Behavior Management and Engagement During Small-Group Instruction as Predictors of Preschoolers’ Literacy Skill Outcomes

ABSTRACT

Research Findings: The current study examined whether collective small-group behavioral engagement and teacher behavior management during small-group instruction predicted print knowledge, phonological awareness, letter writing, and expressive vocabulary gains for preschoolers at-risk for literacy difficulties. This study, part of a larger project, included 23 teachers delivering a small-group literacy intervention to 75 preschool children identified as at-risk for literacy difficulties. Hierarchical linear modeling results revealed that collective small-group behavioral engagement was predictive of child expressive vocabulary gains (d = 0.13), but teacher behavior management was not a significant predictor. Practice or Policy: The results demonstrate that high levels of collective small-group behavioral engagement during small-group literacy instruction contributed small positive effects to preschoolers’ expressive vocabulary skills. As many small-group interventions are intended for children at-risk for literacy difficulties, these results are promising because preschool children at-risk for literacy difficulties appear to benefit from the intervention when collective small-group behavioral engagement is high. Including activities that prompt strong child engagement may be a critical factor in realizing the full potential of small-group literacy instruction in young children.

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the research project staff and the collaboration with the Ready4Success initiative as led by Shelby Dowdy, as well as the early childhood professionals and children/families without whom this research would not be possible.

This study was not preregistered. However, the study was part of a larger initial study that was preregistered (see the initial study’s Open Science Framework preregistration; doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/UWNRF). Portions of the data and findings from the current study were previously presented at the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention, Salt Lake City, UT, United States in February 2021. We utilized instruments that are not openly available for replication or secondary use. Data and analysis codes may be obtained upon request by emailing the corresponding author.

Disclosure statement

Nemours receives royalties through the sale of the commercially available curriculum involved in this research project. To minimize the potential for bias in reporting findings we adopted the following precautions, as outlined in the investigators’ signed Memorandum of Understanding: (a) Nemours’ institutional responsibilities for this grant were limited to instructor professional development curriculum training and implementation fidelity monitoring, including the development and maintenance of the implementation fidelity database for the larger project, and (b) Nemours investigators Zettler-Greeley, Bailet (affiliated with Nemours until April, 2018; retired from Kaplan Early Learning Company in June, 2021), and Lewis had no role in participant/site recruitment or data collection for the larger project, were blind to classroom and participant assignment, and did not participate in analyses concerning impacts of the Nemours BrightStart! program. Lewis, as lead author, completed data analyses for the current study.

Additional information

Funding

The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through [Grant R305A160261] awarded to The Ohio State University (Piasta). The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or U.S. Department of Education.