Date of Award

1-1-1984

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Teaching & Learning

Abstract

The ability to cognitively separate oneself from the immediate behavioral environment has been identified in the literature as the concept of distancing. It has been suggested that the child's distancing abilities are a reflection of his early experiences with the distancing language of significant others in his environment. Several curricula have been developed that focus on strategies that teachers can employ for facilitating distancing in children. Very little is reported in the literature, however, about the distancing language of teachers in practice. This study investigates the distancing language of six preschool teachers in their talk to preschool age children.The data was analyzed according to a framework designed by the researcher and based on the work of Sigel (1970) and Tough (1979b). Seven categories of distancing language were identified: spatial distancing, psychological distancing, distancing by projection, and references to the immediate past, earlier past, immediate future and later future.The analysis of the data indicates that at least minimal amounts of distancing are evident in the language of preschool teachers. Of the over 7,000 teacher communication units directed to the children, 596 were characteristic of some kind of distancing language. The largest number of these were categorized as spatial distancing. The two least frequently used categories were those of psychological distancing and distancing by projection. All seven categories of distancing were represented during Center Time, Family Time, and Meal Time. There was no psychological distancing documented during Outside Play.The data suggests that opportunities for the teachers to use language for distancing are present throughout the preschool schedule. It appears, however, that the vast majority of the talk of the teachers focuses on the here and now. The data also suggests that individual differences among teachers in their distancing language may be a reflection of their preferred modes of instruction. For cognitive rich environments to exist in early childhood programs, teachers must use their language to encourage the child to free himself from the immediate context. It is concluded that in practice, the teachers' use of language to encourage such cognitive leaps is limited.

Download

Share

COinS