In most cultures, but particularly among Indigenous communities of the Americas, children help extensively with household work. However, less is known about the role of maternal ethnotheories as cultural organizers of the family environment and children's helping. We explored Maya maternal ethnotheories about children's learning to help in two villages. Mothers reported that children learn by observing and pitching in because they have the will and interest and want to help. Mothers help children by orchestrating the setting, supporting their initiative, but learning must be initiated by children. Results support the view of a Yucatec Maya theory of learning and highlight the relevance of studying maternal ethnotheories. As cultural models, ethnotheories guide the organization of the developmental niche, affording children's learning by observing and pitching in and supporting the emergence of their will and interest. Their study may contribute to further acknowledging and supporting cultural diversity.

中文翻译：

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尤卡特克玛雅母亲关于在家学习帮助的民族理论

在大多数文化中，特别是在美洲的土著社区中，儿童广泛地帮助做家务。然而，对于母系民族理论作为家庭环境和儿童帮助的文化组织者的作用知之甚少。我们在两个村庄探讨了关于儿童学习帮助的玛雅母系民族理论。母亲们报告说，孩子们通过观察和投入来学习，因为他们有意愿和兴趣并想提供帮助。母亲通过精心安排环境来帮助孩子，支持他们的主动性，但学习必须由孩子发起。结果支持 Yucatec Maya 学习理论的观点，并强调了研究母系民族理论的相关性。作为文化模型，民族理论指导着发展生态位的组织，通过观察、参与和支持儿童的意志和兴趣的出现来提供学习。他们的研究可能有助于进一步承认和支持文化多样性。