k-3 class research abstracts

8/2/2019 K-3 Class Research Abstracts

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Summary of K-3 CLASS™ Research

I. Descriptive and Reliability Papers – Papers presenting descriptive information from CLASS™ or COS

observations.

Graue, E., Rauscher, E., & Sherfinski, M. (2009). The Synergy of Class Size Reduction and Classroom Quality.The Elementary School Journal , 110 (2), 178–201.

A contextual approach to understanding class size reduction includes attention to botheducational inputs and processes. Based on our study of a class size reduction program in Wisconsinwe explore the following question: How do class size reduction and classroom quality interact toproduce learning opportunities in early elementary classrooms? To address this question, we analyzedata from 3 years of fieldwork in 27 classrooms in 9 schools implementing a class size reductionreform. Data generation included multiple ethnographic observations and interviews with teachersand principals, administration of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System, document and artifactcollection, and analyses of school-level standardized test scores. We present multiple vignettes toillustrate that class size reduction provides opportunities that can be activated by organizing and

implementing high-quality classroom practices. We argue that high-quality classrooms combinedwith class size reduction contexts create a synergy for learning.

La Paro, K. M., Pianta, R. C., & Stuhlman, M. (2004). The Classroom Assessment Scoring System: Findings fromthe Prekindergarten Year. The Elementary School Journal , 104 (5), 409.

Research on teacher-child relationships, classroom environments, and teaching practices providedthe rationale for constructing a system for observing and assessing emotional and instructionalelements of quality in early childhood educational environments: the Classroom AssessmentScoring System (CLASS). The CLASS provides a framework for observing key dimensions of classroomprocesses, such as emotional and instructional support, that contribute to quality of the classroomsetting from preschool through third grade. This article provide information about the development,field testing, and use of this instrument in prekindergarten. Data from a national sample of 224prekindergarten classroom in 6 states are presented to provide reliability and validity information.The full range of the scale was used for the majority of ratings. Ratings reflected generally positiveimpressions of the classroom environment and teacher-child interactions. Factor scores from theCLASS were related to the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS) total score and moststrongly related to the ECERS interactions and language-reasoning subscales. Implications for policyand professional development from prekindergarten to third grade are discussed.

La Paro, K., Hamre, B., Locasale-Crouch, J., Pianta, R., Bryant, D., Early, D., Clifford, R., et al. (2009). Quality inKindergarten Classrooms: Observational Evidence for the Need to Increase Children's LearningOpportunities in Early Education Classrooms. Early Education & Development , 20 (4), 657-692.

Using observational data gathered in 730 kindergarten classrooms in 6 states, the present studyfocuses on the quality of children’s learning opportunities in kindergarten classrooms. Findings showthat overall, children experience moderate to low levels of quality in the areas of classroom

organization and instructional support in kindergarten. Results are also presented in comparison tochildren’s experiences in the pre-kindergarten year. These comparisons indicate that kindergartenchildren spend a greater proportion of the school day in language arts, math, and whole-groupinstruction and less time in centers than they do in pre-kindergarten. An examination of predictors ofkindergarten classroom quality indicated that program characteristics (i.e., adult–child ratio, lengthof school day) and teacher psychological variables (i.e., beliefs and depressive symptoms) werestronger predictors of classroom quality than were teacher experience and educationalbackground. Practice or Policy: Findings are discussed in terms of implications for children’sacademic and social development in kindergarten as well as for kindergarten teacher preparationand development.



National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and Early Child Care Research Network. (2002).The Relation of Global First-Grade Classroom Environment to Structural Classroom Features andTeacher and Student Behaviors. The Elementary School Journal , 102 (5), 367.

We observed 827 first-grade classrooms in 747 schools in 32 states in order to describe classroom

activities and child-teacher interactions, dimensions of the global classroom environment, and their relations to structural aspects of the classroom and to child behaviors. Classrooms were observed for approximately 3 hours starting at the beginning of the school day with an intention of observingduring academic instruction, particularly in reading. Time-samplings of activities, teacher behaviors,and child behaviors as well as global ratings of teacher-child interactions and the classroomenvironment were obtained. The most frequently observed forms of activity were structuredteacher-directed activity and whole-class instruction. As expected, the largest portion of time wasallocated to literacy-related activities. There was wide variation in the frequency of most activitiesacross classrooms. Global ratings also demonstrated significant variability across classrooms andwere describe by 2 dimensions: instructional support for learning and emotional support. Neither dimension was related to class size or child-adult ratio. Classrooms were observed to provide moreemotional support when there were more adults present. Students' engagement in academicactivities and positive behaviors with peers were higher, and negative behaviors with peers andteachers were lower, when classrooms provided more instructional and emotional support.

Teachers' total years of experience were unrelated to ratings of support in the classroom. Years ofexperience teaching first grade did predict more time devoted to academic activities, albeit to amodest degree. Teachers with more post-high school education provided more emotional supportand devoted more time to academic activities. Taken together, these findings demonstrated thatfirst grade is a highly variable experience for children in the United States and that attempts toassess and improve child readiness should recognize this.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Child Care Research Network. (2005). ADay in Third Grade: A Large -Scale Study of Classroom Quality and Teacher and Student Behavior.The Elementary School Journal , 105 (3), 305-323.

Observations of 780 third-grade classrooms described classroom activities, child-teacher interactions, and dimensions of the global classroom environment, which were examined in relationto structural aspects of the classroom and child behavior. 1 child per classroom was targeted for observation in relation to classroom quality and teacher and child behavior. These children wereenrolled in the ongoing NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development: 80% of thesample was Caucasian, 22% had a family income-to-needs ratio of 2.0 or less, and 26% of mothershad a high school education or less. Classrooms were observed for a minimum of eight, 30-minutecycles over the course of the day, beginning at the start of the school day, with an intention ofobserving during academic instruction time. Time samplings of activities, teacher behaviors, andchild behaviors as well as global ratings of the classroom environment were obtained. The mostfrequently observed forms of activity were whole-group instruction or individual seatwork. Asexpected, the largest portion of time was allocated to literacy-related activities. By a ratio of nearly11:1, instructional activities (across any content area) were basic-skill-focuse versus focused onanalysis/inference or synthesis of information. There was wide variation in the frequency of mostactivities across classrooms. Global ratings also demonstrated significant variability acrossclassrooms. Global and time-sampled codes of teacher behavior and classroom climate were onlyslightly related to a range of structural factors, such as class size, child-teacher ratio, or teacher experience. Sutdents' engagement in academic activities was higher when classrooms providedmore instructional and emotional support. From first to third grade, global aspects of the classroom,such as positive climate or teacher sensitivity, had significant but low stability; time devoted toliteracy or math activities was uncorrelated across the two grade levels. These findings suggest thatthird grade is a highly variable context for children in the United States with a strong emphasis onlearning basic skills and that structural factors, such as class size and teacher education andexperience, show little relation to the experiences of children in classrooms.



O'Brien, R. H., & Pianta, R. C. (2010). Public and Private Schools: Do Classroom Processes Vary by SchoolType? The Elementary School Journal , 110 (3), 409-419.

Using the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care andYouth Development dataset, we examined classroom processes (e.g., time spent on language

instruction, overall emotional quality of the classroom) and characteristics (e.g., class size) by schooltype (public or private). Results indicate that classroom processes do not vary significantly by schooltype. Based on our results, we conjecture that if private schools are, in fact, superior to publicschools, it is likely because of some factor(s) not accounted for by our classroom variables.

Pianta, R. C., Belsky, J., Houts, R., Morrison, F., & others. (2007). Teaching: Opportunities to learn in America'selementary classrooms. Science , 315 (5820), 1795.

Analysis of elementary school classrooms in the United States returns a discouraging report on thequality of students’ experiences.

Stuhlman, M. W., & Pianta, R. C. (2009). Profiles of Educational Quality in First Grade. The Elementary School Journal , 109 (4), 323-342.

In the present study, we present analyzed profiles of observed classroom experiences in termsof emotional and instructional dimensions of quality. Over 800 first-grade classrooms acrossthe United States were included, selected by virtue of having a student participating in the NationalInstitute of Child Health and Human Development’s Study of Early Child Care and YouthDevelopment enrolled in the classroom. Our aim was to present a typology of first grades. Weexamined correlates of classroom profiles in terms of teacher (years of experience, education, andbeliefs), child (gender, ethnicity, family socioeconomic status, maternal education, and preschoolachievement), and school (public vs. private, class size, presence of teachers’ assistants)characteristics. Data were collected via teacher and parent questionnaires, classroom observationsconducted by trained data collectors using the classroom Observation System for First Grade, andindividually administered child assessments (Woodcock Johnson Psycho-educational BatteryRevised Tests of Cognitive Ability and Tests of Achievement). Findings indicated discernible,replicable types of first-grade classrooms (descriptively titled high quality, mediocre quality, lowquality, and positive emotional climate/lower academic demand) that demonstrated differentlevels of emotional and instructional support and were related to several of the characteristics ofchildren, families, teachers, and schools listed above. Of note, characteristics such as teachers’years of experience and class size were not differentially related to the four classroom types.

II. Validity Papers – Papers documenting the ways in which teacher and classroom characteristics areassociated with CLASS™ or COS observations, and linking observations to students’ social and/or academic development.

Buyse, E., Verschueren, K., Doumen, S., Van Damme, J., & Maes, F. (2008). Classroom problem behavior andteacher-child relationships in kindergarten: The moderating role of classroom climate. Journal ofSchool Psychology, 46(4), 367–391.

Young children with problem behavior in the classroom are at risk for developing more conflictualand less close relationships with their teachers. Two studies in kindergarten (N=3798; N=237) shedlight on some aspects of classroom climate that can moderate this risk for relational problems.Results showed problematic classroom compositions, in terms of high average levels of internalizingor externalizing behavior, to exacerbate the risk for teachers to form more conflictual relationshipswith children showing externalizing behavior. Additionally, observed emotional support of teacherswas found to be protective for the relational functioning of children at risk due to maladjustedbehavior. Specifically, with emotionally supportive teachers, children who expose internalizing or externalizing behavior are no longer at risk for developing less close or more conflictual relationships



with their teachers respectively. Practical implications and limitations of the studies are reported andsuggestions are made for future research.

Cadima, J., Leal, T., & Burchinal, M. (2010). The quality of teacher–student interactions: Associations with firstgraders' academic and behavioral outcomes. Journal of School Psychology.

The associations between the quality of teacher–student interactions and first grade academic andadaptive behavior outcomes were examined in a study of 106 Portuguese students in 64 first gradeclassrooms. Students' vocabulary, print concepts, math, and adaptive skills were assessed both atthe end of preschool and in first grade. Classrooms were observed in the spring of first grade. After taking into account family risk factors and preschool skills, the quality of teacher–studentinteractions, particularly in terms of classroom organization, was positively associated with students'first grade vocabulary and print concepts. In addition, classroom quality predicted number identification outcomes differently depending on student skills prior to school entry. Students withlower preschool math skills seemed to benefit from higher quality teacher–student interactions.These findings provide further support for the unique contribution of the quality of teacher–studentinteractions in first grade and suggest that it may be an important mechanism to improveacademic skills.

Curby, T. W., Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., & Ponitz, C. C. (2009). Teacher–child interactions and children’sachievement trajectories across kindergarten and first grade. Journal of Educational Psychology,101(4), 912-925.

This study examined the extent to which the quality of teacher– child interactions and children’sachievement levels at kindergarten entry were associated with children’s achievement trajectories.Rural students (n _ 147) were enrolled in a longitudinal study from kindergarten through first grade.Growth trajectories (initial level and slope) were modeled with hierarchical linear modeling for 3areas of achievement: word reading, phonological awareness, and mathematics. Cross-classifiedanalyses examined the extent to which quality of teacher– child interactions and children’s startinglevel predicted achievement growth rates over 2 years, and they also accounted for the changingnesting structure of the data. Results indicated that achievement at kindergarten entry predictedchildren’s growth for all 3 outcomes. Further, first-grade teachers’ strong emotional support relatedto greater growth in students’ phonological awareness. Emotional and instructional support in firstgrade moderated the relationship between initial achievement and growth in word reading.Kindergarten classroom organization moderated the relationship between initial achievement andgrowth in mathematics. The implications of schooling for early growth trajectories are discussed.

Gazelle, H. (2006). Class climate moderates peer relations and emotional adjustment in children with anearly history of anxious solitude: A child X environment model. Developmental Psychology, 42(6),1179–1191.

Classroom emotional climate was hypothesized to moderate psychosocial adjustment in 1st gradefor children with an early childhood history of anxious solitude. Participants were 1,364 children in theNational Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care andtheir mothers, child-care providers, and teachers. As anticipated, children with an early childhoodhistory of anxious solitude were more rejected, poorly accepted (boys), and victimized (girls) by

peers and demonstrated more depressive symptoms (girls) in 1st-grade classrooms with negativeobserved emotional climate. Results support a Child X Environment model of children’s social andemotional adjustment.

Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2005). Can Instructional and Emotional Support in the First-Grade ClassroomMake a Difference for Children at Risk of School Failure? Child Development, 76(5), 949–967.

This study examined ways in which children’s risk of school failure may be moderated by supportfrom teachers. Participants were 910 children in a national prospective study. Children wereidentified as at risk at ages 5 – 6 years on the basis of demographic characteristics and the display



of multiple functional (behavioral, attention, academic, social) problems reported by their kindergarten teachers. By the end of first grade, at-risk students placed in first-grade classroomsoffering strong instructional and emotional support had achievement scores and student – teacher relationships commensurate with their low-risk peers; at-risk students placed in less supportiveclassrooms had lower achievement and more conflict with teachers. These findings have

implications for understanding the role that classroom experience may play in pathways to positiveadaptation.

Pakarinen, E., Kiuru, N., Lerkkanen, M., Poikkeus, A., Siekkinen, M., & Nurmi, J. (2010). Classroom organizationand teacher stress predict learning motivation in kindergarten children. European Journal ofPsychology of Education, 25(3), 281-300.

This study examined the extent to which observed teaching practices and self-reported teacher stress predict children’s learning motivation and phonological awareness in kindergarten. The pre-reading skills of 1,268 children were measured at the beginning of their kindergarten year. Their learning motivation and phonological awareness were assessed in the following spring.Questionnaires measuring teacher stress were filled out by 137 kindergarten teachers. A pair oftrained observers used the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (Pianta et al. 2008) to observe 49kindergarten teachers from the whole sample on their emotional support, classroom organization,

and instructional support. The results of multilevel modeling showed that low teacher stress and highclassroom organization predicted high learning motivation in children and that the children’slearning motivation contributed to their level of phonological awareness. Moreover, children’slearning motivation mediated the association between teacher stress and children’s phonologicalawareness. The results emphasize the importance of teachers’ pedagogical well-being andclassroom organizational quality for children’s learning motivation.

Pakarinen, E., Lerkkanen, M., Poikkeus, A., Kiuru, N., Siekkinen, M., Rasku-Puttonen, H., & Nurmi, J. (2010). AValidation of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System in Finnish Kindergartens. Early Education &Development, 21(1), 95-124.

Research Findings: This study examined the validity and reliability of the Classroom AssessmentScoring System (CLASS; R. C. Pianta, K. M. La Paro, & B. K. Hamre, 2008) in Finnish kindergartens. Apair of trained observers used the CLASS to observe 49 kindergarten teachers (47 female, 2 male)on two different days. Questionnaires measuring teachers’ efficacy beliefs, exhaustion at work, andclassroom interactional style (i.e., affection, behavioral control, and psychological control) werecompleted by the teachers. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that when the item measuringNegative Climate was excluded, the 3-factor solution assuming three positively correlated latentfactors (i.e., Emotional Support, Classroom Organization, and Instructional Support) describedclassroom quality well. The CLASS also showed high item and scale reliabilities. Evidence for concurrent validity was indicated by the positive association between observed classroomemotional support and teacher-rated affection and self-efficacy. Teacher-rated affection was alsoassociated with observed classroom organization. Practice or Policy: The findings provide support for the CLASS as a valid and reliable measure of classroom quality in kindergartens and in culturalcontexts outside the United States.

Pianta, R. C., Belsky, J., Vandergrift, N., Houts, R., & Morrison, F. J. (2008). Classroom Effects on Children'sAchievement Trajectories in Elementary School. American Educational Research Journal, 45(2), 365-397.

This nonexperimental, longitudinal field study examines the extent to which variation in observedclassroom supports (quality of emotional and instructional interactions and amount of exposure toliteracy and math activities) predicts trajectories of achievement in reading and math from 54months to fifth grade. Growth mixture modeling detected two latent classes of readers: fast readerswhose skills developed rapidly and leveled off, and a typical group for which reading growth wassomewhat less rapid. Only one latent class was identified for math achievement. For reading, therewere small positive associations between observed emotional quality of teacher-child interactions



and growth. Growth in math achievement showed small positive relations with observed emotionalinteractions and exposure to math activities. There was a significant interaction between qualityand quantity of instruction for reading such that at higher levels of emotional quality there was lessof a negative association between amount of literacy exposure and reading growth.

Ponitz, C. C., Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., Grimm, K. J., & Curby, T. W. (2009). Kindergarten classroom quality,behavioral engagement, and reading achievement. School Psychology Review, 38(1), 102-120.

This study examined the extent to which kindergarteners’ classroom behavioral engagementmediated the relation between global classroom quality and children’s reading achievement. Astructural equation framework was used to analyze data collected in a primarily low-income ruralsample (N = 171). Children’s reading achievement was measured in the fall and spring of the schoolyear. Observers rated the overall quality of teachers’ interactions with their students three timesduring the year. Children’s classroom behavioral engagement was based on several observationsand end-of-year teacher ratings. Controlling for family sociodemographic risk and fall reading skill,higher classroom quality was expected to predict higher reading achievement, both directly andindirectly, through promoting behavioral engagement. Results from structural equation modelingsupported the indirect effects solution only. Discussion highlights how classrooms providing rich,positive interactions predict literacy achievement by effectively engaging children.

Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., Curby, T. W., Grimm, K. J., Nathanson, L., & Brock, L. L. (2009). The Contribution ofChildren's Self-Regulation and Classroom Quality to Children's Adaptive Behaviors in theKindergarten Classroom. Developmental psychology, 45(4), 958–972.

In this study, the authors examined the extent to which children’s self-regulation upon kindergartenentrance and classroom quality in kindergarten contributed to children’s adaptive classroombehavior. Children’s self-regulation was assessed using a direct assessment upon entrance intokindergarten. Classroom quality was measured on the basis of multiple classroom observationsduring the kindergarten year. Children’s adaptive classroom behavior in kindergarten was assessedthrough teacher report and classroom observations: Teachers rated children’s cognitive andbehavioral self-control and work habits during the spring of the kindergarten year; observers ratedchildren’s engagement and measured off-task behavior at 2-month intervals from November toMay. Hierarchical linear models revealed that children’s self-regulation upon school entry in a directassessment related to teachers’ report of behavioral self-control, cognitive self-control, and work habits in the spring of the kindergarten year. Classroom quality, particularly teachers’ effectiveclassroom management, was linked to children’s greater behavioral and cognitive self-control,children’s higher behavioral engagement, and less time spent off-task in the classroom. Classroomquality did not moderate the relation between children’s self-regulation upon school entry andchildren’s adaptive classroom behaviors in kindergarten. The discussion considers the implications ofclassroom management for supporting children’s early development of behavioral skills that areimportant in school settings.

Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., La Paro, K. M., Downer, J. T., & Pianta, R. C. (2005). The contribution of classroomsetting and quality of instruction to children. Elementary School Journal, 105(4), 18.

The present article examined 2 questions about the relation between kindergarten classroom

processes (setting and quality) and children's engagement in activities, compliance with teachers'requests, and interactions with peers. First, how do children's engagement, compliance, andcooperation vary as a function of teachers' use of classroom settings, and second, how doesclassroom quality moderate the co-occurrence between teachers' choice of classroom settingsand children's behaviors? The classrooms of 250 kindergarten children were observed once for approximately 3 hours each. Data on classroom setting (e.g., whole class or small group) andchildren's behaviors (e.g., engagement, compliance with the teachers' requests) were gatheredusing a time-sampled method. Classroom quality was assessed using global ratings. Results showedthat children's on-task and off-task behavior and aggression toward peers varied as a function ofthe teachers' choice of classroom setting. However, compliance with teachers' requests did not



vary as a function of setting. As classroom quality increased, the occurrence of problem behaviors(noncompliance with teacher requests, off-task behavior) was reduced in structured teacher-directed and whole-class settings, and the rate of children's social conversation and cooperationwith peers was greater in small-group settings. These findings are dicussed in relation to the types ofclassroom settings that pose challenges to teachers' management and children's self-regulatory

abilities.

Rudasill, K. M., Gallagher, K. C., & White, J. M. (2010). Temperamental attention and activity, classroomemotional support, and academic achievement in third grade. Journal of School Psychology , 48 (2),113–134.

The purpose of this study is to examine the interplay of children's temperamental attention andactivity (assessed when children were 4-and-a-half years old) and classroom emotional support asthey relate to children's academic achievement in third grade. Particular focus is placed on themoderating role of classroom emotional support on the relationship between temperament(attention and activity level) and academic achievement. Regression analyses indicated thatchildren's attention and activity level were associated with children's third grade reading andmathematics achievement, and classroom emotional support was associated with children's thirdgrade reading and mathematics achievement. In addition, classroom emotional support

moderated the relation between children's attention and reading and mathematics achievement,such that attention mattered most for reading and mathematics achievement for children inclassrooms with lower emotional support. Findings point to the importance of understanding howchildren's temperament and classroom emotional support may work together to promote or inhibitchildren's academic achievement.

Wilson, H. K., Pianta, R. C., & Stuhlman, M. (2007). Typical Classroom Experiences in First Grade: The Role ofClassroom Climate and Functional Risk in the Development of Social Competencies. The ElementarySchool Journal, 108(2), 81-96.

In this study we examined the relation between children’s social competence and their firstgradeclassroom environment. Drawing from data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and YouthDevelopment, we used cluster analysis to identify 4 types of typical classrooms based on observedclassroom emotional and instructional supports. The 4 types of classrooms were marked by (1)overall high quality of both supports, including high-quality evaluative feedback; (2) high-qualityemotional support, and low-quality evaluative feedback; (3) mediocre levels of both supports; and(4) low levels of both supports. Of the children participating in this study, 946 students from 820classrooms fit the 4-cluster solution and were included in the data analysis. The association betweenclassroom type and social competence (measured by teacher ratings and independentobservations of behavior in and out of the classroom) was analyzed, and a moderating effect ofthe classroom on children displaying indicators of functional risk (attentional, academic, behavioral,and social) was considered. In classrooms marked by high-quality emotional supports andevaluative feedback, children displayed significantly better social competence than children inother classrooms.

III. Intervention Papers – Papers demonstrating the ways in which CLASS™ or COS observation candocument changes in teachers’ practices.

Brown, J. L., Jones, S. M., LaRusso, M. D., & Aber, J. L. (2010). Improving classroom quality: Teacher influences and experimental impacts of the 4Rs Program. Journal of educational psychology ,102 (1), 153–167.

This study capitalizes on recent advances in the reliable and valid measurement of classroom-levelsocial processes known to influence children’s social– emotional and academic development andaddresses a number of limitations in our current understanding of teacher- and intervention-related



impacts on elementary school classroom processes. A cluster randomized controlled trial designwas employed to (a) examine whether teacher social– emotional functioning forecasts differencesin the quality of 3rd-grade classrooms, (b) test the experimental impact of a school-based social– emotional learning and literacy intervention on the quality of classroom processes controlling for teacher social– emotional functioning, and (c) examine whether intervention impacts on

classroom quality are moderated by these teacher related factors. Results indicated (a) positiveeffects of teachers’ perceived emotional ability on classroom quality; (b) positive effects of the 4RsProgram on overall classroom quality, net of teacher social– emotional functioning indicators; and(c) intervention effects that are robust to differences in these teacher factors. These findingssupport and extend recent research examining intervention-inducedchanges in classroom-level social processes fundamental to positive youth development.

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