‘Good job!’: unpacking praise practices of high- and low-quality early childhood teachers in China

ABSTRACT

Aiming to inform teaching practices and understand cultural differences, we examined praise practices of high- and low-quality preschool teachers in China. As part of a broader project, we purposefully selected three high-quality and three low-quality teachers based upon their Pre-K CLASS ratings and self-reports, and conducted qualitative analysis of their class videos. The two groups gave similar amount of praise, but extremely high or low numbers were observed among the low-quality teachers. The high-quality teachers applied specific praise more while the low-quality teachers used general praise more. Although both groups used praise heavily in whole group activities, the high-quality teachers utilized praise more in small group activities, while the low-quality teachers used praise more in transitions. Additionally, the high-quality teachers used praise more effectively to provide emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support. Finally, the Chinese teachers praised their students substantially less than American or Australian teachers in other published studies.

KEYWORDS:

• Praise
• Early Childhood
• Child–Teacher interaction
• Cultural Practice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

X. Christine Wang is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education and Director of Fisher-Price Endowed Early Childhood Research Center at State University of New York at Buffalo. Her primary research interests include children's learning and collaboration in technology-rich environments, young children's science inquiry and digital literacy, and early childhood education in international contexts.

Wei Dai is a doctoral student and a classroom teacher at Fisher-Price Endowed Early Childhood Research Center at State University of New York at Buffalo. Her research interests include teacher-child interactions, early literacy, and early childhood education in international contexts.

Biying Hu is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education and Director of the Center for Early Childhood Education and Child Development at University of Macau. Her research focuses on early childhood program quality assessment and improvement, with a strong focus on Chinese sociocultural and policy contexts.

Zhanmei Song is a Professor of Early Childhood Education and Dean of the College of Early Childhood Education at Shandong Yingcai University. Her primary research interests include disadvantaged children's development and intervention in China, and preschool quality assessment and improvement.