Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Closer Look at Teacher–Child Relationships and Classroom Emotional Context in Preschool

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Child & Youth Care Forum Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Children’s early classroom experiences, particularly their interpersonal interactions with teachers, have implications for their academic achievement and classroom behavior. Teacher–child relationships and classroom interactions are both important aspects of children’s early classroom experiences, but they are not typically considered together in studies of early childhood classrooms. The bioecological model suggests that both uniquely impact children’s development.

Objective

The objective of this study was to examine the joint impact of individual teacher–child relationships reported by the teacher and observed classroom interactions to identify associations between these and children’s outcomes.

Methods

Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Birth cohort, multiple regression was employed to test the hypothesis that teacher–child relationships and classroom interactions are uniquely related to children’s classroom behavior and academic achievement. Further, a moderation model was tested to examine the moderating impact of teacher–child relationships on the association between classroom interactions and children’s outcomes.

Results

Teacher–child relationships were related to children’s concurrent academic achievement and classroom behavior, and to children’s classroom behavior assessed one year later. No main effects of classroom interactions were identified; however, teacher–child relationships moderated the associations between classroom interactions and children’s preschool classroom behavior.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that teacher–child relationships are important for children’s development in classrooms, even after accounting for classroom interactions. Professional development for teachers and measurement in classroom research should address teacher–child relationships in addition to classroom interactions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnett, J. (1989). Caregivers in day-care centers: Does training matter? Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 10, 541–552. doi:10.1016/0193-3973(89)90026-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, J. A., Grant, S., & Morlock, L. (2008). The teacher-student relationship as a developmental context for children with internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. School Psychology Quarterly, 23, 3–15. doi:10.1037/1045-3830.23.1.3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bayley, N. (1993). Bayley scales of infant development. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blair, C., McKinnon, R., & The Family Life Project investigators. (2016). Moderating effects of executive functions and the teacher-child relationship on the development of mathematics ability in kindergarten. Learning and Instruction, 41, 85–93. doi:10.1016/j.learninginstruc.2015.10.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. (2006). The Bioecological model of human development. In W. Damons (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology (pp. 793–828). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burchinal, M., Howes, C., Pianta, R., Bryant, D., Early, D., Clifford, R., et al. (2008). Predicting child outcomes at the end of kindergarten from the quality of pre-kindergarten teacher–child interactions and instruction. Applied Developmental Science, 12, 140–153. doi:10.1080/10888690802199418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burchinal, M., Kainz, K., & Cai, Y. (2011). How well do our measures of quality predict child outcomes? In M. Zaslow, I. Martinez-Beck, K. Tout, & T. Halle (Eds.), Quality measurement in early childhood settings (pp. 11–31). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burchinal, M., Vandergrift, N., Painta, R. C., & Mashburn, A. (2010). Threshold analysis of associations between child care quality and child outcomes for low-income children in pre-kindergarten programs. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 25, 166–176. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2009.10.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cadima, J., Verschueren, K., Leal, T., & Guedes, C. (2015). Classroom interactions, dyadic teacher-child relationships, and self-regulation in socially disadvantaged young children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. doi:10.1007/s10802-015-0060-5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colwell, N., Gordon, R. A., Fujimoto, K., Kaestener, R., & Korenman, S. (2013). New evidence of the validity of the Arnett Caregiver interaction scale: Results from the early childhood longitudinal study-birth cohort. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2, 218–233. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2012.12.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curby, T. W., Locasale-Crouch, J., Konold, T. R., Pianta, R. C., Howes, C., Burchinal, M., et al. (2009a). The relations of observed pre-k classroom quality profiles to children’s achievement and social competence. Early Education & Development, 20, 346–372. doi:10.1080/10409280802581284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curby, T. W., Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., & Ponitz, C. C. (2009b). Teacher-child interactions and children’s achievement trajectories across kindergarten and first grade. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101, 912–925. doi:10.1037/a0016647.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Downer, J. T., Sabol, T. J., & Hamre, B. (2010). Teacher-child interactions in the classroom: Toward a theory of within- and cross-domain links to children’s developmental outcomes. Early Education and Development, 21, 699–723. doi:10.1080/10409289.2012.497453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Driscoll, K. C., Wang, L., Mashburn, A. J., & Pianta, R. C. (2011). Fostering supportive teacher- child relationships: Intervention Implementation in a state-funded preschool program. Early Education and Development, 22, 593–619. doi:10.1080/10409289.2010.502015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flanagan, K. D., & West, J. (2004). Children born in 2001: First results from the base year of the early childhood longitudinal study, birth cohort (ECLS-B). Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graves, S. L., Jr., & Howes, C. (2011). Ethnic differences in social-emotional development in preschool: The impact of teacher child relationship quality and classroom quality. School Psychology Quarterly, 26, 202–214. doi:10.1037/a0024117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graziano, P. A., Reavis, R. D., Keane, S. P., & Calkins, S. D. (2007). The role of emotion regulation in children’s early academic success. Journal of School Psychology, 45, 3–19. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2006.09.002.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gresham, F. M., & Elliott, S. N. (1990). Social skills rating system. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griggs, M. S., Gagnon, S. G., Huelsman, T. J., Kidder-Ashley, P., & Ballard, M. (2009). Student-teacher relationships matter: Moderating influences between temperament and preschool social competence. Psychology in the Schools, 46, 553–567. doi:10.1002/pits.20397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamre, B., & Pianta, R. (2001). Early teacher-child relationships and the trajectory of children’s school outcomes through eighth grade. Child Development, 72, 625–638. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00301.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harmes, T., Clifford, R., & Cryer, D. (2004). Early childhood environmental rating scale revised. New York, NY: College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helker, W. P., & Ray, D. C. (2009). Impact of child teacher relationship training on teachers’ and aides’ use of relationship-building skills and the effects on student classroom behavior. International Journal of Play Therapy. doi:10.1037/a0014456.

    Google Scholar 

  • Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council (NRC). (2015). Transforming the workforce for children birth through age 8: A unifying foundation. Report Brief. Retrieved from https://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2015/Birthto8/BirthtoEight_brief.pdf.

  • Jeon, H. J., Langill, C. C., Peterson, C. A., Luze, G. J., Carta, J. J., & Atwater, J. B. (2010). Children’s individual experiences in early care and education: Relations with overall classroom quality and children’s school readiness. Early Education and Development, 2, 912–939. doi:10.1080/10409280903292500.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kline, R. B. (1998). Principles and practices of structural equation modeling. New York: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ladd, G. W., & Burgess, K. B. (1999). Charting the relationship trajectories of aggressive, withdrawn, and aggressive/withdrawn children during early grade school. Child Development, 70, 910–929. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00066.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Layzer, J. I., Goodson, B. D., & Moss, M. (1993). Observational study of early childhood programs: Life in preschool final report. Cambridge, MA: Abt Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liew, J., Chen, Q., & Hughes, J. N. (2010). Child effortful control, teacher–student relationships, and achievement in academically at-risk children: Additive and interactive effects. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 25, 51–64. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2009.07.005.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mashburn, A. J., Pianta, R. C., Hamre, B. K., Barbarin, D., Burchinal, M., Early, D. M., et al. (2008). Measures of classroom quality in prekindergarten and children’s development of academic, language, and social skills. Child Development, 79, 732–750. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01154.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Merrell, K. W. (2003). Preschool and kindergarten behavior scales. Austin, TX: ProEd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers, S. S., & Pianta, R. C. (2008). Developmental commentary: Individual and contextual influences of student–teacher relationships and children’s early problem behaviors. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37, 600–608. doi:10.1080/15374410802148160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Najarian, M., Snow, K., Lennon, J., Kinsey, S., & Mulligan, G. (2010). Early childhood longitudinal study, birth cohort (ECLS-B): Preschool-kindergarten 2007 psychometric report. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. (2005). Early child care and children’s development in the primary grades: Follow-up results from the NICHD study of early child care. American Educational Research Journal, 42, 537–570. doi:10.3102/00028312039001133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nord, C., Edwards, B., Andreassen, C., Green, J. L., & Wallner-Allen, K. (2006). Early childhood longitudinal study, birth cohort (ECLS-B), user’s manual for the ECLS-B longitudinal 9-month–2-year data file and electronic codebook (NCES 2006–046). Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palemo, F., Hanish, L. D., Martin, C. L., Fabes, R. A., & Reiser, M. (2007). Preschoolers’ academic readiness: What role does the teacher-child relationship play? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 22, 407–422. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2007.04.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillipsen, L., Cryer, D., & Howes, C. (1995). Classroom process and classroom structure. In S. W. Helburn (Ed.), Cost, quality, and child outcomes in child care centers (pp. 125–158). Denver: University of Colorado at Denver, Department of Economics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pianta, R. (1999). Enhancing relationships between children and teachers. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Pianta, R. C., Hamre, B., & Stuhlman, M. (2003). Relationships between teachers and children. In I. B. Weiner, W. M. Reynolds, & G. E. Miller (Eds.), Handbook of psychology: Vol 7. Educational psychology (pp. 199–234). New York: Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pianta, R. C., LaParo, K. M., & Hamre, B. K. (2008). Classroom assessment scoring system: Pre-K. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pianta, R. C., Nimetz, S. L., & Bennett, E. (1997). Mother-child relationships, teacher–child relationships, and school outcomes in prekindergarten and kindergarten. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 12, 263–280. doi:10.1016/S0885-2006(97)90003-X.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pianta, R. C., & Steinberg, M. (1992). Teacher-child relationships and the process of adjusting to school. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 57, 61–80. doi:10.1002/cd.23219925706.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ridley, S. M., McWilliam, R. A., & Oates, C. S. (2000). Observed engagement as an indicator of child care program quality. Early Education and Development, 11, 133–146. doi:10.1207/s15566935eed1102_1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rock, D. A., & Pollack, J. M. (2002). Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 (ECLS-K): Psychometric report for kindergarten through first grade. Working paper series.

  • Rudasill, K. M., Niehaus, K., Buhs, E., & White, J. M. (2013). Temperament in early childhood and peer interactions in third grade: The role of teacher-child relationships in early elementary grades. Journal of School Psychology, 51, 701–716. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2013.08.002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Snow, K., Thalji, L., Derecho, A., Wheeless, S., Lennon, J., Kinsey, S., et al. (2007). User’s manual for the ECLS-B longitudinal 9-month– preschool restricted-use data file and electronic codebook. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • STATA (2011) (Version 12) [Computer software]. College Station, TX: StataCorp.

  • Tout, K., Starr, R., Soli, M., Moodie, S., Kirby, G., & Boller, K. (2010). The child care quality rating system (QRS) assessment: Compendium of quality rating systems and evaluations. Report prepared for the office of planning, research, and evaluation. Retrieved from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/qrs_compendium_final.pdf.

  • Vitiello, V. E., Moas, O., Henderson, H. A., Greenfield, D. B., & Munis, P. M. (2012). Goodness of fit between children and classrooms: Effects of child temperament and preschool classroom quality on achievement trajectories. Early Education and Development, 23, 302–322. doi:10.1080/10409289.2911.526415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Birth Cohort (ECLS—B) was conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, in collaboration with several federal health, education, and human services agencies. The National Center for Health Statistics, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Services, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of Minority Health, the Office of Special Education Programs, and the Office of Indian Education are working collaboratively with NCES on this study. Opinions reflect those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the granting agencies.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State University, 4380 Palmer Building, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Christine N. Lippard & Heather L. Rouse

  2. Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Stone 248, P.O. Box 26170, Greensboro, NC, 27402, USA

    Karen M. La Paro & Danielle A. Crosby

Authors
  1. Christine N. Lippard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Karen M. La Paro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Heather L. Rouse
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Danielle A. Crosby
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christine N. Lippard.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The first, third, and fourth authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The second author acknowledges that she is a co-author of one of the discussed measures.

Human and Animal Rights

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lippard, C., La Paro, K.M., Rouse, H.L. et al. A Closer Look at Teacher–Child Relationships and Classroom Emotional Context in Preschool. Child Youth Care Forum 47, 1–21 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-017-9414-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-017-9414-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation