Yakshina A.N. Mixed-age groups in kindergarten: opportunities and risks for the development of preschoolers
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DOI:
10.24412/1997-9657-2022-1109-4-14
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To cite this article:
Iakshina A.N. (2022). Mixed-age groups in kindergarten: opportunities and risks for the development of preschoolers. Preschool Education Today. 1:16, 4–14 (in Russian). DOI: 10.24412/1997-9657-2022-1109-4-14
This work is licensed under a Сreative Commons Atribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Abstract
The relevance of the topic of the article. In Russia, mixed-age groups in kindergartens are an exception rather than a popular practice. There is a contradictory attitude towards kindergarten mixed-age groups in the community of researchers and practitioners: from the recognition of the value of mixed-age groups for the development of preschoolers to the concerns associated with the treatment of older or younger children in such groups. Discussion of the advisability of organizing groups of different ages in kindergartens should be conducted taking into account the peculiarities of the influence of the experience of visiting such groups and interacting with children of a different age on the development of children. This requires an analysis of existing scientific research.
The aim of the study is to analyze empirical studies on the peculiarities of the interaction of children in mixed-age groups and the influence of mixed-age groups on the development of preschool children.
Description of the research progress. In accordance with the purpose of the review, criteria for selecting sources were developed, a search was carried out in Russian-language and English-language scientific databases. A total of 15 articles were selected in peer-reviewed journals that met all the selection criteria. The depth of analysis is 44 years, the sources represent the experience of 4 countries.
The results of the study. The analysis of the sources showed that for the development of preschoolers, it is not the fact of attending mixed-age groups that matters, but the qualitative features of such groups: the size of the difference in age between older and younger children, the ratio of older and younger, the difference in the level of development between older and younger, the type of relationship between children and the style of pedagogical interaction. As part of the review, the main limitations of existing research are analyzed, and directions for future research are formulated. It is concluded that it is necessary to develop programs for the professional development of teachers working in mixed-age groups.
Conclusion. The article may be of interest both to practitioners interested in the organization of mixed-age groups in kindergarten, and to researchers of preschool education.
References
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16. Kamejsha S., Kostenko T. (2018). Kejs pro provokaciju. Praktiki subektnosti v obrazovanii [Case about provocation. Subjectivity Practices in Education]. Edit by M.M. Mirkes. Moscow. NOOGEN Publ. 32–33.
17. Katz L.G. (1990). The case for mixed-age grouping in early education. National Association for the Education of Young Children. 75.
18. Kompleksnaja obrazovatel’naja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija «Detstvo» (2019). [Comprehensive educational program of preschool education “Childhood”]. T.I. Babaeva, A.G. Gogoberidze, O.V. Solnceva et al. St. Petersburg. Detstvo-Press Publ. 352.
19. Kompleksnaja obrazovatel’naja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija «Mir otkrytij» (2019). [Comprehensive educational program of preschool education “World of Discoveries”]. nauch. ruk. L.G. Peterson; edit by. L.G. Peterson, I.A. Lykova. 5-e izd., pererab. i dop. Moscow. BINOM. Laboratorija znanij publ. 352.
20. Krylova N.M. (2015) Detskij sad – Dom radosti. Primernaja osnovnaja obrazovatel’naja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija [Kindergar-ten – House of Joy. Approximate basic educational program of preschool education]. 3-e izd., pererab. i dop. Moscow. Sfera Publ. 352.
21. Kuger S., Kluczniok K., Kaplan D., Ross-bach H.G. (2015). Stability and patterns of classroom quality in German early childhood education and care. Http://Dx.Doi.Org/10.1080/09243453.2015.1112815, 27(3), 418–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2015.1112815
22. Lougee M.D.R., Grueneich R., Hartup W.W. (1977). Social interaction in sameand mixed-age dyads of preschool children. Child Development, 48, 1353–1361.
23. OECD (2018), Engaging Young Children: Lessons from Research about Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care, Starting Strong, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264085145-en.
24. Osnovnaja obrazovatel’naja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija «Vdohnovenie» (2019). [The main educational program of preschool education “Inspiration”]. Ed. by V.K. Zagvozdkin, I.E. Fedosova. Moscow. Nacional’noe Obrazovanie Publ. 334. (Serija «Vdohnovenie»).
25. Ot rozhdenija do shkoly. Innovacionnaja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija (2019). [FROM BIRTH TO SCHOOL. Innovative program of preschool education]. Ed. by N.E. Veraksa, T.S. Komarova, E.M. Dorofeeva. Izdanie pjatoe (innovacionnoe), isp. i dop. Moscow. MOZAIKA-SINTEZ Publ. 336.
26. Primernaja osnovnaja obrazovatel’naja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija «Zolotoj kljuchik» (2019). [Exemplary basic educational program of preschool education “Golden Key”]. Ed. by G.G. Kravcov. Moscow. Lev Publ. 179.
27. Primernaja osnovnaja obrazovatel’naja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija «Detskij sad po sisteme Montessori» (2014). [Approximate basic educational program of preschool education “Kindergarten according to the Montessori system”]. Ed. E.A. Hiltunen [O.F. Borisova, V.V. Mihajlova, E.A. Hiltunen]. Moscow. Nacional’noe Obrazovanie Publ. 186.
28. Purtell K.M., Ansari A. (2018). Classroom Age Composition and Preschoolers’ School Readiness: The Implications of Classroom Quality and Teacher Qualifications: Https://Doi.Org/10.1177/2332858418758300, 4(1), 233285841875830.
29. Rogoff B. (1990). Apprenticeship in thinking: cognitive development in social context. New York, USA: Oxford University Press.
30. Singer E., DeHaan D. (2019). Igrat’, udivljat’sja, uznavat’. Teorija razvitija, vospitanija i obuchenija detej [Play, wonder, learn. Theory of development, education and training of children]. Moscow. MOZAIKA-SINTEZ Publ. 312.
31. Siraj I., Kingston D., Melhish E. (2019). Obespechenie ustojchivogo sovmestnogo myshlenija i jemocional’nogo blagopoluchija detej. 2 5 let. Shkala SSTEW [Ensuring sustainable collaborative thinking and emotional well-being in children 2–5 years old. SSTEW scale]. FGOS. Moscow. MOZAIKA-SINTEZ Publ. 64.
32. Smirnova E.O., Butenko V.A. (2007). Otnoshenija mezhdu det’mi v raznovozrastnyh gruppah detskogo sada [Relationships between children in different-age groups of kindergarten]. Psiholog v Detskom Sadu [Psychologist in Kindergarten]. 2. 66–80. URL: http://psychlib.ru/inc/absid.php?absid=50659.
33. Smirnova E.O. (2020). Obshhenie i razvitie v doshkol’nom vozraste [Communication and development in preschool age]. Moscow. Jurajt Publ. 163.
34. Sundell K. (2000). Examining Swedish profit and nonprofit child care: the relationships between adult-to-child ratio, age composition in child care classes, teaching and children’s social and cognitive achievements. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 15(1), 91–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2006(99)00039-3
35. Urberg K.A., Kaplan M.G. (1986). Effects of classroom age composition on the play and social behaviors of preschool children. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 7(4), 403–415. https://doi.org/10.1016/0193-3973(86)90009-2
36. Winsler A., Caverly S.L., Willson-Quayle A., Carlton M.P., Howell C., Long G.N. (2002). The social and behavioral ecology of mixed-age and same-age preschool classrooms: A natural experiment. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 23(3), 305–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0193-3973(02)00111-9
37. Zhuravleva L.V. (2015). Kamerton detstva i nekotorye shedevry. Istorii pro bol’shih i malen’kih v detskom sadu [The tuning fork of childhood and some masterpieces. Stories about big and small in kindergarten]. Moscow. Sfera Publ; St. Petersburg. Obrazovatel’nye Proekty Publ. 128.
2. Ansari A., Pianta R.C. (2018). Effects of an early childhood educator coaching intervention on preschoolers: The role of classroom age composition. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 44, 101–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018
3. Ansari A., & Purtell K.M. (2018). Continuity and changes in classroom age composition and achievement in Head Start. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 58, 86–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.APPDEV.2018.07.002
4. Bailey D.B., Burchinal M.R., & McWilliam R.A. (1993). Age of peers and early childhood development. Child Development, 64, 848–862. https://doi.org/10. 1111/j.1467-8624.1993.tb02947.x
5. Bell E.R., Greenfield D.B., Bulotsky Shearer R.J. (2013). Classroom age composition and rates of change in school readiness for children enrolled in Head Start. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 28(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ECRESQ.2012.06.002
6. Bukatov V.M. (2019). Nastol’naja kniga vospitatelej s delovymi raz#jasnenijami, neozhidannymi podskazkami i nevydumannymi istorijami po socio-igrovym sposobam provedenija zanjatij v starshih i podgotovitel’nyh gruppah detskogo sada [Handbook for educators with business explanations, unexpected clues and true-to-life stories on socio-game methods of conducting classes in senior and preparatory groups of kindergarten]. Monograph. St. Petersburg. Obrazovatel’nye Proekty Publ. 216.
7. Corsaro W. (2010). The sociology of childhood. Thousand Oaks, CA, London, New Delhi: Pine Forge Press. 456.
8. Derscheid L.E. (1997). Mixed-Age Grouped Preschoolers’ Moral Behavior and Understanding, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 11:2, 147-151, DOI: 10.1080/02568549709594701
9. Foster T.J., Burchinal M., Yazejian N. (2020). The Relation Between Classroom Age Composition and Children’s Language and Behavioral Outcomes: Examining Peer Effects. Child Development, 91(6), 2103–2122. https://doi.org/10.1111/CDEV.13410
10. Kharms T., Kryer D., Clifford R.M. (2019) ECERS-3. Shkaly dlja kompleksnoj ocenki kachestva obrazovanija v doshkol’nyh obrazovatel’nyh organizacijah [ECERS-3. Scales for a comprehensive assessment of the quality of education in preschool educational organizations]. Moscow. Nacional’noe Obrazovanie Publ. 112.
11. Iakshina A.N. (2015). Psihologicheskie uslovija razvitija central’nogo psihologicheskogo novoobrazovanija doshkol’nogo vozrasta [Psychological conditions for developing central psychological neo-formation in preschool age]. Sovremennoe doshkol’noe obrazovanie. Teorija i praktika. [Preschool Education Today]. 10. 32–39.
12. Iakshina A.N., Le-van T.N., Zadadaev S.A., Shiyan I.B. (2020). Razrabotka i aprobacija shkaly ocenki uslovij razvitija igrovoj dejatel’nosti detej v doshkol’nyh gruppah [Development and testing of a scale for assessing the conditions for the development of children’s play in preschool groups]. Sovremennoe doshkol’noe obrazovanie [Preschool Education Today]. 6(102). 21–31. DOI: 10.24411/1997-9657-2020-10087
13. Jakobson S.G., T.I. Grizik, T.N. Doronova et al. (2016). Raduga. Primernaja osnovnaja obrazovatel’naja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija [Rainbow. Approximate basic educational program of preschool education] 2-e izd., pererab. Moscow. Prosveshhenie Publ. 232.
14. Jakovec D.A., Valliulina D.G. (2018). Osobennosti mezhlichnostnyh otnoshenij detej v raznovozratsnoj gruppe doshkol’nogo obrazovatel’nogo uchrezhdenija [Features of interpersonal relations of children in a mixed-age group of a preschool educational institution] Jelektronnyj nauchno-obrazovatel’nyj vestnik “Zdorov’e i obrazoanie v XXI veke” [Electronic scientific and educational bulletin “Health and Education in the 21st century”]. Vol. 20(6). 79–85.
15. Justice L.M., Logan J.A., Purtell K., Bleses D., Højen A. (2018). Does mixing age groups in early childhood education settings support children’s language development? https://Doi.Org/10.1080/10888691.2017.1386100, 23(3), 214–226.
16. Kamejsha S., Kostenko T. (2018). Kejs pro provokaciju. Praktiki subektnosti v obrazovanii [Case about provocation. Subjectivity Practices in Education]. Edit by M.M. Mirkes. Moscow. NOOGEN Publ. 32–33.
17. Katz L.G. (1990). The case for mixed-age grouping in early education. National Association for the Education of Young Children. 75.
18. Kompleksnaja obrazovatel’naja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija «Detstvo» (2019). [Comprehensive educational program of preschool education “Childhood”]. T.I. Babaeva, A.G. Gogoberidze, O.V. Solnceva et al. St. Petersburg. Detstvo-Press Publ. 352.
19. Kompleksnaja obrazovatel’naja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija «Mir otkrytij» (2019). [Comprehensive educational program of preschool education “World of Discoveries”]. nauch. ruk. L.G. Peterson; edit by. L.G. Peterson, I.A. Lykova. 5-e izd., pererab. i dop. Moscow. BINOM. Laboratorija znanij publ. 352.
20. Krylova N.M. (2015) Detskij sad – Dom radosti. Primernaja osnovnaja obrazovatel’naja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija [Kindergar-ten – House of Joy. Approximate basic educational program of preschool education]. 3-e izd., pererab. i dop. Moscow. Sfera Publ. 352.
21. Kuger S., Kluczniok K., Kaplan D., Ross-bach H.G. (2015). Stability and patterns of classroom quality in German early childhood education and care. Http://Dx.Doi.Org/10.1080/09243453.2015.1112815, 27(3), 418–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2015.1112815
22. Lougee M.D.R., Grueneich R., Hartup W.W. (1977). Social interaction in sameand mixed-age dyads of preschool children. Child Development, 48, 1353–1361.
23. OECD (2018), Engaging Young Children: Lessons from Research about Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care, Starting Strong, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264085145-en.
24. Osnovnaja obrazovatel’naja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija «Vdohnovenie» (2019). [The main educational program of preschool education “Inspiration”]. Ed. by V.K. Zagvozdkin, I.E. Fedosova. Moscow. Nacional’noe Obrazovanie Publ. 334. (Serija «Vdohnovenie»).
25. Ot rozhdenija do shkoly. Innovacionnaja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija (2019). [FROM BIRTH TO SCHOOL. Innovative program of preschool education]. Ed. by N.E. Veraksa, T.S. Komarova, E.M. Dorofeeva. Izdanie pjatoe (innovacionnoe), isp. i dop. Moscow. MOZAIKA-SINTEZ Publ. 336.
26. Primernaja osnovnaja obrazovatel’naja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija «Zolotoj kljuchik» (2019). [Exemplary basic educational program of preschool education “Golden Key”]. Ed. by G.G. Kravcov. Moscow. Lev Publ. 179.
27. Primernaja osnovnaja obrazovatel’naja programma doshkol’nogo obrazovanija «Detskij sad po sisteme Montessori» (2014). [Approximate basic educational program of preschool education “Kindergarten according to the Montessori system”]. Ed. E.A. Hiltunen [O.F. Borisova, V.V. Mihajlova, E.A. Hiltunen]. Moscow. Nacional’noe Obrazovanie Publ. 186.
28. Purtell K.M., Ansari A. (2018). Classroom Age Composition and Preschoolers’ School Readiness: The Implications of Classroom Quality and Teacher Qualifications: Https://Doi.Org/10.1177/2332858418758300, 4(1), 233285841875830.
29. Rogoff B. (1990). Apprenticeship in thinking: cognitive development in social context. New York, USA: Oxford University Press.
30. Singer E., DeHaan D. (2019). Igrat’, udivljat’sja, uznavat’. Teorija razvitija, vospitanija i obuchenija detej [Play, wonder, learn. Theory of development, education and training of children]. Moscow. MOZAIKA-SINTEZ Publ. 312.
31. Siraj I., Kingston D., Melhish E. (2019). Obespechenie ustojchivogo sovmestnogo myshlenija i jemocional’nogo blagopoluchija detej. 2 5 let. Shkala SSTEW [Ensuring sustainable collaborative thinking and emotional well-being in children 2–5 years old. SSTEW scale]. FGOS. Moscow. MOZAIKA-SINTEZ Publ. 64.
32. Smirnova E.O., Butenko V.A. (2007). Otnoshenija mezhdu det’mi v raznovozrastnyh gruppah detskogo sada [Relationships between children in different-age groups of kindergarten]. Psiholog v Detskom Sadu [Psychologist in Kindergarten]. 2. 66–80. URL: http://psychlib.ru/inc/absid.php?absid=50659.
33. Smirnova E.O. (2020). Obshhenie i razvitie v doshkol’nom vozraste [Communication and development in preschool age]. Moscow. Jurajt Publ. 163.
34. Sundell K. (2000). Examining Swedish profit and nonprofit child care: the relationships between adult-to-child ratio, age composition in child care classes, teaching and children’s social and cognitive achievements. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 15(1), 91–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2006(99)00039-3
35. Urberg K.A., Kaplan M.G. (1986). Effects of classroom age composition on the play and social behaviors of preschool children. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 7(4), 403–415. https://doi.org/10.1016/0193-3973(86)90009-2
36. Winsler A., Caverly S.L., Willson-Quayle A., Carlton M.P., Howell C., Long G.N. (2002). The social and behavioral ecology of mixed-age and same-age preschool classrooms: A natural experiment. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 23(3), 305–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0193-3973(02)00111-9
37. Zhuravleva L.V. (2015). Kamerton detstva i nekotorye shedevry. Istorii pro bol’shih i malen’kih v detskom sadu [The tuning fork of childhood and some masterpieces. Stories about big and small in kindergarten]. Moscow. Sfera Publ; St. Petersburg. Obrazovatel’nye Proekty Publ. 128.