Teacher-Child Interaction Domains Measured by the CLASS and Children’s Pre-Literacy Skills: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

ABSTRACT

Research Findings: The quality of teacher–child interaction is a principal driver of children’s development of pre–literacy skills. Yet previous findings regarding the associations between teacher-child interaction quality as measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and children’s pre–literacy skills have been inconclusive. This study performed a systematic review and meta–analysis to examine the effects of the three CLASS domains on children’s pre–literacy skills. The systematic review aimed to provide a rich overview of the methodological approaches used in the studies and the meta–analysis offered an overall assessment of the evidence. Relevant literature was searched using 4 databases (Web of Science, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and ERIC) and Google Scholar, leading to the identification of 22 articles published between 2008 and 2021 meeting the inclusion criteria. Results of the systematic review revealed few associations between three CLASS domains and children’s gains in pre–literacy skills. Findings were unrelated to a range of moderators investigated. A three-level random–effects model yielded considered small overall effect sizes for the associations between three CLASS domains and children’s domainspecific pre–literacy skills. Practice or Policy: The findings did not provide strong empirical evidence that links general teacher–child interactions as measured by the CLASS to children’s domain–specific skills. Taking into consideration the multi–faceted and complex nature of early childhood education quality is much needed when assessing the classroom quality.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary Material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2022.2159259.

Additional information

Funding

The study and the preparation of the manuscript were supported by the following grant: (1) A Quasi-Experimental Study on the Intervention of the Key Professional Competence of Rural Preschool Teacher in Sichuan Province (funded by the Sichuan Social Sciences “Thirteenth five years” Foundation; [Project number: SC21C059]). The authors of this paper deeply appreciate the support; (2) A Preschool Classroom Process Quality Rating System: Focusing on the Setting of Play (funded by the Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment towards Basic Education Quality, East China Normal University); (3) A Project Supported by Center for Early Childhood Education Research, Sichuan; [Project number: CECER-2019-C04].