Kindergarten child-child interaction during attention demanding classtime : an ethnographic inquiry

Inattentiveness exhibited by child-child interaction during attention demanding classtime can be a hindrance in the learning process. Teachers use many methods to control this inattentiveness, which is affected by certain environmental and subject related factors. This phenomenon was investigated at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, during a ten week period from March to June, 1986. Data were collected with ethnographic methodologies in three schools and nine classrooms by observation, interview, survey, and sociogram, and were examined for patterns in interaction correlating with patterns in environmental and subject related factors.

The results revealed that patterns did exist, and there were correlations in the discovered patterns among interaction, environmental, and subject related factors, which could be altered in order to minimize interaction. Interpretation concluded that the teacher, school administration, and school system administration must work together in order to achieve change in the patterns and reduce the frequency of interaction.