Mixed-age Classrooms Research Articles

Preschool Classroom Age Composition and Physical Literacy Environment: Influence on Children’s Emergent Literacy Outcomes

ABSTRACT Research Findings: The classroom physical literacy environment is a malleable and domain-specific contributor to children’s emergent literacy acquisition. However, what shapes the physical literacy environment remains unclear. In this study, we drew on a sample of 895 4-year-olds across 223 classrooms from the Professional Development Study and tested the role of classroom age composition in shaping the physical literacy environment. Additionally, we examined the extent to which the physical literacy environment explained the associations between classroom age composition and emergent literacy outcomes. We found that classrooms with a higher proportion of younger children (2- or 3-year-olds) provide less book use, writing materials, and writing around the room. Notably, the lack of writing displayed around the room served as one potential reason why 4-year-olds demonstrate smaller gains in expressive language skills in these classrooms. Practice or Policy: Together, these findings highlight the need for investing in the classroom physical literacy environment to ensure that it meets the needs of all children in mixed-age classrooms.

Let’s Write a Comic Together! Exploring Peer Collaborative Writing in EFL Secondary Mixed-age Classrooms

Based on the beliefs (assertions) that students benefit socially and cognitively from interacting with peers of different ages, mixed-age (M-A) classrooms have attracted much attention from educators, education policymakers, and researchers. Nevertheless, research into the role and impact of age grouping in second (L2) and foreign language (FL) learning is rather scarce. Moreover, a growing body of research has shown that by linking oral and written modes, collaborative writing (CW) aids language learning. However, the majority of studies have investigated adult and young adult students, and very few were conducted with secondary and high school students. Based on our knowledge, no study has explored CW in M-A secondary school classrooms. With these research gaps in mind, and drawing predominantly on documentary analysis of student written work, the present study examined CW of 28 students of English as a foreign language (EFL) aged 12 to 15 old learners who jointly wrote a comic. The findings point to limitations of M-A peer interaction suggesting that there is a threshold for the younger learners in terms of benefiting from CW with their older partners. Similarly, the findings suggest that the extent to which OS benefit is rather limited.

Examination of pre-school teachers' opinions on mixed age groups in education

This research was conducted in order to determine the opinions of preschool teachers on eduation with a mixed age group in preschool education. In the research, the case study method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in order to examine the opinions of the teachers in detail. The study group of the research consists of 12 pre-school teachers who were selected by the criterion sampling method, one of the purposive sampling methods, working in the schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in the Kirikhan District of Hatay Province and teaching in classes of mixed age groups. The data of the research were obtained with a semi-structured interview form applied to pre-school teachers. As a result of the research, it was concluded that teaching in a mixed-age classroom gave teachers different perspectives on experiences and events, and that teachers had the most difficulty in preparing a joint education plan suitable for all age levels. Furthermore, in the research, it was concluded that receiving education with a mixed-age group supports the development of the students, gives responsibility to the older students, reinforces their knowledge, and gives exemplary behaviors to the younger students.

철학 이론을 회절하며 유아놀이 관찰 데이터 읽기: 스카프와의 마주침

This paper is about two researchers’ journey of enlivening the vitality of data from observation of young children’s play with scarves in a mixed-age classroom of 3- and 4-year-olds, by diffractively analyzing data with/through philosophical theories. Researchers endeavored to understand how the encounter with the observer, material agency of a scarf, memories and desires of young children, and discovered that socioculturally constructed meanings were all entangled to generate, disperse, connect, disconnect, and enfold heterogeneous spacetimes and material-discursive plays. Diffractive methodology was adopted to reassemble data while diffracting and intra-acting with theories of Foucault, Deleuze, and Barad. The vitality of play observation data was also entangled with the researchers toward spacetimemattering of data diffracted in-between multiple theories and practices, researchers’ past-present-future, an early childhood classroom and a graduate school classroom, human and non-human, along with our iteratively drawing/blurring their boundaries, and making new connections. We suggest the thinking-with-theory-data would open doors to illuminating the entanglements of space, time, materials, and meanings embedded in the play observation data.

Student Perspective: Internship Exploring Intellectual and Social Benefits of Adult Study Abroad

Older adult participation in lifelong learning programs – such as university continuing education opportunities and the Age-Friendly University global network – has grown steadily over the last few years. Many of these programs are characterized by mixed-age classrooms in which undergraduate students share space and learning, remotely during Covid, with older adult participants who pay a nominal fee. Survey findings will be presented from older students involved in two university programs in this category: Temple University’s “senior scholars” program and Georgetown University’s “senior auditors” program, specifically related to the concept of adult study abroad. Adult study abroad is a new offering that combines the intellectual and social benefits of stimulating coursework with the transformative power of travel, and how the merging of these pursuits can produce purpose, meaning and community, especially for older adults. It is typically residential, academic, intergenerational, and of longer duration than a typical tourist experience.

Leaders and Followers during Sociodramatic Play: A Study of Racial/Ethnic Minority Preschool Children from Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Backgrounds

ABSTRACT Sociodramatic play is considered a critical context within which child leaders and followers may naturally emerge, while their cognitive abilities (e.g., theory of mind) and social competence are developed and applied. This study investigated child leadership and followership during sociodramatic play among 20 racial/ethnic minority 3- and 4-year-olds (70% of whom Spanish-speaking), all from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, in two mixed-age and mixed-gender preschool classrooms. Ten videotaped observations of these children during sociodramatic play were transcribed and analyzed. The findings revealed that the four most prominent leaders were all girls in the older group of 4-year-olds. They were also more cognitively, socially, and linguistically advanced than their peers. Except for one leader who could be characterized as a dominator, the other three as directors, sharing similar leadership characteristics. The four most prominent followers (two boys and two girls) could be characterized as complaisant conformists. Contrary to findings of previous studies, when playing with peers from similar backgrounds, socioeconomically disadvantaged children were capable of participating in sociodramatic play and exhibiting various effectiveness in leadership and followership, reflecting potentially their developmental characteristics, physical ecology, language abilities, social experiences, and theory of mind.

Playing gender(s): the re/construction of a suspect ‘gender identity’ through play

ABSTRACT The present work intends to analyse how pre-school aged children experience the re/construction of a ‘gender identity’ and the processes that create it as an essential, factual, and unchangeable reality – therefore, suspect. Given the growing importance of ‘gender identity development’ in child development literature, as well as the arising voices of ‘gender non-conforming’ childhoods, this theme seems particularly relevant when faced with the limitations imposed by macrosocial discourses of cisheteronormativity. Using grounded theory and ethnography, the re/construction processes were observed in a mixed-age kindergarten classroom in Porto and analysed through the feminist lens of gender performativity. It was possible to observe the following dimensions: clothing and accessories as performative marks of gender; beauty and its role in constructing femininities; play as a regulatory fiction, that is both shaped by and constructs gender differences; gender borders and how they can be reinstated, negotiated or defied.

Pedagogical challenges of foreign language teaching in mixed-age primary school classrooms

Abstract An increasing number of primary schools, mainly in western European countries, have established mixed-age (M‑A) classrooms due to the belief of the teaching community in the pedagogical and social benefits of this approach. In the area of foreign language teaching, the M‑A approach has gained popularity, particularly at the primary school level. However, despite the increase in the number of M‑A foreign language classrooms, the benefits of this approach remain unclear. This lack of clarity might be caused by the lack of research on M‑A teaching practices in foreign language classrooms. In this article, I first describe what M‑A classrooms are and address relevant research findings on M‑A teaching. At the heart of the article, I address in detail some important pedagogical challenges of M‑A teaching. Specifically, I consider in what ways and to what extent differentiated instruction is possible in these classrooms. Later, I discuss the issue of the “right” approach to M‑A teaching and provide some pedagogical suggestions.

Peer Interaction Patterns in Mixed-Age and Same-Age Chinese Kindergarten Classrooms: An Observation-based Analysis

ABSTRACT Research Findings: This study compared the peer interaction patterns in mixed-age and same-age Chinese preschool classrooms using videotaped behavioral observations. A total of 179 children (ages 3–6) from three mixed-age classes and three same-age classes were involved in this study. A total of 170 valid videos were obtained, including 85 videos from the mixed-age (Mage = 58.99 months, SD = 10.09, 34% girls) classrooms and 85 from the same-age (Mage = 57.74 months, SD = 10.84, 43% girls) classrooms. The results revealed that: (1) there was a significant age effect in the frequency and duration of peer interactions, with older children having more and longer interactions; (2) there was a significant between-group difference in the duration of peer interactions, with MA having a longer duration than SA; (3) there was a significant same-gender preference with children preferring interacting with the same gender peers; (4) the MA classrooms had significantly more positive interactions and significantly less neutral and negative interactions than the SA classrooms; and (5) the MA classrooms engaged in significantly more dominating and less neutral interactions than the SA ones. Practice or Policy: These findings have implications for early childhood teaching, classroom organization, and classroom management.

Exploring young learners’ L2 development and perceptions of mixed-age and same-age peer interactions in EFL mixed-age classrooms

Abstract Although foreign language instruction in mixed-age (M-A) is gaining popularity (Heizmann and Ries and Wicki 2015; Lau and Juby-Smith and Desbiens, 2017; Shahid Kazi and Moghal and Aziz 2018; Thurn 2011), the research is scarce. Drawing from multiple data sources, this study investigated to what extent do peer interactions among M-A and same-age (S-A) pairs aid L2 development and how students perceive their interactions. In this study, the same learners (N=24) aged between 10 and 12 interacted with the same and different age partners during common classroom lessons in two EFL classrooms. The results suggest that both S-A and M-A peer interactions aided L2 development. Although S-A pairs outperformed M-A pairs on the post-test, the results are not statistically significant. The analysis of students’ perceptions revealed that the majority of students prefer working in S-A to M-A pairs. In addition to age/proficiency differences, factors such as students’ relationships and perceptions of one’s own and partner’s proficiency greatly impact how they interact with one another.

War Schools: teaching innovations implemented across makeshift educational spaces during the military siege of Sarajevo

ABSTRACT Educational practices that developed under the conditions of the military siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War (1992 – 1995) are examined. Analyses of interviews with teachers and students are juxtaposed with archival documentation to reveal the mode of educational activities and the structure of the curriculum implemented. By exploring how different conceptualisations of space and time rendered by the condition of the siege prefigure different human activities, the development of educational infrastructures across the besieged city are traced chronologically. The analyses highlight two educational forms: War Schools a network of makeshift mixed-age underground classrooms and Radio School daily educational broadcasts—together with the curricular innovations they engendered. Departing from a focus on individual outcomes such as deficits, trauma, and aggressive behaviours, this work instead argues that collective educational activities have the ability to constructively mediate threatening external circumstances and support young people’s psychological capacities even during the times of crisis.

The psychology of bio-banding: a Vygotskian perspective

Context Bio-banding is the process of grouping players by their maturational status rather than chronological age. It is designed to limit the impact of maturational timing on talent identification and development and expose early and late maturing players to new learning experiences and challenges. A common criticism of bio-banding is that it does not consider age related differences in psychosocial and behaviour development. Objective The purpose of this case study is to describe how theory and research pertaining to the design and delivery of mixed-aged classrooms can be used to prepare early and late maturing players for bio-banding and optimise the benefits of this practice. Method After placing the players in their bio-banded groups, one Elite Premier League Academy provided bespoke group psychology sessions for early and late maturing players for six weeks. Results Providing bespoke psychology sessions for players maturation age allows for the cognitive processes of both early and late maturity status to work within the zone of proximal development. Conclusion Pedagogical practice associated with mixed age classrooms can be used in bio-banded contexts to benefit both early and late maturing players. Delivering psychological sessions alongside bio-banding permits learning and development to both ends of the maturity spectrum.

Три основания самоорганизации, или Монтессори в эпоху постнеклассической науки

The article is devoted to the study of self-organization in the Montessori Elementary school. The topic of self-organization was previously discussed within different areas of science by P. Kropotkin, H. Haken, E. Sheval and others. M. Montessori described conditions required for the big groups of children to study independently and productively. These conditions can be discussed through the lens of the modern science. The article contains three groups of the self-organization foundations in the Elementary school: philosophical, psychological and pedagogical. The philosophical foundations are the elements of the self-organizing system, which are the following: an open system, a big amount of the elements and the energy coming to the system from the outside. Psychological foundations are the executive functions development, self-determination and flow. Pedagogical foundations of the self-organization are the key elements of the Montessori Method: a prepared environment, observation by the teacher and mixed age classroom. The theoretical analysis shows that a Montessori Elementary school creates all conditions for self-organized system in any classroom.

School adaptation problems of primary school students in mixed-age classrooms

The aim of this study is to determine school adaptation problems of primary school students according to teachers' opinions. In this study, embedded mixed method design was used. The sample of this study consists of 909 first grade primary school students and 30 classroom teachers determined by stratified purposeful sampling method. Adaptation to School Scale and semi-structured interview form were used for data collection. In this study, descriptive statistics and differential analysis were used for quantitative data and descriptive analysis technique was used for qualitative data. As a result of the study, it was determined that 60-65 months old students sometimes experienced adaptation problems, while the students of 66-71 and 72-84 months old almost never experienced adaptation problems. In interviews, teachers stated that as their students' ages decreased, their school adaptation problems increased. Furthermore, school adaptation problems were found to be higher in students who study in Van province and did not receive preschool education. Accordingly, it can be suggested to prepare effective school adaptation curricula for primary school students.

Inefficiency in Childcare Production: Evidence from Italian Microdata

The purpose of the paper is to study inefficiency in the production technology of the childcare service and to carry out a comparative analysis of public and private day-care centres. An empirical analysis on cross-section micro-data from a region of northern Italy has been conducted by using an input-distance function with a translog specification. Estimates of the multi-output production technology and input-oriented technical inefficiency are obtained in a stochastic frontier model with a half-normally distributed one-sided error. Heteroscedasticity has been modelled to investigate the determinants of inefficiency and estimate their marginal effects. We find that production exhibits increasing returns with an estimated elasticity of scale of 1.21. Separability between inputs and outputs is rejected at a 5% level of significance. The average estimate of technical inefficiency is 10% and public centres are more inefficient than private centres by 4.1 percentage points. The proportion of part-time children and the presence of mixed-age classrooms are significant determinants of inefficiency which equally affect both public and private centres.

Continuity and changes in classroom age composition and achievement in Head Start

Using data from the Family and Child Experiences Survey 2009 Cohort (n = 1073), this study considered the implications of mixed-age education for young children's academic achievement when they experienced continuity and/or changes in classroom age composition across two years in Head Start (at age 3 and age 4). Results from these analyses revealed that children in classrooms with a greater number of younger children during their second year in Head Start exhibited fewer gains in mathematics and language and literacy. Additionally, children who transitioned from being in classrooms with largely older classmates during year one to classrooms with largely same-age peers during year two exhibited greater gains in academics than children who experienced two years of mixed-age classrooms. Stability in children's teachers, one of the hallmarks of mixed-age programming, was not associated with children's academic achievement nor did it attenuate the negative consequences of mixed-age classrooms.

Process quality for children under three years in early child care and family child care in Germany

ABSTRACT Over the last few decades, research has consistently shown that process quality in child care centers and family child care varies substantially, but is mostly at a mediocre level. Based on the NUBBEK sample (National Study on Education, Learning and Upbringing in Early Childhood), an expanded model of process quality tests the influence of region, structural characteristics of educator and setting, educator’s personality and educational beliefs on process quality for children under the age of three years. Process quality was rated with the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS-R) in 113 infant/toddler classrooms and 105 mixed age classrooms in center-based care serving children from two to seven years. Further, process quality of 138 family child care providers was measured with the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale (FCCERS-R). Regression analysis indicated that process quality in center-based care was best explained by caregiver background and teacher personality. Process quality in family child care was mainly explained by educational beliefs operationalized as caregiver sensitivity.

Classroom Age Composition and Preschoolers’ School Readiness: The Implications of Classroom Quality and Teacher Qualifications

Recent research has shown that the age composition of preschool classrooms influences children’s early learning. Building on prior research, this study examines whether the association between classroom age composition and children’s learning and development vary based on classroom quality and teacher characteristics using a subset of the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), a nationally representative sample of 3- and 4-year-old children attending Head Start (n = 2,829). Results revealed that the association between age composition and children’s academic skills was dependent on classroom quality and that classroom quality was less predictive of children’s skills in mixed-age classrooms. Teacher education but not experience also moderated the influence of age composition such that mixed-age classrooms taught by a teacher with higher education were not associated with decreased literacy gains among older children.

혼합연령 유아학급의 또래지위에 따른 또래관계 특성

혼합연령 유아학급의 또래지위에 따른 또래관계 특성

혼합연령 유아학급의 또래지위와 사회적 네트워크 변화에 따른 또래관계 특성

본 연구는 혼합연령 유아학급의 또래지위와 사회적 네트워크 변화에 따른 또래관계 특성을 살펴보아 유아의 사회적 행동 양상과 또래관계의 변화과정을 알아보고자 하였다. 이를 위해 만 4, 5세 혼합연령 학급의 유아 21명을 대상으로 약 5개월 동안 자유선택활동에서 나타나는 유아들의 놀이를 관찰하였다. 본 연구에서 인기아의 네트워크는 또래집단의 결속력을 강화시키고 주변 유아의 네트워크를 확장시키기도 하였으며 보통아는 우정관계에 있는 유아와 개방된 네트워크를 가지며 중개자 역할을 하였다. 무시아의 네트워크는 단순한 형태이지만 인기아와 상호작용하여 네크워크가 확장되고 또래지위가 변화하는 모습이 나타났고 거부아의 네트워크는 거부아가 어떤 또래지위의 유아와 상호우정관계를 형성하느냐에 따라 다른 모습을 보였다. 그리고 양면아는 거부아와 무시아의 놀이를 확장시키는 중개자 역할을 보였다.