Project Activities
The researchers conducted three interrelated, exploratory studies. For study 1, they explored how state-, local-, and school-level policies and programmatic decisions influence classroom ecologies in Ohio. For study 2, they examined the ways in which dimensions of classroom ecology relate to students’ outcomes in preschool through third grade. For study 3, the researchers conducted a longitudinal study to examine the classroom ecology as experienced by students from kindergarten entry through third grade and identify which experiences mattered most for students’ academic and social development. The researchers also worked with the network’s assessment research team to develop a new classroom observation tool that can be used to assess structural and process features of preschool and kindergarten to third grade classrooms.
Structured Abstract
Setting
This project took place in Ohio. The primary setting for study 1 (systems-level study) was the entire state of Ohio. For studies 2 and 3, the researchers used public school districts near Columbus, Ohio.
Sample
The sample for study 1 included state-level policymakers as well as school personnel (such as superintendents, administrators, and teachers) from 24 districts across Ohio. The sample for study 2 included 3,370 students from 139 classrooms, spanning preschool to third grade. The sample for study 3 included 801 students, of which 592 attended preschools the year before kindergarten and 205 students who did not attend preschool.
The factors in this study included four dimensions of classroom ecology, including classroom composition, peer network and norms, teacher practices, and student experiences. Classroom composition describes the way in which students are organized into classrooms as a function of different attributes (such as sex, age, ethnicity, linguistic background, and socioeconomic status) and captures attributes of the group with which a student interacts. Peer network and norms account for the breadth, depth, and quality of peer affiliations among students within a classroom. These network structures can shape students’ social interactions and relationships. Teacher practices capture how teachers approach their instruction within the classroom, such as the amount of time they expose students to academic content, collaborative discussions, small-group instruction, and their attitudes and emotions. Student experiences depict the encounters that individual students have within the classroom environment, such as their interactions and relationships with peers.
Research design and methods
For study 1, the research team collected data to study relevant policy issues at four levels (state, district, school, and classroom). They completed document reviews and conduct semi-structured interviews with preschool program staff and school district personnel. Within each district (n = 24), researchers interviewed key informants, including superintendents, principals, teachers, and school board members, to gain a comprehensive overview of the district.
For study 2, the researchers recruited two cohorts of students and teachers from two large school districts in central Ohio. The majority of each cohort’s students participated in the study for a single academic year, although preschool participants were followed through the end of third grade as part of study 3. Members of the research team collected measures of students’ learning and achievement, dimensions of classroom ecology, and family and teacher characteristics. The research team collected direct child assessment data in fall and spring of each year.
For study 3, the researchers conducted a longitudinal study and followed 801 students from kindergarten through third grade. Study 3 focused on two subgroups as identified in kindergarten: preschool attenders and preschool nonattenders. Preschool attenders were identified as those who attended head start, public school, or center-based care prior to attending kindergarten. The research team assessed students twice per year (fall and spring) and collected classroom-level data twice per year (fall and spring). The researchers also collected caregiver data.
Control condition
Due to the nature of the research design, there was no control condition.
Key measures
The researchers used the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and the Classroom Snapshot (C-SNAP) to collect classroom observational data. They also used Teacher Report of Peer Interaction (TRPI) to capture aspects of the classroom ecology. They measured student outcomes using instruments such as the Woodcock Johnson Test of Achievement-III, the Teacher Child Rating Scale, the Head-to-Toes task, the Student Victimization Scale, the Perception of Peer Social Support Scale, and teacher reported grades, attendance, and disciplinary actions. The researchers measured teacher-level factors using instruments such as the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, Teacher's Sense of the School as Community, and the Attitude toward Teaching as a Career questionnaire. They also used a family background questionnaire, a measure of family involvement in children's schooling, a caregiver report of household stability, and the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale (CHAOS) to assess the organization of the home environment.
Data analytic strategy
For study 1, the researchers developed an inductive coding scheme to code the interview data. They research team used QRS International's NVivo 10, a qualitative analysis software program, to manage and analyze data. The researchers used qualitative data to examine the variety of practices and policies implemented across the state and examined how policies and practices vary across different areas of the state. For study 2, the researchers conducted multilevel factor analysis and multilevel structural equation modeling to test models of classroom ecology and associations with child outcomes at different grade levels. For study 3, the researchers conducted multilevel analyses to examine how kindergarten classroom ecology predicts students’ adjustment to kindergarten and students' academic skills (reading, math, language), social behavioral competence (behavior problems, social competence, self-regulation), and emotional adjustment (social preference, loneliness, and school avoidance) during preschool to third grade.
Key outcomes
- The research found four distinct and reliable dimensions of the P-3 classroom ecology: classroom composition, peer network and norms, teacher practices, and student experiences (Justice et al., 2022).
- Peer experiences in preschool classrooms are important for math and literacy development during kindergarten transition. Specifically, denser, or more inter-connected preschool classrooms and classrooms in which teachers are attentive to students’ skill levels in creating groupings have longitudinal positive influences on math and literacy growth (Jiang et al., 2023).
- An estimated 70 percent of kindergarteners exhibit difficulties with the kindergarten transition in at least one area, such as following routines and directions, adjusting to academic demands (Jiang et al., 2021).
- Students who have fewer difficulties transitioning into kindergarten show greater gains in math, reading, and social-behavioral skills at the end of kindergarten, even after controlling for kindergarten readiness skills, child and family characteristics, and classroom-level contextual factors (Sun et al., 2024).
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Project website:
Publications:
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
Select Publications:
Allen, E. C., Black, A. L., Lin, T. J., Purtell, K. M., & Justice, L. M. (2022). Extracurricular activity participation in kindergarten children: Who participates, and why does it matter? Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 83, 1-10.
Ansari, A., Yang, Q., Purtell, K. M., Lin, T. J., & Justice, L. M. (2023). Kindergarteners' Peer Relationships and Early School Absenteeism. Journal of applied developmental psychology, 86, 101529.
Chen, J., Jiang, H., Justice, L. M., Lin, T.-J., Purtell, K. M., Ansari, A. (2020). Influences of teacher-child relationships and classroom social management on child-perceived peer social experiences during early school years. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 586991.
Chen, J., Lin, T.-J., Jiang, H., Justice, L., Purtell, K., & Logan, J. (2020). Triple alignment: Congruence of perceived preschool social networks between teacher, children, and researchers. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1341.
Chen, J., Jiang, H., Justice, L., Lin, T.-J., & Purtell, K. (2022). One size doesn't fit all: Profiles of isolated children in early childhood. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 80, 101397.
Dore, R. A., Logan, J., Lin, T.-J., Purtell, K. M., Justice, L. M. (2020). Associations Between Children’s Media Use and Language and Literacy Skills. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1734.
Dore, R. A., Logan, J., Lin, T.-J., Purtell, K. M., & Justice, L. (2020). Characteristics of children’s media use and gains in language and literacy skills. Frontiers in Developmental Psychology, 11, 2224.
Helsabeck, N. P., Logan, J. A. R., Justice, L. M., Purtell, K. M., Lin, T.-J. (2020). Pathways to kindergarten: A latent class analysis of children’s time in early education and carev. Early Education and Development 32(5), 764-788 2021.
Jiang, H., Justice, L., Purtell, K. M., Lin, T.-J., Logan, J. (2020). Prevalence and prediction of kindergarten-transition difficulties. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 55, 15-23.
Jiang, H., Justice, L., Lin, T. -J., Purtell, K, & Sun, J. (2023). Peer experience in the preschool classroom: Contribution to children's academic development. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 86.
Justice, L. M., Jiang, H., Purtell, K. M., Lin, T. J., & Ansari, A. (2021). Academics of the early primary grades: Investigating the alignment of instructional practices from pre-k to third grade, Early Education and Development, 33(7), 1237-1255.
Justice, L. M., Jiang, H., Sun, J., Lin, T. J., Purtell, K, Ansari, A & Helsabeck, N. (2022). Classrooms are complex host environments: An integrative theoretical measurement model of the pre-k to grade 3 classroom ecology, Early Education and Development, 34(4), 979-1009.
Kim, S., Lin, T. J., Chen, J., Logan, J., Purtell, K. M., & Justice, L. M. (2020). Influence of teachers’ grouping strategies on children’s peer social experiences in early elementary classrooms. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 3583.
Lin, T.-J., Chen, J., Lu, M., Sun, J., Purtell, K., Ansari, A., & Justice, L. (2023). The influence of classroom language contexts on dual language learners’ language development. Journal of Educational Psychology, 115(6), 877–890.
Myrtil, M., Lin, T. -J., Chen, J., Justice, L., Purtell, K., Logan, J., & Hamilton, A. (2021). Pros and (con)flict: Using head-mounted cameras to identify teachers’ roles in intervening in conflict among preschool children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 55, 230-241.
Purtell, K. M., Valauri, A., Road-Drogalis, A., Jiang, H., Justice, L., Lin, T., & Logan, J. A. R. (2020). Understanding policies and practices that support successful transitions to kindergarten. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 52, 5-14.
Rhoad-Drogalis, A., Justice L. M., Lin, T.-J., Purtell, K. M., & Logan, J. (2020). Profiles of preschool attendance and children’s kindergarten readiness. Early Education and Development., 32(8), 1260-1273.
Singletary, B., Justice, L., Baker, S. C., Lin, T.-J., Purtell, K., & Schmeer, K. (2022). Parent time investments in their children’s learning during a policy-mandated shutdown: Parent, child, and household influences. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 60, 250-261.
Singletary, B., Schmeer, K., Purtell, K., Sayers, R., Justice, L., Lin, T. -J., & Jiang, H. (2022). Understanding family life during the COVID-19 shutdown. Family Relations, 71, 475-493.
Sun, J., Justice, L. M., Jiang, H., Purtell, K. M., Lin, T. -J., & Ansari, A. (2024). Big little leap: The role of transition difficulties in children’s skill development during kindergarten. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.12.008
Schmeer, K. K., Singletary, B., Purtell, K. M., & Justice, L. M. (2023). Family Disruption and Parenting During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Family Issues, 44(1), 112-138.
Sun, J., Singletary, B., Jiang, H., Justice, L. M., Lin, T. J., & Purtell, K. M. (2022). Child behavior problems during COVID-19: Associations with parent distress and child social-emotional skills. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 78, 101375.
Additional project information
This project served as one of the research teams for the Early Learning Network, which focused on understanding and implementation of policies and programs that support early learning and ongoing academic success.
Questions about this project?
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