Measures of Classroom Quality in Prekindergarten and Children’s Development of Academic, Language, and Social Skills

Abstract

This study examined development of academic, language, and social skills among 4-year-olds in publicly supported prekindergarten (pre-K) programs in relation to 3 methods of measuring pre-K quality, which are as follows: (a) adherence to 9 standards of quality related to program infrastructure and design, (b) observations of the overall quality of classroom environments, and (c) observations of teachers' emotional and instructional interactions with children in classrooms. Participants were 2,439 children enrolled in 671 pre-K classrooms in 11 states. Adjusting for prior skill levels, child and family characteristics, program characteristics, and state, teachers' instructional interactions predicted academic and language skills and teachers' emotional interactions predicted teacher-reported social skills. Findings suggest that policies, program development, and professional development efforts that improve teacher-child interactions can facilitate children's school readiness.

Mapping the Social World of Classrooms: A Multi‐Level, Multi‐Reporter Approach to Social Processes and Behavioral Engagement

“…BM is indicated by clear expectations, attention to the positive behavior, and efficient redirection. Each dimension is scored on a scale ranging from 1 or 2 (low) to 6 or 7 (high) (see Mashburn et al, 2008).…”

Erzieherin-Kind-Beziehungen und kindliche Entwicklung: Der Einfluss von Geschlecht und Migrationshintergrund

“…B. Ahnert, Milatz, Kappler, Schneiderwind & Fischer, 2013;Burchinal et al, 2008;Mashburn et al, 2008;O'Connor, Collins & Supplee, 2012). Ähnliche Befunde zeigten sich auch für die Lehrer-Kind-Beziehung im Grundschulalter (z.…”

A Descriptive Case Analysis of Instructional Teaching Practices in Finnish Preschool Classrooms

“…Previous studies using the CLASS have yielded large-scale generalizable results on practices improving classroom quality (Hamre, Pianta, Mashburn, & Downer, 2007;Justice, Mashburn, Hamre, & Pianta, 2008). It is widely acknowledged that a higher quality of teaching further enhances children's academic and social development Mashburn et al, 2008), peer relations (Peisner-Feinberg et al, 2001), and children's motivation to learn .…”

“…In studies on children aged 3 to 5 years, a high level of instructional support is associated with gains in language and mathematical skills Mashburn et al, 2008;Pianta & Hadden, 2008), as well as in-task behaviors having been observed more frequently in such classrooms (Pianta, LaParo, Payne, Cox, & Bradley, 2002). It has been suggested that teachers' provision of constructivist instructional exercises allowing preschool children's cooperation result in better language awareness (i.e., letter knowledge, word recognition, phonological awareness, and writing skills) than is the case for the more didactic drilling of basic skills (Korkeamäki & Goman, 2002).…”