Task and Participation Structures in Kindergartens Using a Holistic Literacy Teaching Perspective

Abstract

This study examines task and participation structures in kindergartens using a holistic approach to literacy instruction. 20 kindergarten classrooms, from 10 schools in a large urban school district, were observed and videotaped for 2 full days of integrated language instruction, totaling 24 hours of instruction. Across all classrooms, 388 literacy tasks were observed. Tasks were analyzed on 5 dimensions including activity format, duration, cognitive complexity, organization, and participation structures. Results indicated that the preponderance of activities were meaning-based (62%), including story reading, comprehension, and drawing activities. Over half of the observed tasks, however, relied on students' ability to recognize or reproduce information already encountered. Mean percentage of utterances indicated that 65% of the organizational time involved recitation-like lessons in whole-class arrangements, with little time devoted to collaborative learning. From a perspective of developmental appropriateness, these practices reflect literacy learning as a constructive process. Still, extensive time spent in wholeclass, didactic instruction with little emphasis on individualized teaching suggests that qualitative changes in kindergarten literacy instruction are warranted.