2-088 - Explaining Differences in Observed Teacher-Toddler Interactions: Emerging International Research Provides Some Answers

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Recent evidence indicates that teacher-toddler interactions as measured by CLASS (LaParo et al., 2010) consistently relate to a range of young children’s developmental outcomes across diverse cultural contexts. Despite these advances in understanding the critical role of teacher-child interactions in toddler classrooms, the field has very little understanding of what contributes to the observed differences in interactions. This panel aims to fill this gap by exploring what contributes to differences observed in teacher-toddler interactions across varying international contexts. The panel will consist of a chair and three presentations. The chair will provide a brief overview of CLASS as a valid measure of teacher-child interactions in toddler classrooms. The first paper will examine relationships between CLASS and other measures of quality in child care centers serving children ages 0 to 36 months in Ecuador. The second paper investigates the extent to which the quality of teacher-child interactions varies across different types of activities in ECEC centers from seven European countries with different ECEC systems, policies and cultural values. The final paper examines how teacher and child talk in toddler classrooms in seven European countries varies with teacher-toddler interaction quality. The chair will reflect on what malleable factors influence teacher-child interactions in toddler classrooms, the role cultural context may play and how standardized measures might assist in furthering the field. Time will be provided for questions and discussion with the audience to further the exploration of understanding variation in teacher-child interactions in toddler classrooms across contexts.

Sub Unit

• School Readiness/Childcare

Chair

• Jennifer LoCasale-Crouch, University of Virginia

Individual Presentations

• Correlations between Child Care Quality Measures: Lessons for Monitoring Process Variables at Scale - Presenting Author: Florencia Lopez Boo, Inter-American Development Bank; Marta Dormal, Inter-American Development Bank; Ann Weber, Stanford University

• Variation in Teacher-Toddler Interaction Quality Across Types of Activities: A Multiple Case Study in Seven European Countries - Presenting Author: Joana Cadima, University of Porto; Pauline Slot, Utrecht University; Jenni Salminen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland; Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen, University of Jyväskylä

• Educational Dialogues in Toddler Classrooms in Seven European Countries - Presenting Author: Jenni Salminen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland; Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen, University of Jyväskylä