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RUcore Resource Object
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Uniform TitleThe communicative accomplishment of mutuality during father-son play in early childhood
NameSweet, Dawn M. (author), Mokros, Hartmut (chair), Aakhus, Mark (internal member), Bolden, Galina (internal member), Gross, Deborah (outside member), Rutgers University, Graduate School - New Brunswick,
Degree Date2008-05
Date Created2008
SubjectCommunication, Information and Library Studies,
Fathers and sons,
Communication
DescriptionThis dissertation reports a three-study investigation of mutuality within self-directed play sessions of four African-American father-son dyads at two points in time. These three studies use multiple methods for systematically analyzing face-to-face interaction occurring within a finite space, namely a play area of a daycare center, during a fixed period of time, approximately 15 minutes. This dissertation develops a systematic approach for studying mutuality as it links to well-being as a quality of every day life and individual development. This research offers communication explanations for how relationships in the early stages of life are formed and a way of thinking about well-being across psychological, cognitive, emotional, and social domains from a communication perspective.
Study 1 uses exploratory microanalytic techniques (Mokros, 2003) to identify units of decision making during father-son play. Through its in-depth and systematic examination of decision making, Study 1 provides a vocabulary for talking about decision making from a communication perspective and ultimately provides a conceptual framework and coding system for identifying features of mutuality within father-son interaction. From insights gleaned from this first study, the research in Study 2 reports a comparative study that focuses on understanding individual differences in the amount and quality of mutuality exhibited within and across four father-son dyads at two points in time. This research concludes with Study 3, a comparative study designed to link Interaction States identified in Study 2 with Command Sequences identified by using the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS) (Eyeberg & Robinson, 1983).
This study contributes to communication theory and research because it examines the moment-to-moment child-rearing practices in families at risk and speaks to how through communicative practices, fathers and sons are able to construct and sustain moments of mutual focus on a task or each other and what this says about not only how relationships in the early stages of life are developed but also about well-being as a quality of everyday life and individual development.
Study 1 uses exploratory microanalytic techniques (Mokros, 2003) to identify units of decision making during father-son play. Through its in-depth and systematic examination of decision making, Study 1 provides a vocabulary for talking about decision making from a communication perspective and ultimately provides a conceptual framework and coding system for identifying features of mutuality within father-son interaction. From insights gleaned from this first study, the research in Study 2 reports a comparative study that focuses on understanding individual differences in the amount and quality of mutuality exhibited within and across four father-son dyads at two points in time. This research concludes with Study 3, a comparative study designed to link Interaction States identified in Study 2 with Command Sequences identified by using the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS) (Eyeberg & Robinson, 1983).
This study contributes to communication theory and research because it examines the moment-to-moment child-rearing practices in families at risk and speaks to how through communicative practices, fathers and sons are able to construct and sustain moments of mutual focus on a task or each other and what this says about not only how relationships in the early stages of life are developed but also about well-being as a quality of everyday life and individual development.
NotePh.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references (p. 192-195).
Genretheses
Persistent URLhttp://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.2/rucore10001600001.ETD.17399
LanguageEnglish
CollectionGraduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.