Motivation of children at risk for delay in development: the impact of an intervention with mothers

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the impact of an educational intervention with mothers on the motivation of children at risk for development delay, in the light of Paulo Freire’s Theory. Method: A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study carried out in March 2018 with mothers of children under two years old enrolled in Reference Centers in Early Childhood Education. Semi-structured interviews were carried out after an educational intervention and the data obtained by the thematic technique were analyzed. Results: There was an increase in maternal knowledge and changes in attitudes about child motivation after intervention, enabling them to share information with other mothers and maternal empowerment to identify changes, motivation and autonomy to seek new ways to promote child development. Conclusion: The educational intervention proved to be effective, as mothers began to encourage their children at home and share information with other mothers.