Is Quality of Early Childhood Educators' Interactions With Children an Educator, Classroom, or Center Characteristic?

• In Event: Quality in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

Most measures of educator-child interactions are conducted at the classroom level. Yet, early childhood, education and care (ECEC) classrooms are staffed by multiple educators. We tested whether educator-child interaction is reflected at the educator-, classroom- or center-level. Specifically, interaction types and communication levels were observed for 388 educators in 103 classrooms serving preschool-aged children from 64 centers. Educators within classrooms displayed different interaction styles. Virtually no variance was found at the classroom and center levels. Classroom level structural measures (e.g., educator-child ratios) were unrelated, while classroom process quality measures were only weakly related to educator-level process measures. Our findings raise important questions about the level at which ECEC quality should be conceptualized and measured.

Authors

• Samantha Caitlin Burns, University of Toronto

• Olesya Falenchuk, OISE/University of Toronto

• Michal Perlman, University of Toronto