Analysis of employed and unemployed mother’s perspectives towards story narration in typically developing children

Introduction:Early shared reading experiences positively predict outcomes in language and literacy development of children who experience rich communicative and affective interactions by parents during story narration. However, research is yet to be systematically explore mother’s practices and perceptions towards story narration and how employment of mother may influence their perspectives and practices.Aim:To analyse the perspectives of employed and unemployed mothers of typically developing children between 2 to 5 years towards story narration. Materials and Methods: The study followed a cross sectional design. A total of 60 participants were selected in three age groups (Group I, II & III) of employed and unemployed mothers. A questionnaire was developed to analyse perceptions and practices of mother of typically developing children between 2 to 5 years towards story narration. The responses were scored and analysed using SPSS Software, where a Chi-Square Test was performed to check the association.Results:Chi-square analysis revealed no significant association of employment in maternal perceptions towards story narration activities. Conclusion:The study revealed that employment does not influence maternal perceptions towards story narration. The increase in mean score with age indicated a positive change in mother’s perception. This finding is an important contributing factor to understand the role of mothers in children’s developing language and early literacy skills. The study emphasises and highlights the lacuna in early interaction of mothers in pre-literacy based activities, which can contribute to better academic performance in later stages.