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Toddlers' persistence in the emerging occupations of functional play and self-feeding
S J Bober1, R Humphry, H W Carswell
1Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning, CB# 7255, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7255, USA. sally.bober@cdl.unc.edu
Insights
Toddlers
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Occupational Therapy
Background:
- Understanding toddler motivation is key for development.
- Persistence in challenging tasks supports learning and skill acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the motivational factors influencing persistence in typically developing toddlers.
- To examine toddler persistence in functional play and self-feeding.
Main Methods:
- Videotape analysis of on-task behaviors in 33 children (12-19 months).
- Assessed persistence in functional play and self-feeding with a utensil.
Main Results:
- A modest correlation found between persistence in play and self-feeding.
- Fine motor skills correlated with toy persistence, not utensil use.
- Older siblings associated with longer functional play duration.
Conclusions:
- Persistence is influenced by factors beyond perceptual-motor challenges.
- The experienced meaning of activities is crucial for eliciting effort and learning in toddlers.
Objective:
This descriptive study explores motivation of toddlers who are typically developing to persist with challenging occupations.
Method:
The persistence of 33 children, 12 to 19 months of age (M = 15.7 months), in functional play and self-feeding with a utensil was examined through videotape analysis of on-task behaviors.
Results:
A modest correlation was demonstrated between the percentages of on-task time in the two conditions (r = .44, p < .01). Although chronological age was not associated with persistence, participants' age-equivalent fine motor scores were correlated with persistence with challenging toys (r = .39, p < .03) but not with self-feeding with a utensil. Having an older sibling was associated with longer periods of functional play, t(32) = 3.02, p < .005, but the amount the parent urged the child to eat with a utensil was not associated with persistence in self-feeding.
Conclusion:
The modest association between on-task time for functional play and self-feeding with a utensil reveals that factors other than urge to meet perceptual motor challenges lead to children's persistence. The results reinforce the importance of considering not only challenging activities, but also the experienced meaning that elicits optimal effort and, thus, learning.