Area of Investigation

This study examined the effects of a modified Learning Language and Loving It™ Program that provides in-service education to child care staff on promoting positive peer interactions among preschool children.

Participants

• Experimental group

  8 educators – randomly assigned by child care centre to participate in a modified Learning Language and Loving ItProgram, which included:
  • four group training sessions on facilitating peer interaction using verbal peer support strategies; and
  • two video feedback sessions

• Control group

  9 educators – randomly assigned by child care centre to an alternative modified Learning Language and Loving It Program, which included:
  • four group training sessions on strategies for enhancing adult-child interactions within small groups, with no content on peer support strategies; and
  • two video feedback sessions

Results & Key Findings

The following results were obtained when use of verbal supports by educators in the experimental group post-program was compared with the control group.

Educators 

Educators in the experimental group:

• used a significantly higher number of verbal supports for peer interaction overall as well as a higher percentage of verbal supports when calculated as a percentage of all utterances
• significantly increased their use of the verbal peer support strategy “Facilitate Communication,” which includes interpreting a child’s utterance by rephrasing or restating it to another child (e.g., “I think Sean means that he wants to help you build the tower”) or prompting children to talk to one another (e.g., “Tell Maria to give you some play dough”).
• significantly increased their use of the verbal support strategy “Peer Referral,” which invites children to interact with or help one another (e.g., “Tafik, help Nina fix the truck”).
• maintained their use of verbal peer support strategies when evaluated four months post program

Children

An analysis of the responses of the children in the experimental group to their child care providers’ use of verbal support strategies compared with the control group showed that:

• they initiated a significantly greater number of peer interactions
• they received a significantly greater number of topic-continuing responses from their peers
• Facilitates Communication and Peer Referrals were the two verbal support strategies that were most successful in encouraging children to interact with a peer

Implications

This study demonstrates that educators’ participation in a modified Learning Language and Loving It Program can increase the overall frequency of peer interaction. The implications of these findings are that, by virtue of having more conversations with peers, children gain more practice using language as well as receiving feedback on what they have communicated. In addition, increased peer interaction provides more opportunities for children to develop the kinds of skills required to negotiate successful language-based social interactions.