Exploring Two Differing Approaches to Measuring Children’s Preschool Classroom Experiences

• In Event: Advancing the Measurement of Early Care and Education Quality to Support Young Children’s Development

Abstract

Introduction

High-quality early childhood education (ECE) can improve children’s pre-academic skills (Barnett, 2011; Camilli et al., 2010 Meloy et al., 2019; Phillips et al., 2017) which is important given the strong association between kindergarten entry skills and later performance (Duncan et al., 2007; Early et. al, 2010; Morgan et al., 2019; Pace et al., 2019). Definitions and measures of ECE quality have evolved as new research has emerged but a singular definition or measure remains elusive, in part because measures of ECE quality are less strongly associated with child outcomes than expected (Burchinal, 2018; Burchinal et al., 2010; Burchinal, et. al, 2011). The current study explores the associations between two measures of children’s experiences from two different perspectives: (1) assessing the interactions between teachers and children and (2) focusing on quantifying children’s experiences into instructional groupings, by content, and by pedagogical strategies experienced daily.

Hypotheses

(1) To what extent is there variation in ratings and counts across classrooms?
(2) To what extent are classroom ratings and counts related?
(3) What is the association between ratings on the different CLASS domains and dimensions and average observed counts in settings, instructional activities and pedagogical approaches?

Study population

We pool two demographically diverse samples of preschool classrooms and children from New Jersey and Philadelphia. Data from Philadelphia and New Jersey were collected during the 2017. The combined sample includes 264 classrooms. Children in these classrooms were on average 51 months old in the fall and 49% female. Six percent were reported to have an individualized educational plan (IEP). Children were predominantly African American (34%) and Hispanic (42%), and 35% of children spoke a language other than English at home.

Methods

We conduct descriptive and inferential statistical analyses describing the variation in the EduSnap and CLASS across classrooms and subsequently, the associations between the two measures. We provide descriptive analyses of average quality scores on CLASS domains and dimensions, as well as average percentages of time across activity settings, instructional content, and teaching and learning strategies. We then use t-tests to determine differences in EduSnap between classrooms rated as higher and lower on the CLASS. Finally, we estimate separate models predicting CLASS domains and dimensions from EduSnap counts. We used two-level hierarchical linear models (HLM) to account for nesting of classrooms in centers and schools.

Results

A central finding is that associations between the two measures do, in fact, emerge which suggest teacher’s implementation of specific groupings, content, and teaching strategies may have specific consequences for the types of interactions that take place throughout the day in the classroom. The results suggest that process quality might be dependent on teachers’ decisions on how to structure the day and which content to prioritize. To this extent, the results suggest that the field may want to explore measures of quality that can capture variation in these decisions. Supporting teacher practice may involve not only supporting their interactions with children, but also supporting how they structure the day, introduce content, and use strategies to support children learning.

Authors

• Milagros Nores, National Institute for Early Education Research
  Presenting Author

• Allison Hope Friedman-Krauss, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alexandra Figueras-Daniel, Bank Street College of Education
  Non-Presenting Author