ERIC Number: EJ874840
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0885-2006
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
How Do Pre-Kindergarteners Spend Their Time? Gender, Ethnicity, and Income as Predictors of Experiences in Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms
Early, Diane M.; Iruka, Iheoma U.; Ritchie, Sharon; Barbarin, Oscar A.; Winn, Donna-Marie C.; Crawford, Gisele M.; Frome, Pamela M.; Clifford, Richard M.; Burchinal, Margaret; Howes, Carollee; Bryant, Donna M.; Pianta, Robert C.
Early Childhood Research Quarterly, v25 n2 p177-193 2010
The current paper considers how children spend their time in state-funded pre-kindergarten programs and how time use relates to ethnicity, gender, and family income, based on the assumption that how time is spent in pre-kindergarten is relevant for the programs' success in narrowing achievement gaps. Classroom observations of 2061 children in 652 pre-k programs in 11 states were analyzed. Findings indicated that the pre-kindergarten day was roughly equally divided among free choice, teacher-assigned activities, and meals/routines. Children spent much of their time in language/literacy, social studies, and art, and less time in math and gross motor activities. Much of the pre-k day was spent in "no coded learning activity." Children in classes with lower proportions of Latino and African American children and higher average income-to-need ratios were generally engaged in richer and more stimulating experiences. The child-level variables of ethnicity and income were generally unrelated to how children spent their time, above and beyond the effects of classroom-level ethnicity and income. There were generally small, but significant gender differences--always in the gender-stereotyped direction--in how time was spent, especially during free choice time. (Contains 3 tables.)
Descriptors: African American Children, Ethnicity, Family Income, Preschool Education, Kindergarten, Gender Differences, Preschool Children, Predictor Variables, Racial Differences, Achievement Gap, Learning Activities, Minority Group Children, Hispanic American Students, Socioeconomic Influences, Gender Bias, Racial Bias
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A060021
Author Affiliations: N/A