An introduction to the many-facet Rasch model as a method to improve observational quality measures with an application to measuring the teaching of emotion skills

Recent reviews have called attention to limitations of existing observational measures of early childhood classroom quality, including low rater agreement, ceiling/floor effects, and imprecise estimation. We offer an introduction to the many-facet Rasch model (MFRM), discussing how it can be used to iteratively improve measures to address such limitations. We provide an example of applying the MFRM to develop the EMOtion TEaching Rating Scale (EMOTERS) in order to capture the practices that teachers use in support of children's developing knowledge, expression, and regulation of emotion. The MFRM produced fine-grained statistics about how 23 raters scored 1609 10-minute video occasions from 18 classrooms with EMOTERS Version 6. Results were compared to traditional rater agreement and internal consistency statistics. With an eye toward continuous measure improvement, we discuss planned revisions of the EMOTERS as well as implications for the application of the MFRM to other measures

Quality Interactions in Early Childhood Education and Care Center Outdoor Environments

Quality interactions are crucial for children\u27s learning and development. Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centers have the opportunity to support children\u27s learning and development, yet the quality of interactions and influences on the quality of interactions in outdoor environments is not known. Research findings: this study assessed the quality of educator interactions in outdoor environments using the CLASS Pre-K assessment tool. 11 ECEC centres participated in the study, which included 110 educators and 490 children. 87 observations were collected to measure the CLASS Pre-K domains (1-lowest to 7-highest). Mean domain scores were 6.02 (emotional support), 5.23 (Classroom Organization) and 4.46 (Instructional Support). Regression analyses show free routines had significant relationships with Teacher Sensitivity (p = 0.03) and Instructional Learning Formats (p = 0.03), and increased amounts of time spent outside had the most significant relationships with Teacher Sensitivity (p = 0.001) and Behavior Management (p = 0.001). Practice or Policy: The major recommendations that would serve to improve the quality of interactions in outdoor environments include providing a free routine and increasing the amount of time spent in outdoor environments. As these recommendations are modifiable practices, they are potentially the easiest to alter and therefore, with minimal change, could enhance the quality of interactions between educators and children

The Influence of Instructional Practices on Reading Motivation in Finland

Although the differences between individuals in language and literacy skills and motivation to read start before entering school, teachers and their instructional practices play an important role in the development of reading skills and the various aspects of motivation, especially children’s interest in reading. Interest in reading has been reported to contribute to the reading activity and to the amount of reading which, in turn, promote students’ reading performance. It has been assumed that children’s previous success with learning the basics of reading has provided them with positive feedback about the learning situation, thereby strengthening their interest in reading. Teachers and their instruction provide an important environment for children’s learning and motivation. Child-centered teaching practices that are sensitive to the development of children’s autonomy, competence beliefs, and social interactions with peers support interest in reading. The high-quality classroom interactions described by emotionally supportive relationships in a well-organized classroom have been shown to be of particular importance in the development of children’s reading skills and motivation, especially among children at risk of having reading difficulties. The present chapter attempts to describe the development of interest in reading and how teaching practices and the quality of teacher-child interactions observed in classrooms influence children’s reading interest, particularly among boys and at-risk children in the Finnish language context. According to international comparative education studies of achievement, Finland has a high-quality educational system and high performance outcomes across the school years. The results reported here are based on a longitudinal First Steps study among 2000 children and their teachers from kindergarten to grade 4. Reading instruction is based on phonics, and a highly transparent Finnish orthography makes decoding relatively quick and easy for children to learn.peerReviewe

The relationship between emotion regulation, emotion knowledge and adjustment in preschoolers: A mediation model.

The study explored the total, direct and indirect effects of emotion knowledge on adjustment in preschoolers ans examined whether emotion regulation mediated the relationships between emotion knowledge and adjustment (social competence, and behavioral difficulties, such as anxiety–withdrawal and anger–aggression). Two hundred forty children (118 boys and 122 girls) from 3 to 5 years of age (mean age = 4.23, SD = .80) were administered a vocabulary test to check their verbal ability and a measure of emotion knowledge. Teachers filled out two questionnaires about children’s regulation and adjustment variables. A mediation model was tested combined with an assessment of the indirect effects to evaluate whether emotion knowledge may exert an influence on adjustment through the intervention of emotion regulation. Results showed that all conditions for full mediation were met for social competence and anxiety–withdrawal, confirming the mediation role of emotion regulation in the relationship between emotion knowledge and these variables. Moreover, results indicated that emotion knowledge and anger–aggression were not directly associated as they would be in case of full or partial mediation, but they were however indirectly related through a significant linking with emotion regulation. Findings may have potential implications for prevention and intervention programs in family and school contexts, suggesting how early childhood programs targeting emotion knowledge may be especially beneficial to promote social competence and prevent behavioral problems, above all if they include other emotion-related competences, such as emotion regulation, that may be considered the linking mechanism through which emotion knowledge exerts an influence on adjustment