Early Childhood Educators’ Use of Language-Support Practices with 4-Year-Old Children in Child Care Centers

The importance of encouraging language skills in early childhood has been well documented. Educators who are responsible for children in daycare services have many opportunities to use rich and stimulating educational practices that support language acquisition. The purpose of this study was to asse...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Early childhood education journal 2010-03, Vol.37 (5), p.371-379
Main Authors: Bouchard, Caroline, Bigras, Nathalie, Cantin, Gilles, Coutu, Sylvain, Blain-Brière, Bénédicte, Eryasa, Joell, Charron, Annie, Brunson, Liesette
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Canada
Child care
Child Care Centers
Child development
Day care centers
Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Teachers
Education
Educational Environment
Educational Practices
Educational Quality
Foreign Countries
French
Interaction
Language acquisition
Language Skills
Language Usage
Learning and Instruction
Ontario (Toronto)
Preschool children
Quebec
Rating Scales
Skill Development
Sociology
Sociology of Education
Teacher Educators
Teaching Methods
Thinking Skills
Young Children
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The importance of encouraging language skills in early childhood has been well documented. Educators who are responsible for children in daycare services have many opportunities to use rich and stimulating educational practices that support language acquisition. The purpose of this study was to assess the language-support practices used by 22 educators in ECE centers with 174 children (87 girls and 87 boys) aged 55.7 months on average (SD = 4.2). The Teacher Interaction and Language Rating Scale developed by Girolametto et al. (Teacher interaction and language rating scale, Hanen Centre, Toronto, 2000 ) was translated and adapted for use in French. Analyses reveal the heterogeneity of language support provided to 4-year-old children attending early childhood education centers in Québec (Canada). Results are discussed in relation to the importance of the educational setting and specific training on language skill development provided to educators around promoting language skills in children, a fundamental prerequisite for educational success.
ISSN:1082-3301
1573-1707
DOI:10.1007/s10643-009-0355-7