AN INVESTIGATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL ENVIRONMENT IN KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS

Year 2013, Volume: 8 Issue: 1, 103 - 114, 01.02.2013

Canan Aydoğan

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate teachers’
current instructional practices in kindergarten classrooms. To this end,
four-hour classroom observations were conducted in forty-five classrooms. Results
indicated that on average, classrooms spent almost 44% of the time on
teacher-directed instruction and almost 14% of the time on child-centered
instruction. Classrooms also spent almost 42% of their time on
non-instructional activities, such as meals, waiting for the next activity, and
lining up for lunch or bathroom. With respect to the content of observed
activities, in an average classroom, almost 41% of the time was spent with no
content. Across ten content areas coded in the study, codes for visual arts,
mixed, games, and language arts were relatively frequently observed. On the
other hand, in the observed activities, mathematics, science, reading, social
studies, drama, and music were the content areas that were less likely to be
covered. Furthermore, mean level of instruction observed in these classrooms
indicated teachers’ support of low-level to basic skills development in
children. These findings have critical implications for future research in understanding
children’s classroom experiences, and as a consequence their subsequent
achievement in school.

Keywords

Kindergarten Education, Young Children, Focus of Instruction, Content of Instruction, Classroom Observation

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