Besides examining individual children, there is also an evident need to investigate the classroom environment and interactions between teacher and children as a way to increase our understanding of the processes that promote learning at kindergarten. Classroom interactions between teachers and children can be assumed to be the key mechanisms through which teachers influence children’s skill development and motivational trajectories (Hamre, Pianta, Mashburn & Downer, 2008). Not surprisingly, there is an increasing amount of research concerning the influence of the quality of classroom environment on children’s academic performance and socio-emotional behavior. How to best promote children’s learning and socio-emotional development in preschool, kindergarten and school have been under investigation for a long time. Several topics, such as quality in teaching and developmentally appropriate practices (e.g., Bredekamp & Copple, 1997), classroom quality (La Paro, Pianta & Stuhlman, 2004), child-centered versus didactic practices (Stipek & Byler, 2004; Perry, Donohue & Weinstein, 2007), and effective teaching (Bogner, Raphael & Pressley, 2002; Wharton-McDonald, Pressley, Hampston, 1998; Yates & Yates, 1990) have been investigated and discussed. Most researchers have identified three kinds of elements of classroom interactions that are influential in children’s learning: (1) social and emotional elements of classroom interactions, (2) instructional and cognitive components of classroom interactions, and (3) classroom management (i.e., organization) (e.g., Bru, Stephens & Torsheim, 2002; Connor, Son, Hindman & Morrison, 2005; La Paro, Pianta & Stuhlman, 2004; Stipek & Byler, 2004). One instrument to examine these components of classroom interactions is the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (the CLASS) by Robert Pianta with his colleagues (Pianta, La Paro & Hamre, 2006). In this CLASS instrument interactions between teachers and students can be grouped into four domains: emotional support, classroom organization, instructional support and student outcomes. The CLASS dimensions are based on everyday interactions among teachers and children in classrooms. In the CLASS, the focus is on what teachers do with the materials and on the interactions between teachers and students (Pianta, La Paro & Hamre, 2006). Although this instrument has been widely used in the US, few efforts have been made to examine how useful it is in other cultural environments and schooling systems. The present study examined the validity and reliability of the CLASS in Finnish kindergartens. For this purpose, 49 (47 women, 2 men) kindergarten teachers were observed by using the CLASS on two days by two trained observers. The teachers also filled out questionnaires measuring their efficacy beliefs, exhaustion at work, and their style of teaching interaction. These teachers’ self-ratings were used for examination of the criterion validity of the CLASS. Our results showed that a similar factor structure of the CLASS was identified as has been found by Pianta et al. (Hamre, Pianta, Mashburn & Downer, 2008). For example, the results of a confirmatory factor analysis showed that a three-factor solution assuming three positively correlated latent factors (i.e., Emotional support, Classroom organization and Instructional support) described well the classroom quality in Finnish kindergartens. The CLASS showed also high item and scale reliabilities in Finnish sample. Moreover, evidence for the criterion validity was found for the CLASS: teacher self-rated affection was associated with observed emotional support. In future studies will be investigated how the classroom quality is associated with children’s academic performance, motivation, and socio-emotional development.

the CLASS, teacher questionnaire

Our results showed that a similar factor structure of the CLASS was identified as has been found by Pianta et al. (Hamre, Pianta, Mashburn & Downer, 2008). For example, the results of a confirmatory factor analysis showed that a three-factor solution assuming three positively correlated latent factors (i.e., Emotional support, Classroom organization and Instructional support) described well the classroom quality in Finnish kindergartens. The CLASS showed also high item and scale reliabilities in Finnish sample. Moreover, evidence for the criterion validity was found for the CLASS: teacher self-rated affection was associated with observed emotional support. Overall, the results suggest that, besides the U.S., the CLASS works well at least in Finnish cultural and educational context as a valid and reliable measure of the classroom quality. Furthermore, the results showed that Finnish kindergarten classrooms provided moderate levels of emotional support and were well organized. Moreover, Finnish kindergarten teachers provided a moderate level of instructional support for the children in their group.