How Activity Contexts Set the Stage for Social Learning In Inclusive Preschool Classrooms

• In Event: The Role of Early Social Scaffolding in Atypical Development.

Abstract

Preschool teachers use activity contexts to organize the day and give children regular opportunities to interact socially and engage with various tasks. Activity contexts vary in terms of structure, with some activities being structured (e.g., circle time) and some being unstructured (e.g., free-play). Different activities also afford opportunities for children to engage in different types of language interactions, which in turn, may contribute to children’s language development. Children with developmental disabilities (DDs; e.g., autism spectrum disorder or hearing loss) who have increased likelihood of language delays may particularly benefit from more structured teacher-led activities with highly routinized interactions and increased opportunities for social learning. The purpose of the current study is to assess how individual differences in the proportion of time spent in those activities relates to the assessed language abilities of children with and without DDs.

Participants include 138 children (M=48.57 months; 80 with DDs; 58 typically developing, TD) enrolled in 13 inclusive preschool classrooms. During monthly observations, the beginning and end time of each child’s participation in each activity was recorded. Structured activities included circle time, story time, and organized play. Unstructured activities included free play, outside play, and meal times. Transitions between activities, naps, and personal care times were also recorded but not included in the comparison. Children’s expressive and receptive language abilities were assessed via the Preschool Language Scales (PLS-5).

For each child, we calculated the amount of time they participated in structured activities as a proportion of their total class time, and then averaged this proportion over observations. There was variation within and across classes with respect to the proportion of time children spent in each activity (see Figure 1 for example classes). Because children within a class are likely more similar in the amount of time spent in each activity, we used mixed effects regression with children nested in classes to account for that class level variation. Across classes, we found that children with DDs tended to spend less time in structured activities and more time in unstructured activities than children with TD, p=.010. We then predicted children’s PLS-5 scores from their group (DD versus TD) and their proportion of time in structured activities. Children seemed to benefit from more time spent in structured activities, as evidenced by an association between time in structured activities and their expressive language, but this association was only significant for TD children, p=.031(Figure 2). Time in structured activities was not associated with children’s receptive language scores.

Together, results suggest a potential role for structured activities in supporting children’s language. Notably, the association between time in structured activities and language was strongest for expressive language. This finding could indicate a potential mechanism by which structured activities, in which teachers may elicit more verbal responses from children through call-and-response routines, provide children with opportunities to practice language and build their expressive skills. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of considering the role of context in creating teaching and social learning opportunities.

Authors

• Lynn K Perry, University of Miami
  Presenting Author

• Nicole P Vershov, University of Miami

• Stephanie Custode, University of Miami

• Batya Elbaum, University of Miami

• Daniel Messinger, University of Miami