scholarly journals Classroom Quality, Classroom Composition, and Age at Entry: Experiences in Early Childhood Education and Care and Single and Dual Language Learners’ German Vocabulary

AERA Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 233285841983251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Kohl ◽  
Jessica A. Willard ◽  
Alexandru Agache ◽  
Lilly-Marlen Bihler ◽  
Birgit Leyendecker

We examined independent and interactive links among three central characteristics of children’s experiences in early childhood education and care and the German receptive vocabulary of single language learners and dual language learners (DLLs). We allowed for possible differential effects depending on children’s language background. Our sample included 2,231 children ( n = 1,555 single language learners, n = 371 DLLs from families in which German was frequently spoken, n = 305 DLLs from families in which German was less frequently spoken). Children attended 177 classrooms in 95 early childhood education and care centers and were 30 to 80 months old. We found that classroom process quality predicted German vocabulary only for DLLs with low exposure to German in the family. An earlier age at entry was linked to a larger German vocabulary for all children, but the link was stronger for DLLs from families with low exposure to German. Classroom composition did not predict German vocabulary.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Davies ◽  
Alexandra Hendry ◽  
Shannon P Gibson ◽  
Teodora Gliga ◽  
Michelle McGillion ◽  
...  

High-quality, centre-based education and care during the early years benefits cognitive development, especially in children from disadvantaged backgrounds. During the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns, access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) was disrupted. We investigate how this period affected the developmental advantages typically offered by ECEC. Using parent-report data from 189 families living in the UK, we explore associations between time spent in ECEC by 8-to-36-month-olds, their socioeconomic background, and their growth in language and executive functions between Spring and Winter 2020. Receptive vocabulary growth was greater in children who continued to attend ECEC during the period, with a stronger positive effect for children from less advantaged backgrounds. Growth of cognitive executive functions was boosted by ECEC attendance during the period, regardless of socioeconomic background. Our findings highlight the importance of high-quality ECEC for the development of key skills and for levelling socioeconomic inequalities.


Author(s):  
Margarita León

The chapter first examines at a conceptual level the links between theories of social investment and childcare expansion. Although ‘the perfect match’ between the two is often taken for granted in the specialized literature as well as in policy papers, it is here argued that a more nuance approach that ‘unpacks’ this relationship is needed. The chapter will then look for elements of variation in early childhood education and care (ECEC) expansion. Despite an increase in spending over the last two decades in many European and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, wide variation still exists in the way in which ECEC develops. A trade-off is often observed between coverage and quality of provision. A crucial dividing line that determines, to a large extent, the quality of provision in ECEC is the increasing differentiation between preschool education for children aged 3 and above and childcare for younger children.


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