University of Michigan: Preschool children of professionals verbally outcompete working class peers

[darksumomo]

University of Michigan: Class in session: Upper middle class preschoolers silence less fortunate peers
June 29, 2011
ANN ARBOR, Mich.-Preschool upper middle class children tend to ask for help and argue their points effectively--sometimes to the detriment of their classmates from working class families.

A new University of Michigan study finds that 4-

Comments

[owlsie]

Doesn't surprise me at all. Richer parents are likely to be more confident in themselves, thus passing that on to their children, and confident people are generally treated better and rewarded more by others [whether they deserve to be or not]. The teachers probably don't even realize it, but they unconsciously encourage this [as does society in general]. I have a vague feeling Malcolm Gladwell discussed this somewhere, but I can't remember where...

Solution: Consciously encourage the poorer kids and give them more opportunities to speak up, developing their confidence, so they feel better able to hold their own against the richer kids.

[toodlepipsky]

OMG, bears shit in woods!!

[paraboobizarre]

I see that at work...every day?
Well, at least now that someone's made a pie chart about it, it's official...

the elephant in the room

[bec_87rb]

Agree that reading to the kids is a middle class thing that really helps kids learn to read, and lower income parents should be told how important a tool this is

Re: the elephant in the room

[gmonkey42]

IAWTC

[essyllus]

I remember learning about this in my intro sociology course... to add on to the "cultural idea," generally speaking most kids who come from working class families are taught a different idea of how to treat adults/teachers--there's more of a respect/fear aspect to their relationship, which contributes to a lot of working class children accepting what authority figures say, rather than negotiating with adults/teachers about their needs the way more advantaged children do. I think this is a more significant factor as to why working class children do not express themselves as confidently as others; if there's no perceived need and/or opportunity for individual expression/demands, then that person won't show or develop those communication skills. To say that if working class families made their children read, their children will communicate better is an overshoot