The Contribution of Classroom Setting and Quality of Instruction to Children’s Behavior in Kindergarten Classrooms

Abstract

The present article examined 2 questions about the relation between kindergarten classroom processes (setting and quality) and children’s engagement in activities, compliance with teachers’ requests, and interactions with peers. First, how do children’s engagement, compliance, and cooperation vary as a function of teachers’ use of classroom settings, and second, how does classroom quality moderate the co‐occurrence between teachers’ choice of classroom settings and children’s behaviors? The classrooms of 250 kindergarten children were observed once for approximately 3 hours each. Data on classroom setting (e.g., whole class or small group) and children’s behaviors (e.g., engagement, compliance with the teachers’ requests) were gathered using a time‐sampled method. Classroom quality was assessed using global ratings. Results showed that children’s on‐task and off‐task behavior and aggression toward peers varied as a function of the teachers’ choice of classroom setting. However, compliance with teachers’ requests did not vary as a function of setting. As classroom quality increased, the occurrence of problem behaviors (noncompliance with teacher requests, off‐task behavior) was reduced in structured teacher‐directed and whole‐class settings, and the rate of children’s social conversation and cooperation with peers was greater in small‐group settings. These findings are discussed in relation to the types of classroom settings that pose challenges to teachers’ management and children’s self‐regulatory abilities.