1) even state that teacher–child interactions are considered to be the “primary mechanism of student development and learning.” This theory posits that daily teacher–child interactions have a considerable effect on children’s learning. The conceptualization of the instrument builds on the theoretical framework of the teaching through interaction model (see Figure 1), which is based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory ( Bronfenbrenner and Morris, 1998 Hamre et al., 2013).
The instrument has been shown to be a predictor of several child outcomes in preschool and in elementary school ( Pianta et al., 2005 Mashburn et al., 2008). The CLASS Pre-K is an observational instrument designed to capture multiple dimensions of teacher–child interactions and to some degree, child–child interactions in preschool classrooms ( Hamre et al., 2013 Pianta et al., 2015). At the moment, one of the most widely used instruments to assess effective teacher–child interactions is the Classroom Assessment Scoring System for pre-kindergarten children (CLASS Pre-K Pianta et al., 2015). There are several instruments that focus specifically on interaction quality, for example, the Caregiver Interaction Scale (CIS Arnett, 1989) and the Early Childhood Classroom Observation Measure (ECCOM Stipek and Byler, 2004).
Others aim to measure specific quality aspects. Among observational instruments, some aim to measure global quality by observing a broad range of measures associated with structural and process quality. Although structural quality features are assumed to be predictive of interaction quality, evidence is still inconclusive ( NICHD, 2002 Mashburn et al., 2008 Slot et al., 2015).Ī number of approaches, including observations, self-reports, and checklists, have been developed to assess ECEC quality. Process quality represents children’s daily socio-emotional, physical, and instructional experiences in interactions with peers, teachers, and materials ( Howes et al., 2008 Slot et al., 2015). Structural quality represents the quality of preschools’ infrastructure, for example, equipment, child–teacher ratio, and teacher’s formal education. However, it is widely accepted that ECEC quality is a multidimensional construct, which comprises aspects of structural and process quality ( Working Group on Early Childhood Education and Care, 2014 Slot et al., 2015).
#CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT SCORING SYSTEM INDICATORS PRESCHOOL HOW TO#
This study examines the internal structure of one instrument, the CLASS Pre-K that serves to assess one aspect of ECEC quality.Įven though there is a broad consensus that assessing and increasing ECEC quality is important in promoting children’s development, there is an ongoing debate about how to define ECEC quality ( La Paro et al., 2012b Working Group on Early Childhood Education and Care, 2014), and definitions vary between cultures ( Sheridan et al., 2009). A stimulating learning environment is considered to be of great importance in both research and practice because of the accumulated evidence of a direct association of ECEC quality and children’s development ( Mashburn et al., 2008 Curby et al., 2009). Throughout the last few years, there has been a noticeable shift in German preschools from primarily caretaking to providing an educationally stimulating environment. We concluded that our study offers further evidence of the applicability of the CLASS Pre-K for the assessment of teacher–child interaction quality in the German context. The discussion concerns the justifiability of the factor model revisions and draws directions for further research. In terms of factor structure and pattern score comparisons, the results were similar to previous United States and German studies. Evidence of convergent and discriminant validity are provided. The fit of the teaching through interaction model was satisfying after adding a cross-loading of the dimension language modeling on emotional support, and two correlated residuals. Our results indicated that the three-factor structure with the domains of emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support fit the data best. The three-factor teaching through interaction model ( Hamre et al., 2013) was contrasted to a one-factor, a two-factor, and a bifactor model as proposed by Hamre et al. We examined the factorial validity of the instrument using data from 177 German preschool classrooms.
One instrument that was developed to assess an aspect of ECEC quality is the Classroom Assessment Scoring System for pre-kindergarten children (CLASS Pre-K). The quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC) is important for children’s development. Department of Developmental Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.Lilly-Marlen Bihler * Alexandru Agache Katharina Kohl Jessica A.
0 kommentar(er)
