An Experimental Method of Relating Variations in Teacher Participation to Measures of Child Fatigue in Preschool Training Programs

Abstract

Child fatigue has long been a recognized limiting factor in preschool education. While it has been examined in relationship to several factors, it has never been examined relative to degree of teacher-child interaction. The pres ent study systematically varied two levels of teacher participation across morning and afternoon sessions during which observations were made for fatigue criteria. A total of 2,280 1-minute time-samples were examined for nine teen middle-class children enrolled in a day care center sponsored by the University of Tennessee. Younger girls exhibited significantly less fatigue under conditions of high teacher-child interaction, and this trend was noted for all children regardless of the period of the day. All groups displayed less fatigue in the mornings than they did in the afternoons although the differences were not significant. Fatigue was reported in approximately one-fifth of the observations, indicating the importance of examining this factor for control purposes. IN THE United States, attention is currently focused on the young child. Efforts to provide en richment programs for culturally deprived chil dren, and to improve the level of child day care center programs for the children of working mothers, have become matters of national interest in education. One of the most serious considera tions of the day care center for young children has been the length of time it must be open each day if the needs of the working mothers are to be met. Research has given little attention to the study of the fatiguing effects of day care center programs. Our knowledge in this respect appears particularly limited with regard to teacher partic ipation and the temporal effects of program plan ning.