Poster #81 - Associations Between Teachers’ Skill in Identifying Effective Interactions and Children’s Learning

• In Event: 2-002 - Special Poster Session 05 with Continental Breakfast Reception
  In Poster Session: PS 05 - Interdisciplinary Section

Integrative Statement

Objective. There is consistent evidence that organized, emotionally and instructionally engaging interactions with teachers support children’s early learning (Downer, Sabol, & Hamre, 2010). However, in trying to improve teachers’ practice of such interactions, there is growing interest in teachers’ skill in identifying effective interactions in complex classroom contexts (Author, 2016). In teacher preparation, learning to identify and rehearse discrete components of practice are key skills in “pedagogies of enactment” (Grossman & McDonald, 2008). The purpose of this paper is to examine associations between teachers’ skill in identifying effective interactions and children’s language ability, reading ability, and learning behaviors.
Theoretical Framework. The theoretical framework is information processing theory (Author, 2015), which suggests that teachers who efficiently differentiate between relevant and irrelevant information within a complex classroom environment have greater working memory available to respond to individual students’ needs (Feldon, 2007). We hypothesized that teachers’ skill in identifying effective interactions would be positively associated with children’s learning outcomes due to this greater capacity for responding to students.
Methods. We collected data across two phases and 10 urban locations. Our sample consisted of 789 children and 203 prekindergarten teachers in Phase 1 and 596 children and 171 teachers in Phase 2 (see Table 1). We directly assessed children’s language development and early literacy skills. Teachers reported on children’s learning behaviors using the Preschool Learning Behavior Scale (McDermott, Leigh, & Perry, 2002). The Video Assessment of Interaction and Learning (VAIL) assessed teachers’ skill in identifying effective teacher-student interactions. To complete the VAIL, teachers watched brief (2-3 minute) video clips of prekindergarten classrooms and responded to prompts. We prompted teachers to document strategies and corresponding behavioral examples that reflect effective teacher-student interactions seen in the video. In Phase 1, prompts focused on specific aspects of interactions (e.g. strategies to model language, strategies to support child autonomy), and Phase 2 prompts were more global (e.g. strategies to support social and emotional development). We coded responses for strategy alignment with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System and descriptions of observable examples (see Author, 2015 for detailed information on scoring). VAIL scores of interest for the current study were standardized total scores and standardized “match” scores, which captured alignment across documented strategies and examples. We conducted hierarchical linear model analyses to examine associations between VAIL scores and child outcomes. The models included covariates for key child, teacher, and classroom characteristics. We analyzed phases separately and used multiple imputation to handle missing data.
Findings. Results (Table 2) showed that teachers’ skill in identifying effective interactions was associated with children’s skills in receptive and expressive vocabulary, and print knowledge. We also identified associations with teacher-reported child persistence and motivation.
Significance. The results are significant as we continue to develop understanding of teachers’ skill in processing complex classroom environments and refine the VAIL to capture this construct with reliability and validity. Knowing that teacher skill in identifying effective interactions is associated with children’s outcomes further motivates research to explore malleability of this skill in response to teacher training.

Authors

• Anne Henry Cash, University of North Carolina - Charlotte
  Presenting Author

• Bob Pianta, University of Virginia
  Non-Presenting Author