A Comparison of Teacher-Rated Classroom Conduct, Social Skills, and Teacher–Child Relationship Quality Between Preschool English Learners and Preschool English Speakers

Abstract

This study examined the differences between preschool English learners and preschool English speakers in the areas of classroom conduct, social skills, and teacher–child relationship quality, as rated by their teachers. Data were taken from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project. Students who were English learners were rated significantly more positively on classroom conduct and teacher–child relationship quality than students who were English speakers. There were no significant effects of the language(s) spoken in the classroom on teacher-rated skills. The need for further research and implications for the social interactions of English learners are discussed.

Keywords:

• ESL
• ethnic minorities
• language/speech
• behavior problems

Notes

1. The term Hispanic will be used to refer to migrants from Latin America, as studies indicate that this population prefers the term Hispanic over Latino by a margin of 3 to 1 (Tienda & Mitchell, 2006).