Classroom Interaction and Pedagogic Practice: A Bernsteinian Analysis

Abstract

Language development through social interaction is a key element in early childhood pedagogy. Because children enter prekindergarten programs at an age in which language and social competencies are still developing, teachers of young children have a unique role in this key stage of development. However, the ways in which teachers socially construct their own roles as instructors and facilitators has a significant impact on the ways that they use language and interact with children in their classrooms. This subsequently affects the manner by which children learn to interact with each other. This is a Bernsteinian analysis of a dual case study of two low-income early childhood programs in Chicago. The pedagogies of the two programs require teachers to construct their roles differently, resulting in differences in language use and social interaction. This study evaluates resulting differences in child language use and how children learn to interact with each other differently in the two programs.