Quality of language and literacy instruction in preschool classrooms serving at-risk pupils

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Abstract

Policy-makers, administrators, researchers, and teachers are increasingly vested in ensuring the quality of preschool instruction, particularly in the areas of language and literacy. This research was conducted to characterize the quality of language and literacy instruction in 135 publicly funded preschool classrooms serving at-risk pupils. As all teachers in these classrooms were implementing the same language and literacy curriculum, we also studied the interrelationships among procedural fidelity to a prescribed curriculum and the quality of language and literacy instruction, determining whether procedural fidelity is associated or disassociated with quality instruction. Results showed that the quality of language and literacy instruction in classrooms was low, with few teachers delivering high-quality instruction. Although teachers were able to implement a prescribed language and literacy curriculum with a high degree of procedural fidelity, this was not associated with quality instruction. Few structural characteristics of classrooms or teachers were systematically associated with quality of instruction. Findings have important implications for professional development of teachers by suggesting a need for a sustained and coherent focus on the process of instruction to elevate instructional quality in language and literacy.

Section snippets

Participants

Participants were 135 teachers involved in a professional development study of state-funded preschools in one mid-Atlantic state. Forty school districts within the state were randomly selected to participate, and within each district, teacher participation in the professional development study was voluntary. All of the teachers held a Bachelor's degree, and 36% (n = 49) had an advanced degree. The major of the highest degree for 89 teachers was Early Childhood Education (n = 52) or Elementary

Results

A total of 135 preschool teachers were observed via videotape administering a literacy lesson (n = 83) or a language lesson (n = 52) within the classrooms. Literacy lessons addressed one or more objectives related to phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, or print awareness; language lessons addressed one or more objectives related to vocabulary and linguistic concepts, narrative, or pragmatics and social language. Across the 135 lessons observed, instruction was characteristically of low

Discussion

The primary aim of this research was to characterize the quality of language and literacy instruction occurring in preschool classrooms serving at-risk pupils upon adoption of a new curriculum. This research contributes to an applied body of work developed in response to accumulating evidence showing that children who enter kindergarten with well-developed language and literacy skills perform better in beginning reading instruction relative to those with less-developed skills, the latter facing

Acknowledgements

We express gratitude to all of the MTP research personnel and the teachers and children who participated in the larger study.

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    This study was conducted by the MyTeachingPartner Research Group supported by grant R01 HD046061 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Interagency Consortium on School Readiness.

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