The effect of teacher style on interactive engagement of preschool-aged children with special learning needs

Many of the instructional practices that have been used with preschool-aged children with disabilities are predicated on the belief that children with disabilities need adult direction to engage in meaningful learning activit ies. This study investigated the effects of directiveness and other element s of teacher style on the participation of children with disabilities in dy adic play and instructional interactions. The sample included 49 teacher-ch ild dyads. Children ranged in age from 17 to 71 months and had identified d isabilities. Two episodes of teacher child interaction were coded with glob al and turntaking measures of the participation of teachers and children. R esults indicated that teacher interactive style accounted for a significant portion of the variability in children's engagement. Teacher directiveness was negatively associated with children's initiations, while teacher affec tive involvement correlated positively with both children's attention and i nitiations. These results are discussed in terms of constructivist educatio nal practices for preschool children with disabilities.