3-008 - How and for Whom Do Teacher-Child Relationships Matter? Varying Trajectories in Teacher-Child Relationships and Development

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

There is a robust body of literature linking teacher-child relationship quality, conceptualized as dimensions of closeness and conflict, and children’s academic and behavioral development in early and middle childhood. Yet, little research has described differential trajectories of teacher-child relationship quality, the factors predictive of relationships across time, and how patterns of closeness and conflict may uniquely relate to children’s outcomes in pre-K and elementary school.

Using varied samples and longitudinal methods, this symposium will present evidence linking teacher-child relationship quality and children’s behavioral and academic outcomes as a nuanced longitudinal process. Employing a national dataset, Study 1 uses latent profile analysis to identify five distinct trajectories of teacher-child conflict, finding that gender, parent involvement, and externalizing behaviors are predictive of those patterns. Employing a high-poverty sample, Study 2 then determines that executive functioning in pre-K protects against the development of conflictual teacher-child relationships across elementary school. Extending this work to achievement outcomes in a national sample, Study 3 finds that changes in closeness are associated with improvements in reading skills overall, and that teacher-child conflict is linked to lower math achievement for girls. Finally, with respect to social-emotional outcomes, Study 4 determines that both mean levels and variability in dimensions of teacher-child relationship quality are uniquely related to low-income children’s aggression, prosocial behaviors, and emotional regulation across pre-K and elementary school.

The studies’ focus on unpacking associations between teacher-child relationship quality and development during formative educational experiences will inform developmental theory, teacher education, and classroom-based interventions.

Sub Unit

• Education, Schooling

Chair

• Erin O'Connor, New York University

Individual Presentations

• Profiles of Teacher-Child Conflict in Middle Childhood - Presenting Author: Rebecca Ullrich, George Mason University; Erin O'Connor, New York University

• Children’s Executive Function as a Predictor of Teacher-Child Relationships in Primary School - Presenting Author: Rachel McKinnon, New York University; Clancy Blair, New York University

• Teacher-Child Relationship Quality and Academic Achievement in Elementary School: Does Gender Matter? - Presenting Author: Meghan Patricia McCormick, New York University; Erin O'Connor, New York University

• Variability in Relationships with Early Elementary Teachers: Longitudinal Effects for Children at Risk - Presenting Author: Phyllis Lee, Pennsylvania State University; Karen L Bierman, Penn State University