Poster #67 - Interactive Effects of Teacher-Child Relationships and Early Childhood Learning Experiences on Children’s Pre-Academic Skills

• In Event: Poster Session 20

Abstract

Extensive research demonstrates that early childhood programs are of great importance to early development. Previous studies have examined either quantity or quality of childhood learning experiences. However, the interplay between them has been overlooked. The current study has two aims. First, we investigated the quantity and quality of learning experiences in kindergartens in Hong Kong and their interaction effects on young children’s early mathematics and language skills. Second, considering that positive teacher-child relations improve childcare experiences and benefit children’s academic outcomes, we further explored if teacher-child closeness and conflicts influence the quantity and quality of learning experiences in kindergartens and children’s pre-academic skills. A total of 128 Cantonese-speaking 2- to 3- year-olds (54 boys and 74 girls; Mage = 33.11±3.56 months) from ten kindergartens in Hong Kong were tested at two time points six months apart. Two assessments were conducted with the children at each time point, including a Cantonese-Chinese oral vocabulary test (Hong Kong Cantonese Receptive Vocabulary Test; Lee et al., 1996) and an early mathematics test (Test of Early Mathematics Ability; Ginsburg & Baroody, 2003; Cheung et al., 2022). The lead teachers self-reported the relationship quality with their students with Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (Pianta, 2001; Cheung et al., 2022). Finally, two raters evaluated the quantity and quality of children’s learning experiences via two-hour observations using Teacher Behavior Rating Scale (TBRS; Landry et al., 2001) in all kindergartens. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that (i) after controlling for age, gender, and family income, TBRS quantity positively predicted children’s early mathematics skills at time 1 and 2; the positive effect at time 2 was negatively moderated by TBRS quality and disappeared when TBRS quality was high; (ii) after controlling for the covariates, TBRS quantity positively predicted children’s oral vocabulary at time 1 and 2; the positive effect at time 1 was weakened by TBRS quality and disappeared when TBRS quality was high. Additionally, path analyses controlling for the covariates revealed that (iii) close teacher-child relationships indirectly predicted stronger early mathematics skills at time 1 through its positive effect on TBRS quantity; (iv) conflictual teacher-child relationships indirectly predicted weaker early mathematics skills at time 1 through its negative effect on TBRS quality; (v) close teacher-child relationships indirectly predicted better oral vocabulary at time 1 through its positive effect on TBRS quantity, and a similar mediation effect on oral vocabulary at time 2 was found when the auto-regression effect was controlled. The current findings suggest that both quantity and quality of learning experiences in kindergartens affect children’s pre-academic development. Importantly, high-quality learning experiences somehow mitigate the pre-academic differences due to quantity of learning experiences. Furthermore, intimate teacher-child relationships increase the quantity of learning activities which is conducive to development of pre-academic skills. Conversely, conflictual teacher-child relationships reduce the quality of learning experiences which hurts the acquisition of mathematics skills. This study provides an important insight into the interplay between quantity and quality of learning experiences, informing teachers and caregivers of the intricate relationship between the two.

Authors

• Miao Zhong, The Education University of Hong Kong
  Presenting Author

• Tik Sze Carrey Siu

• Melissa Pearl Caldwell

• Him Cheung