Observations of Individual Children's Language Use and Classroom Activity Engagement in Child Gender and Home Language/Ethnicity

• In Event: Teaching and Learning From a Worldwide Perspective

Abstract

This study aims to examine children's classroom experiences in Head Start (HS), focusing on differences in language use and engagement by gender and home language/ethnicity. HS is designed to provide quality early education for children in poverty; however, children's classroom experiences are considerably varied. This study included 3- and 4-year-old children (n=1,124) in the Midwest. The Child Observational Protocol (COP) was used, and the variations were examined through two-way ANOVA. Results show that Spanish-speaking children are more likely to be non-verbal and less engaged. Burmese-speaking children are more likely to be listening to teachers and teacher-led academic instruction. This information calls for further studies on how classroom experiences, including teacher and peer interactions, will differ by children's given characteristics.

Authors

• Boo Young Lim, University of Oklahoma

• Shinyoung Jeon, University of Oklahoma

• Kyong-Ah Kwon, University of Oklahoma

• Sherri L. Castle, Child Trends