Targeting Teacher–Student Relationships to Support Preschool Social Competence: What Really Matters in the Classroom?

• In Event: 73.060 - Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: 73.060-3 - Correlates of Social and Emotional Learning Among Students and Teachers

Abstract

As researchers identify practices to improve preschool classroom quality, the classroom emotional climate has been established as an important influence on student’s social-emotional development (Hamre & Pianta, 2001). We extend our understanding of classroom quality by investigating the self-perceptions among teachers regarding interactions with students. This study examined the impact of teachers’ self-reported level of closeness towards students in their preschool classroom. Our findings indicate teacher’s self-perception of closeness with individual students affects student social-emotional development, namely social competence. We found a strong positive relationship between teachers’ perception of closeness to students and social competence development, beyond observable emotional climate. Training teachers on how to form close relationships with students may be needed for increasing preschoolers' social-emotional development.

Authors

• Jennifer Briggs, University of Pittsburgh

• Joseph W. Pieri, University of Pittsburgh

• Shannon Beth Wanless, University of Pittsburgh

• Richard James Correnti, University of Pittsburgh