Profiles of Chinese preschoolers' academic and social–emotional development in relation to classroom quality: A multilevel latent profile approach

Abstract

Linking classroom quality to separate domains of child development might neglect the transactional interactions across developmental domains. This research utilized latent profiles across academic and social–emotional development to explore which aspects of classroom quality can predict children's profiles at the classroom level. Data were drawn from 96 preschool classrooms and 547 children (3–5 years old) in China in 2020. Multilevel latent profile analysis identified three profiles (entitled low-, average- and high-level development at the individual level), and two classes (entitled average and below-, average and above) at the classroom level. Multinominal logistic regression analyses revealed that instructional quality in math, science, and diversity, and the interactional quality in supporting children's learning and critical thinking, predicted children's profiles.