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Early vocabulary development is crucial for future cognitive and academic outcomes, and parent-child booksharing has been recognized as a powerful home literacy practice to promote word learning. However, evidence about the link between booksharing and language development in diverse cultural and socioeconomic settings is currently limited, hindering the formulation of a broadly applicable framework to understand the favorable conditions for early vocabulary development. This study explores the relationship between booksharing and early receptive and expressive vocabulary in a sample of 183 mothers and their toddlers in Costa Rica, a context where reading is not a common practice and children have limited access to books. Mothers completed an interview about their booksharing practices and reported children's receptive and expressive vocabulary. Results demonstrated a positive link between maternal booksharing and children's expressive vocabulary. Child gender moderated the link between booksharing and receptive vocabulary, exhibiting a stronger association in girls than in boys. Mothers with lower education levels reported higher expressive vocabulary scores for their children than mothers with higher education levels. These findings underscore the significance of booksharing in the home literacy environment, even in cultural contexts with distinct reading practices. Moreover, they highlight the need to incorporate sociocultural factors into comprehensive accounts concerning the role of booksharing in early word learning.

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RESUMEN

Resumen Las tecnologías digitales móviles son parte de la vida cotidiana de los niños. Sin embargo, poco se conoce sobre su contexto de uso en Latinoamérica. Esta investigación utilizó un diseño mixto para describir las características del uso de teléfonos móviles y tabletas en niños costarricenses entre 1 y 5 años de edad y sus cuidadores. El Estudio 1 analizó las interacciones familiares en áreas de comida de centros comerciales a través de observaciones no participantes. Los resultados indicaron que fueron los cuidadores quienes utilizaron los teléfonos durante la observación, ante lo cual los niños usualmente realizaron actividades que no implicaron interactuar con sus cuidadores. Frente a intentos de los niños por interactuar, los cuidadores raramente respondieron. A través de una metodología de encuesta dirigida a padres, el Estudio 2 exploró el uso de los dispositivos por parte de los niños y sus cuidadores en el hogar. Los resultados indicaron que los niños acceden principalmente a contenidos educativos al usar los dispositivos, y los cuidadores mencionaron usualmente acompañar a los niños durante su uso. También reportaron casi siempre utilizar las estrategias mediadoras de tipo restrictivo y de supervisión, y en menor medida la mediación instructiva y de uso conjunto. Además, los cuidadores consideraron que la actividad física y el sueño son los aspectos más negativamente afectados por el uso infantil de dispositivos, mientras que las habilidades matemáticas y lingüísticas tienden a verse más afectadas positivamente. Estos resultados caracterizan el uso temprano de dispositivos móviles en contextos de cuidado parental en Costa Rica.

Abstract Mobile technologies are part of children's everyday lives. However, little is known about their context of use in Latin America. The goal of this paper is to describe how Costa Rican caregivers and their children between the ages of 1 and 5 years old use smartphones and tablets. A mixed-methods approach was used, including two studies. Study 1 used non-participant observations to analyze family interactions related to smartphone use in food court areas in shopping malls. A total of 22 children were observed while interacting with their caregivers and their use of smartphones was registered (N = 269 events) and classified according to (a) the person who used the smartphone and (b) the actions that took place during its use. Results indicated smartphones were mostly used by caregivers (n = 226, 84.01 %), followed by a co-use to take pictures or make videos (n = 27, 10.03 %). Children's use was infrequent (n = 16, 5.94 %). During caregivers' use, children usually engaged in activities that did not involve their caretaker, such as silently eating, interacting with another adult not using a smartphone at the moment or looking around. When children attempted to interact with their caregivers while they were using their smartphones, caregivers rarely responded. No disruptive behaviors on children were observed after caregivers' lack of response. Using a survey methodology, Study 2 explored children's and caregivers' use of mobile devices at home. A total of 42.9 % of caregivers reported they sometimes facilitate a device to their children to be able to accomplish other domestic and work-related tasks, as well as to satisfy personal needs. Daily duration of caregivers' use of devices was longer on weekdays (M = 207 minutes, SD = 116.02) than weekends (M = 164.25 minutes, SD = 118.54). Caregivers' daily duration of use was related to children's daily duration of use during weekdays (r = .414) and weekends (r = .451), and during caregiving time on weekdays (r = .328) and weekends (r = .541). Using a Likert scale (1 = never, 5 = always), the children's consumed content was explored. Findings indicate that children mostly consumed content from YouTube (M = 3.60, SD = 1.14) and children's educational apps (M = 3.13, SD = 1.5). Use of educational videogames (M = 3.27, SD = 1.34), puzzle-like videogames (M = 2.36, SD = 1.26) and word games (M = 2.23, SD = 1.14) was more frequent than action (M= 1.48, SD = 1.02) and sports videogames (M= 1.55, SD = 0.93). Educational televised programs (M = 3.58, SD = 1.10) and musical cartoons (M = 3.27, SD = 1.11) were frequently consumed by children. A total of 47.2 % of caregivers also indicated that they always accompany their children while they use devices at home. Caregivers reported a higher use of technological restrictive mediation (M = 4.14, SD = 1.14) and supervision (M = 4.1, SD = 1.11), followed by instructive (M = 3.93, SD = 1.19) and co-use mediation (M= 3.62, SD = 1.14). On a scale of 1 (very negative) to 5 (very positive), caregivers indicated that physical activity (M = 1.72, SD = 1.07) and sleep (M = 2.09, SD = .96) were most negatively affected by children's device use, whereas mathematical (M = 3.36, SD = 1.04) and linguistic skills (M = 3.44, SD = 1.13) were the most positively affected. This study's results provide a preliminary understanding of the context of use of mobile technology during caregiving of young children.

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Resumen Las concepciones y los conocimientos docentes afectan la práctica docente y esta, a su vez, influye en los logros de desarrollo en lectoescritura emergente de los niños preescolares. Esta investigación explora las valoraciones docentes de prácticas efectivas en el aula para la promoción de la lectoescritura emergente y sus conocimientos sobre conciencia fonológica y fonemas. Una muestra conformada por 284 docentes a cargo de salones de educación preescolar contestó un cuestionario en línea. Los resultados indicaron diferencias según tipo de universidad en la cual se tituló la docente. Las docentes graduadas de universidades públicas otorgaron mayor importancia a prácticas efectivas en el aula para la promoción de la lectoescritura emergente que las docentes graduadas de universidades privadas. Si bien la mayoría de participantes consideró la conciencia fonológica como un factor importante para el desarrollo de la lectoescritura, los conocimientos sobre esta fueron deficientes en toda la muestra. Igualmente, los conocimientos docentes sobre los fonemas y su habilidad para identificarlos en palabras concretas también fueron deficientes. Estos y otros hallazgos se discuten a la luz de sus implicaciones para la promoción de la calidad en la educación preescolar costarricense.

Abstract Teachers' conceptions and knowledge affect their practices, and teachers' practices influence preschoolers' early literacy development. This study explores how much teachers value classroom practices previously proven to be effective in promoting early literacy development, and how much teachers know about phonological awareness and phonemes. A sample of 284 preschool teachers filled out an online questionnaire. Results showed differences as a function of the kind of university where teachers obtained their university degree. Teachers who graduated from public universities considered practices proven to be effective to promote early literacy more important than teachers who graduated from private universities. Although most participants considered phonological awareness an important factor for early literacy development, knowledge about it was deficient across the whole sample. Teachers' knowledge about phonemes and their abilities to identify phonemes in specific words were deficient. Findings are discussed in light of their implications for promoting quality preschool education in Costa Rica.

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