ABSTRACT

Previous research suggests that the ways in which early childhood classrooms are organized may facilitate children’s language learning. However, different measures of classroom organization often yield inconsistent findings regarding child outcomes. In this study, we investigated multiple aspects of classroom organization across two time points in classrooms where children made varying language gains. Using a purposeful sample of 60 early childhood classrooms, 30 in which children made higher language gains and 30 in which children made lower language gains, we explored the organization of the physical classroom literacy environment, classroom management, classroom time, and classroom activities. Research Findings: Results indicated that the organization of classroom time and classroom activities, but not of the classroom literacy environment nor of classroom management, differed across classrooms. Differences between classrooms were particularly salient in the fall. Practice or Policy: Findings suggest similarities and differences in the organizational patterns of classrooms, both at the start of the school year and across time. This has implications for how early childhood classrooms are organized to facilitate children’s language learning and highlights the importance of supporting teachers with establishing classroom organization early in the school year. Furthermore, these results emphasize the value of using multiple measures when exploring classroom organization.

摘要

先前的研究表明，幼儿教室的组织方式可能有助于儿童的语言学习。然而，不同的课堂组织措施常常会得出关于儿童成果的不一致的结果。在这项研究中，我们调查了课堂组织在两个时间点的多个方面，在这两个时间点，孩子们获得了不同的语言收益。我们对 60 个幼儿教室进行了有目的的抽样，其中 30 个教室的儿童语言增益较高，30 个教室的儿童语言增益较低，我们探索了课堂实体读写环境的组织、课堂管理、课堂时间和课堂活动。研究成果：结果表明，课堂时间和课堂活动的组织，但课堂识字环境和课堂管理的组织，在各个教室之间没有差异。秋季，教室之间的差异尤其明显。实践或政策：调查结果表明，无论是在学年开始时还是在不同时期，教室的组织模式都有相似之处和差异。这对于如何组织幼儿课堂以促进儿童的语言学习具有重要意义，并强调了支持教师在学年初期建立课堂组织的重要性。此外，这些结果强调了在探索课堂组织时使用多种措施的价值。