Preschoolers’ academic readiness: What role does the teacher–child relationship play?

Abstract

We examined the role of the teacher-child relationship quality (close, dependent, and conflictive) on preschoolers' (N = 95) academic readiness for kindergarten, and we tested children's prosocial and aggressive behavior and peer group exclusion as mediators of this relation. A unique feature of this study is the ethnically and socio-economically diverse preschool-aged sample. The association between close teacher-child relationships and academic readiness was partially mediated by prosocial behavior and peer group exclusion. There was also evidence of a transactional association between close teacher-child relationships and children's behavior. Additionally, children's behavior and peer group exclusion mediated the relation between negative teacher-child relationships (dependent and conflictive) and academic readiness. The findings suggest that teacher training, education, and support for establishing close teacher-child relationships may maximize preschoolers' academic readiness by promoting social adaptation. Keywords Teacher-child relationship; Preschool; Academic readinessIdentifying the contributors to young children's readiness for school is crucial to promoting positive academic experiences. The importance of this is highlighted by the fact that children who are not ready to do well in school are more likely to evidence later school adjustment problems, including school dropout and delinquency (Alexander, Entwisle, & Kabbani, 2001;Ensminger & Slusarcick, 1992). Although a large proportion of children transition from preschool into kindergarten successfully, a significant number are not ready to meet the demands of formal schooling. For instance, using a national sample of kindergarten teachers, Rimm-Kaufman, Pianta, and Cox (2000) found that over one-third of the teachers indicated that approximately half the students who entered kindergarten not only experienced difficulty following directions and working independently, but also exhibited diminished academic skills.To understand the factors that influence early school readiness, it is important to consider children's relationships with their teachers. Research has shown that teachers have a significant influence on young children's school readiness and adjustment, such that children who experience warmer or closer teacher-child relationships tend to have fewer behavior problems, like school more, and perform better academically than do children who experience more conflicted or dependent teacher-child relationships (e.g., Birch & Ladd, © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author: francisco.palermo@asu.edu (F. Palermo). Hamre & Pianta, 2001;Hughes, Cavell, & Jackson, 1999;Pianta, Steinberg, & Rollins, 1995). However, little attention has been given to the processes by which the qualities of the teacher-child relationships (i.e., close, dependent, or conflictive) relate to young children's school adjustment. A focus on process is critical to developing useful working models that can guide both future research and practice ...

Teacher-child dependency and teacher sensitivity predict engagement of children with attachment problems.

“…These studies found that dependency is concurrently associated with less classroom engagement, more emotional problems, more conduct problems, more social withdrawal, and more peer problems (Birch & Ladd, 1997;Howes, Hamilton, & Matheson, 1994;Koomen et al, 2012;Palermo, Hanish, Martin, Fabes, & Reiser, 2007). Doumen and colleagues (2012), for example, found that children's average level of dependency on the teacher ©American Psychological Association, 2017.…”

Examining the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale in the Italian Context: A Factorial Validity Study

“…The teacher-pupil relationship is important, particularly in early childhood (Palermo, Hanish, Martin, Fabes, & Reiser, 2007) and, in general, because of its effects on the child's psychological well-being and social adaptation (Birch & Ladd, 1997;Baker, Grant, & Morlock, 2008;Koomen et al, 2012); for this reason, it is fundamental to have available an instrument that can be used to assess the relationship itself. The STRS, given its validity, can be a serviceable questionnaire for studying such a construct, both as a monitoring scale of a given relationship and as a way to help teachers achieve a better level of awareness of their educational skills.…”

Examining the Student-Teacher Relationships of Children Both With and Without Special Needs in Preschool Classrooms

“…In several other research studies which examined the relationships of students with and without SN to their teachers, it was also suggested that the social skills and problem behaviors of students impact these relationships (Birch & Ladd, 1998;Blacher et al, 2009;Doumen et al, 2008;Eisenhower et al, 2007;Hughes et al, 1999;Palermo et al, 2007). Studies which examined the relationships of students without SN to their teachers suggested that students who have more problem behaviors have more conflicts with their teachers, and students who have better social skills have closer relationships with their teachers (Birch & Ladd, 1998;Hamre et al, 2007;Palermo et al, 2007;Pianta & Nimetz, 1991;Pianta et al, 1995). Studies which examined the relationships of students with SN to their teachers also showed similar results (Blacher et al, 2009;Eisenhower et al, 2007).…”

“…In order to create both a positive classroom environment and form positive student-teacher relationships, the importance of teacher characteristics as well as student characteristics might be emphasized. Student characteristics, especially problem behaviors, are very important for student-teacher relationships (Doumen et al, 2008;Howes, 2000;Palermo et al, 2007). Problem behaviors are defined as behaviors which prevent a student from effectively functioning in the classroom and endangers both their safety and their peers.…”

“…Similar to the relationship of a child with their mother, positive relationships with teachers in the early childhood period are important for social competence and classroom adjustment (Birch & Ladd, 1997;Hamre & Pianta, 2001;. Negative studentteacher relationships in this period are related to school avoidance (Palermo, Hanish, Martin, Fabes, & Reiser, 2007;Pianta & Nimetz, 1991;Pianta, Steinberg, & Rollins, 1995) and decreased academic performance (Birch & Ladd, 1997, 1998Hamre & Pianta, 2001;.…”