Symbolic Experience and Young Children’s Comprehension of Drawings in Different Socioeconomic Contexts

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationships between children’s early comprehension of drawings in two socioeconomic groups (middle- and low-ses) and the experiences with symbols at home. Twenty-eight children between 30 and 38 months of age solved a matching task in which they had to relate five objects with their black-and-white line drawings; their mothers completed a questionnaire regarding the quantity and variety of pictures at home and the shared activities between adults and children with these symbols. The results show that only middle-SES children were able to understand the drawing-referent relation; symbolic performance was mainly associated with the presence of resources with children’s images at home (dvd and children’s books) and with adultchild interactions with these resources, such as joint experiences with audio-visual images, storytelling and maternal assistance when children draw.

Keywords: Drawings, comprehension, symbolic experience, socioeconomic level.