Table 1.
Mean observed number of communications of early care and education teachers (ECET), by teacher type, in thirty-seven classrooms in eight Head Start centres of two Southern US states, 2013–2015
| Lead ECET | Assistant ECET | Total ECET | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | sd | Range | Mean | sd | Range | Mean | sd | Range | |
| Supportive Communications | |||||||||
| Positive comments about food served( 6 , 26 , 27 ) (‘I am really enjoying the peas today. Yummy.’) | 2·8 | 2·4 | 0–10 | 2·3 | 1·8 | 0–7 | 2·5 | 2·1 | 0–10 |
| Hunger cues( 11 , 25 , 30 , 32 , 33 ) (‘Are you full? How does your belly feel?’) | 0·4 | 0·7 | 0–3 | 0·1 | 0·3 | 0–1 | 0·3 | 0·6 | 0–3 |
| Encourage trying in a positive way( 6 , 11 , 24 , 26 , 27 , 29 , 31 , 32 ) (‘Would you like to try the peas?’) | 3·4 | 2·8 | 0–11 | 2·0 | 2·5 | 0–11 | 2·7 | 2·7 | 0–11 |
| Exploring foods( 11 , 29 , 33 – 35 ) (‘What does it smell like? How does it feel in your mouth?’) | 4·1 | 3·7 | 0–13 | 2·3 | 2·5 | 0–9 | 3·2 | 3·3 | 0–13 |
| Total Supportive Communications | 10·7 | 6·7 | 0–24 | 6·7 | 4·4 | 0–16 | 8·7 | 6·0 | 0–24 |
| Unsupportive Communications | |||||||||
| Negative comments about the food served( 36 – 39 ) ‘(I can’t believe we’re having this again. I don’t like peas.’) | 0·1 | 0·4 | 0–2 | 0·1 | 0·25 | 0–1 | 0·1 | 0·3 | 0–2 |
| Pressure to eat( 28 – 31 ) (‘Eat your food. Take a bite. Clean your plate. Finish.’) | 3·8 | 3·5 | 0–14 | 3·8 | 5·0 | 0–25 | 3·8 | 4·3 | 0–25 |
| Threats (to encourage eating)( 10 , 11 , 28 – 31 , 36 – 39 , 40 , 41 ) (‘If you don’t eat, you’ll be over here by yourself.’) | 0·0 | – | – | 0·1 | 0·2 | 0–1 | 0·03 | 0·1 | 0–1 |
| Discourage manipulating food(11, 29 , 33 – 35 ) (‘Eat; don’t play. That’s sticky and nasty.’) | 0·8 | 1·3 | 0–7 | 0·8 | 1·2 | 0–5 | 0·8 | 1·2 | 0–7 |
| Indicate preference for unhealthy food( 6 , 26 , 27 ) (‘I wish we were having French fries today.’) | 0·3 | 0·6 | 0–2 | 0·1 | 0·3 | 0–2 | 0·2 | 0·5 | 0–2 |
| Food as a reward( 36 – 39 ) (‘If you eat your vegetable, you can have dessert.’) | 0·1 | 0·2 | 0–1 | 0·01 | 0·1 | 0–1 | 0·03 | 0·2 | 0–1 |
| Hurries to finish eating( 10 , 11 , 28 – 31 , 40 , 41 ) (‘We’re waiting on you. Let’s hurry so we can go to recess.’) | 0·4 | 0·7 | 0–3 | 0·5 | 0·9 | 0–5 | 0·4 | 0·8 | 0–5 |
| Firm behavioural control( 10 , 11 , 40 , 41 ) ‘(Turn around. Sit up straight. Hands in your lap.’) | 3·7 | 2·6 | 0–12 | 4·6 | 3·5 | 0–15 | 4·2 | 3·1 | 0–15 |
| Total Unsupportive Communications | 8·2 | 5·9 | 1–31 | 8·7 | 8·6 | 0–47 | 8·5 | 7·3 | 1–47 |
| Total Communications | 18·9 | 8·0 | 4–42 | 15·4 | 9·6 | 1–49 | 17·2 | 8·9 | 1–49 |