Social sciences

Early schooling at age 2 narrow the gaps in child development?

In this interview [FR], Géraldine Farges, Associate Professor at the University of Bourgogne (IREDU), and Estelle Herbaut, Professor at the CNRS (formerly IREDU), answer our questions: What are the effects of preschooling on children’s development? Which children benefit most from 2-year-old schooling?

Boys’ or girls’ games? The role of siblings!

Using data from the Elfe study, Abigail Bourguignon, Holly Hargis, Wilfried Lignier, Julie Pagis, Helène Oehmichen, Julien Vitores and Kevin Diter looked at the differences in play choices between girls and boys, and the role of siblings.  [VIDEO FR]

The math performance gap between girls and boys is non-existent before the first year of primary school

The mathematics performance gap between girls and boys, with its attendant professional consequences, is an issue that has received considerable attention in the literature. Jean-Paul Fischer presents his research and answers our questions.

Les jeux des enfants : image de leur socialisation ?

Bertrand Geay nous présente ses travaux de recherche sur le jeu des enfants selon les milieux sociaux. Il répond à nos questions : "Qu’avez-vous pu observer sur le jeu des enfants ?" ; "Quels sont les résultats qui vous ont le plus surpris ?", "Comment évolueront vos travaux sur les jeux et la socialisation des enfants au fur et à mesure du suivi des enfants dans le cadre de l’étude Elfe ?"

Preparing for the birth: what choices, what influences?

The period surrounding the birth of a child is a particularly significant event in people’s lives ("the happiest day" of their lives). But under what conditions does it take place? Nathalie Oria (Prag, Université de Cergy-Pointoise) and Jérôme Camus (Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Université de Tours) present their work on preparing future parents for birth. How are parents influenced in the way they prepare for the birth of their future child ?

Children’s experience of the first lockdown in France

During the first COVID-19 lockdown in France in the spring of 2020, schools were closed and all activities outside the home were suspended. Primary school children who found themselves confined to their homes adapted quite well to the change. They continued with their schoolwork and took advantage of their freedom to spend more time on daily activities [...]

Socioeconomic inequalities in language and motor development

Compulsory education in France now starts at 3 years instead of 6 years, the aim being to reduce social inequalities as early as possible. However, a study of young children’s language and motor development has shown that differences linked to their parents’ socioeconomic background are already present at 2 years (i.e., before they start nursery school).
INED’s researchers found that although language and physical development are closely associated in young children, socioeconomic inequalities primarily show up in language development. 

Early language socialization

This study explored the role of three types of early language interaction between parents and children (sitting quietly and talking, singing nursery rhymes, reading books) in the development of infants’ language comprehension and expression at 1 year. All three language socialization activities commonly take place within families, but parents do not always play an equal part in them, depending on their social position and cultural capital (culture in which they were immersed when young, education level, etc.), as well as the child’s sex and number of siblings.

Role of grandparents after a birth

This study looked at what parents expect from the grandparents of their newborn child, based on survey data collected when the Elfe children were 2 months old and information yielded by a qualitative survey among 40 couples who had their first child in 2011. New families have to strike a balance between involving the grandparents in the life of their child and maintaining their autonomy and prerogatives as parents, especially when it comes to decisions about childrearing.

Caring and sharing: who looks after baby?

When the infants were 2 months old, we looked at how their mothers and fathers shared the physical childcare tasks (changing nappies, cleaning the baby’s nose, bath time, etc.).

A comparison of parents’ stated attitudes towards these activities and who actually did what revealed that neither the division of childcare between the two parents nor self-reported attitudes towards this care seemed to depend on the infant’s sex. 

Growing up in a family of immigrant origin in France

Today, one newborn in four in France has at least one immigrant parent, with similar proportions of children with two immigrant parents and those born to mixed couples.

These children’s origins partially reflect those of migrants to France over the past three decades, in that 69% have parents who were born in Africa – the majority in North Africa (40%).

The family models that prevail in the sending societies and their parents’ childhood experiences [...]

Low birth weight and socioeconomic characteristics

Researchers have found that low birthweight is influenced by several socioeconomic factors, in particular the mother’s education level. Women with the lowest academic qualifications have the greatest risk of giving birth to a low-weight infant (below 2.5 kg).

More specifically, this risk is 50% higher for women with no qualifications than for women with a high-school diploma. 

Becoming the parents of a boy or girl

Nearly nine future parents out of 10 would like to find out the sex of their child before it is born. For their first child, 60% of parents have no preference. Among the remaining 40%, preferences are equally divided among mothers (20% would like a girl and 21% a boy), but fathers are keener to have a boy (25.5% prefer a boy and 15% a girl). 

Survey at nursery school

During the 2017 webconference for Elfe families, Xavier Thierry, deputy director of the Elfe unit and project manager of the school survey, presents the context of the survey at nursery school and its first results.