Assessment of teaching and learning practices to enhance children’s oral language in a kindergarten classroom in Peru
Submitted by:
Giannina Urrello Hurtado
Abstract:
Children who enter school with limited oral language abilities experience difficulties in accessing the curriculum, developing competences and have lower levels of attainment (Massonnié et al., 2022; Seetal & Quiroz, 2021). Previous studies in Peru revealed notable disparities in the Spanish language proficiency of children upon entering school, highlighting the necessity to enhance their communication skills (Minedu, 2016). Teaching practices creating rich and stimulating communicative interactions contribute to pupils’ language development (Hansen & Broekhuizen, 2021; Gràcia et al., 2020; Justice et al., 2008; Law, 2011).
Our research aims to design a teacher development program that focuses on enhancing teaching practices to foster the development of oral skills in children within kindergarten classrooms in Peru. To achieve this goal, the present study is dedicated to: (1) assess communicative interactions in the classroom between teacher and pupils, as well as among the students themselves; and 2) analyze the perceptions of kindergarten teachers about their strategies to promote children's oral skills.
This research project entails a case analysis featuring four teachers from a school situated in Cusco, Peru. The study comprises two classes of 4-year-old children, totaling 48 participants, with a significant number of them being fluent in both Spanish and Quechua. The research instrument utilized consists of the EVALOE (Oral Language Assessment in School Context Scale) developed by Gràcia et al. (2015), designed for assessing communicative interactions within classroom settings. Additionally, the EVALOE interview was administered. Throughout the school year, each class underwent four observations and video recordings. Subsequently, the recordings were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using a category system based on EVALOE, with a focus on its three subscales: Context and communication management, Instructional design, and Communicative functions and strategies.
The findings suggest that, on the whole, classes tend to be centered around the teacher, and educators employ only a limited number of strategies to facilitate interactive and communicative classroom environments that encourage children's engagement and the development of their oral language skills.