Taking a Deep Dive into the Nuances of Early Childhood Classrooms
July 2019, our team (Kelly Purtell, Arya Ansari, Jessica Logan, & Laura Justice) at the College of Education and Human Ecology’s Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy was awarded a $1.4 million grant from the Institute for Educational Sciences to examine the ways in which mixed-age classrooms shape preschool children’s early learning and development. This topic is of great research and policy interest because recent estimates from the United States reveal that roughly 65% of preschool classrooms that serve 3- and/or 4-year-olds have over a 12-month difference in age between the oldest and youngest student in the classroom, and 35% report an age difference of 18 months or greater (National Survey of Early Care and Education, 2012). The high prevalence of mixed-age classrooms is potentially concerning as recent studies of nationally representative Head Start classrooms have shown that mixed-age classrooms are associated with smaller gains in early literacy and math skills for the older children in the classrooms (Ansari, Purtell, & Gershoff, 2016).
Despite their prevalence and potential impacts on children, very little is known about what goes on in mixed-age classrooms and how they may differ from classrooms that focus on children of a single age. The goal of this project is to fill in this gap in knowledge and understand how different aspects of mixed-age classrooms relate to children’s academic and social growth across one year of preschool. As part of this effort, we are examining classroom-level factors, such as the rigor of academic content and the use of small groups. We are also focusing on children’s individual experiences with classrooms, including their unique interactions with their teacher and peers. To complete this work, we will partner with preschool providers across Ohio and collect data in 150 classrooms over the next three years. This will include interviews and surveys with teachers and directors, classroom observations, and assessments of children’s learning and development. We plan to identify practices that promote positive development for children and eventually develop training modules to help teachers incorporate these practices into their own mixed-age classrooms.
To learn more about this project, contact Kelly Purtell at purtell.15@osu.edu.
Reference:
Ansari, A., Purtell, K. M., & Gershoff, E. T. (2016). Classroom age composition and the school readiness of three- and four-year old children in the Head Start program. Psychological Science, 27, 53-63.
