Re-centering Relational Pedagogy: A Case Study of Affective Touch and Attachment in Infant Care

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 7:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher and Caregiver Well-being and Professional Identity (Table 1)

Abstract

Affective touch is foundational to infant development yet remains underexamined within early childhood education practice and teacher preparation. This qualitative longitudinal case study investigated how affective touch functioned within a high-quality infant classroom over six months of sustained observation and video documentation. Findings revealed that affective touch operated not merely as soothing contact but as an intentional relational and pedagogical resource embedded in everyday routines. Across interactions, touch functioned as a multimodal communicative tool, supported emotional regulation, structured participation, and fostered early peer engagement. The classroom environment and routines were intentionally organized to promote proximity and shared attention, creating opportunities for touch-based interaction that supported emerging prosocial behavior among infants. These findings position affective touch as a co-constructed relational process central to infant caregiving and early social development. The study highlights the need to re-center embodied, ethical, and developmentally responsive touch within early childhood teacher education and professional guidance.

Author

• Na Ra Yun, California State University, Dominguez Hills