The attunement principles: a comparison of nurture group and mainstream settings

Abstract

ABSTRACTTwo key areas identified for research are differences in practice between nurture groups and mainstream classrooms, and nurturing approaches in rural and low-density populations. This study compared classroom practice in a nurture group serving a wide rural area with the four mainstream classes to which the five children in the group belonged. The target behaviour was the frequency of use of the six principles for developing attunement – being attentive, encouraging initiatives, receiving initiatives, developing attuned interactions, guiding and deepening discussion. Two 1-h time samples were taken in the nurture group and each of the mainstream settings. The attunement principles, both collectively and for each of the six principles separately, were used significantly more frequently and more consistently in the nurture group than in each of the mainstream settings. The results suggest that teacher behaviour in nurture group and mainstream settings differs in terms of attunement. This study indicates the feasibility of conducting controlled research in small rural settings.