Parenting behaviors associated with the maintenance of preschoolers' interests: A prospective longitudinal study

This study examined whether specific parental beliefs and behaviors were related to the maintenance of preschoolers' early interests in conceptual domains. Assessments of home environments and interest support between ages 4 and 5 years were used to predict different types of child interest profiles over an ensuing 24-month period. Subtle differences in home environments and parental attitudes were noticeable at interest inception between a subgroup of children who sustained long-term individual interests and a subgroup that did not. In particular, parents of children with long-term individual interests tended to place a heavier emphasis on academic stimulation, the role of curiosity in learning, and provided more interest-related materials in the home than parents of children with shorter-term interests. Implications for ontogenetic models of interest development are discussed.