Early intervention procedure: communicative interactions between an educator and two children

Abstract

This study comprises the communicative interactions between a pre-school teacher and two children, covered by early intervention procedure, from the point of view of educational intervention, in their family home. The theoretical framework includes early intervention procedure, as a social response to a group of children, who present environmental or biological risks in their personal and social development. It also includes the process of communication as social interaction in educational contexts, in an active participation of all those involved in the communicative process. The present study assumes a descriptive and interpretative nature, focusing on the analysis of verbal interactions, in an individualized intervention situation, between the pre-school teacher and each of the children. Data collection involved videotaping sessions with children in their natural context. The content analysis comprises the collection of the most significant interactions and their analysis through the description and reflection based on theoretical perspectives of communication. The results point out to the importance of the pre-School teacher in constructing interactions with children, listening to them, stimulating discussion and argumentative language, and managing the time needed for each child to solve problems.