Abstract

This research study explores the types of teacher talk that occur in early childhood classroom environments. A total of 2 teachers and 30 children participated in the study consisting of both videotaping as well as recorded observations of teacher talk. Both videotapes and observations were coded according to predetermined categories such as behavioral control, language modeling, and conversational control. In addition semi-structured interview as were conducted with participating teachers to assess their responses to questions regarding their education, training, and opinions on developmental milestones. Results revealed that the most frequent type of utterances occurred in language modeling (labeling) however, extensions and expansions (which are deemed important for building vocabulary and new word acquisition) were the lowest types of utterances produced by teachers. Other frequently noted types of utterances produced by participating teachers were directive in nature as exemplified by the types of utterances that control behaviour and responses to adult utterances both of which have been shown to impact child language production. The implications for educational training for early childhood educators are discussed in light of the fact that both participating teachers deemed social skills to be the most important developmental area in the preschool years without recognizing the importance that language play in the development of such skills. The importance of language development and the understanding of how communicative competence plays a part in the ways in which children learn to negotiate their way in the world are discussed.