ERIC Number: EJ1114990
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 28
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-9289
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
What Preschool Classroom Experiences Are Associated with Whether Children Improve in Visuomotor Integration?
Byers, Anthony I.; Cameron, Claire E.; Ko, Michelle; LoCasale-Crouch, Jennifer; Grissmer, David W.
Early Education and Development, v27 n7 p976-1003 2016
Research Findings: This study examined the contribution of several classroom experience measures (classroom characteristics, teacher characteristics, and teacher-child interactions) to preschoolers' improvement in visuomotor integration. Children (N = 467) ranged in age from 3 to 5 years old and were enrolled in 115 classrooms in 5 U.S. states. Children's visuomotor integration was measured twice (on average 5.2 months apart) using the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (visuomotor integration subtest). Hierarchical linear models controlling for background characteristics and inhibitory control showed that children improved more in visuomotor integration when they were in classrooms with fewer 3-year-olds, when their teacher had at least a bachelor's degree, and when teachers demonstrated high quality in their interactions. Practice or Policy: Visuomotor integration, and specifically the ability to copy designs with a writing utensil, is a robust indicator of children's school readiness and longitudinal achievement. U.S. preschoolers gained more on visuomotor integration in classrooms with fewer 3-year-old children that were taught by a college-educated teacher and when such classrooms provided high-quality organizational and instructional interactions. These results expand the outcomes linked to early childhood education experiences and emphasize the need for well-prepared early childhood teachers who interact with children effectively.
Descriptors: Preschool Children, Preschool Education, Psychomotor Skills, Visual Perception, Educational Environment, Teacher Characteristics, Teacher Student Relationship, Sensory Integration, Perceptual Motor Coordination, Hierarchical Linear Modeling, Small Classes, School Readiness, Outcomes of Education, Early Childhood Education, Class Size, Predictor Variables, Correlation, Randomized Controlled Trials, Statistical Analysis
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF); Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: DRL0815787; DRL1252463; R305A060021
Author Affiliations: N/A