only interact with material and cultural objects, but be immersed in a process of active interrelation with the subjects, adults, and contemporaries that surround them. This study defends the idea that audiovisual consumption should be recognized as an activity that influences the psychological development of children in early childhood, hence forming part of the Social Situation of Development of most Cuban children. It is important to point out that this activity will stimulate development when there is a mediation process (either direct or indirect) between the child and multiple screens, as well as between the child and the audiovisual.
Keywords: promotion, audiovisual culture, early childhood children DOI:
