Abstract:
Overalllifesuccessrequiresthatchildrenhavesocio-emotionalcompetence(SEC)amongstotherskills.Theeffectofclasssizeonchildren’soverallachievementcontinuestobeawidelydebatedsubject.TheobjectiveofthismixedmethodsstudywastoexaminetheinfluenceofpreschoolclasssizeonstrategiesusedtoscaffoldSECinchildren.Atotalof301preschoolteacherspurposivelyselectedfrom98publicandprivatepreschoolsparticipatedinthestudy;6preschoolteacherswereinterviewedand2preschoolclassroomsobserved.Datawascollectedusingquestionnaires,observationchecklistandinterviewschedules.Datawasanalysedquantitativelyandqualitatively.ResultsrevealedthatpreschoolclasssizedidnothaveasignificantinfluenceonthestrategiesusedtoscaffoldSECinchildren.However,interviewsandobservationsdatashowedthatregardlessoftheclasssize,preschoolteachersattemptedtoscaffoldrelationshipmanagementskillsinchildrenmore.Strategiesthatpreschoolteachersin‘high’classsizescommonlyusedforscaffoldingrelationshipmanagementinchildrenwere:‘monitoring’,‘warning’and‘reprimands’.Preschoolteacherswith‘optimumandbelow’classsizes,mainlyused‘encouraginghelpingbehaviour’,‘warning’and‘monitoring’strategies.ThestudyconcludedthatdespitetheimportanceofSEC,preschoolteachersdidnotintentionallyscaffoldallSECcomponentsinchildren.ThestudythereforerecommendsthatprofessionaldevelopmentandcontinuingeducationthatfocusesonSECskillsinchildrenbeencouragedamongallpreschoolteachers.
