ETHNICITY, GENDER, AGE, SES, AND ACTIVITY TYPE AS FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO EARLY CHILDHOOD PRESERVICE TEACHERS’ INTERACTIONS WITH INTERNATIONAL AND U.S. PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

The interactions of 67 early childhood preservice teachers with International and U.S. preschool children in structured story time and unstructured table activities were videotaped and analyzed. Overall, preservice teachers displayed significantly more facilitative (e.g., ego boosting, teaching, questioning, and attending) than nonfacilitative (e.g., commanding, negatively responding, ignoring, and physical restraint) behaviors toward children. However, analyses of data relative to different ethnicity, gender, and activity type groups also revealed preservice teachers were relating to children in differential ways. Preservice teachers displayed significantly less facilitative and more nonfacilitative behaviors toward International children than U.S. children. In addition, preservice teacher‐child interactions with International children were rated as less positive and more negative than their interactions with U.S. children. Still also, preservice teachers displayed significantly less facilitative and less nonfacilitative behaviors toward girls than toward boys. Furthermore, preservice teacher‐child interactions with girls were rated as significantly less positive and less negative than with boys. Finally, preservice teachers displayed significantly more nonfacilitative behaviors toward children in structured story time activities than in unstructured table activities.