39th Annual Student Research Conference
The Association Between Preschool Teacher Education, Training, Experience, and Classroom Quality
Emma G. Allison
Dr. Katrina Schmerold, Faculty Mentor
Preschool teachers’ education, experience, and additional training may influence classroom quality thus impacting children’s experiences. Limited professional development opportunities and difficulties with retaining staff in rural areas may contribute to lower classroom quality (Anderson et al., 2017). This study aims to investigate the association between teacher background characteristics and classroom quality, as measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System Pre-K-3rd, 2nd Edition (CLASS; Pianta et al., 2022). In spring 2024, survey data were collected across seven rural preschools and included 19 classrooms. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analyses to examine the relationship between teacher background characteristics and CLASS scores. Statistically significant results (p < .001) indicated that education level predicted CLASS Emotional Support (ES) scores and CLASS Classroom Organization (CO). Experience, training hours, and child-related college majors were not a significant predictor of ES or CO. The analyses conducted for CLASS Instructional Support (IS) showed no significant effect.
Keywords: Professional Development, Classroom Quality, Preschool
Topic(s):Psychology
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Session: -8
Location: Activities Room
Time: 2:30