Temperament and Teacher–Child Conflict in Preschool: The Moderating Roles of Classroom Instructional and Emotional Support

Abstract

Research Findings: This study is an examination of (a) links between preschool children's temperament (effortful control, shyness, and anger) and teacher-child conflict and (b) classroom instructional and emotional support as moderators of associations between temperament and teacher-child conflict. Children (N = 104) were enrolled in 23 classrooms in 9 preschools in a Midwestern city. Teachers provided ratings of children's temperament and parents reported demographic information in the fall of the school year, classrooms were observed in the winter to assess instructional and emotional support, and teachers rated conflict with children in the spring. Multilevel models were estimated, and 3 main findings emerged. First, children's effortful control was negatively associated with their level of conflict with teachers. Second, children's effortful control was negatively related to teacher-child conflict in classrooms with low emotional support but unrelated to conflict in classrooms with high emotional support. Third, children's effortful control was negatively related to conflict in classrooms with high instructional support but unrelated to conflict in classrooms with low instructional support. Practice or Policy: Findings highlight the importance of considering the interplay of children's effortful control and preschool classroom instructional and emotional support in the development of early teacher-child conflict.

The roles of teacher–student relationship quality and self-concept of ability in adolescents’ achievement emotions: temperament as a moderator

“…However, none of the previous studies have examined anxiety towards academic subjects as an outcome variable. Our finding, indicating that a high level of closeness with the teacher elevated anxiety towards literacy among adolescents with low levels of effortful control, somewhat resembles one prior study among preschoolers that showed that higher instructional support was related to more conflict with the teacher among pupils with lower effortful control (Rudasill et al 2016; see also Domínguez et al 2011). Hence, one possible explanation for our finding is that a close relationship with the teacher may highlight the value of the topic for the student (see Pekrun 2006).…”

The classroom relational environment and children’s early development in preschool

“…Teachers might provide more support and attention to children with whom they have a close and conflict‐free relationship (Birch & Ladd, 1997; Hamre & Pianta, 2001). They are likely to offer children positive instructional and behavioral supports, and teach coping skills that encourage children's development of social‐behavioral skills and self‐regulation (Cadima, Verschueren, Leal, & Guedes, 2016; Howes & Hamilton, 1993; Pianta, 1997; Rudasill et al, 2016; Silva et al, 2011). These positive relationships can provide a context in which children are emotionally secure and confident, which encourages them explore classroom resources and the learning environment actively (Pianta, 1999).…”

“…Buyse, Verschueren, Doumen, Van Damme, and Maes (2008) found that classroom emotional support attenuated the associations between children's behavior problems and high levels of teacher–child conflict in a sample of Dutch kindergarteners. Additionally, prior work has shown that preschool children's temperament (i.e., effortful control, anger, and shyness) may be linked strongly to the quality of their relationships with teachers and consequently interact with the levels of emotional and instructional support they receive in the classroom (Rudasill et al, 2016).…”

“…There are a few additional studies that examine classroom‐level and individual‐level dynamics together, and results suggest that relationships at the individual level have a stronger link to children's outcomes than interactional quality (Graves & Howes, 2011; Jeon et al, 2010; Lippard, La Paro, Rouse, & Crosby, 2018; Rudasill et al, 2016). For example, Graves and Howes (2011) documented significant associations between teacher–child relationships, as measured by the STRS, and children's peer social skills, frustration tolerance, and conduct problems, but there were no significant associations of the classroom's emotional climate as measured by the CLASS with these dimensions of social‐emotional functioning.…”

The role of child temperament on low‐income preschool children's relationships with their parents and teachers

“…In general, research has shown that children's regulatory temperament such as inhibitory control is positively associated with their relationships with parents and teachers (Laukkanen, Ojansuu, Tolvanen, Alatupa, & Aunola, ; Rudasill, Hawley, Molfese, Tu, Prokasky, & Sirota, ). For example, Lengua () found that children's early effortful control predicted less parental rejection in early adolescence.…”