Teacher Language Styles in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

Variables related to the successful entry and maintenance of young children with handicaps into normalized educational environments are of concern to program planners and curriculum developers. Teacher language was observed in both traditional early childhood and in early childhood special education environments. Six categories of teacher verbalizations were coded during group instruction. The data suggest that professional early educators do not significantly vary their language with regard to setting or type(s) of children. Teacher verbalizations dominated the instructional climate in each of the observed settings. Implications for teacher preparation programs are discussed.

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