Teacher Emotion Dysregulation and Job Stress: Predictors of Preschooler’s Executive Functions

• In Event: Teacher Wellbeing: Identifying Supports and Implications for Children’s Development during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Preschool that is of high-quality provides an opportunity for young children to develop self-regulatory skills that are important for later social-emotional and academic success. Strong self-regulation skills in preschool better prepare young children for the transition into formal schooling, as they can better shift their attention and inhibit impulsive behaviors (McClelland & Cameron, 2011). These regulatory processes, known as executive function skills (EFs), are supported by high-quality teacher interactions (Hatfield et al., 2021) and predictive of positive classroom outcomes and learning-related behaviors, such as math and reading achievement (Nguyen & Duncan, 2019). Overall, EFs significantly shape children’s behaviors, academic attainment, and social-emotional development (Borella et al., 2010; Fuster et al., 2009; Neuenschwander et al., 2012).

Teachers’ emotion regulation is theorized to be critically important for fostering positive classroom environments, particularly warm, supportive interactions, classroom quality and organization (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Teacher’s workplace stress is associated with their emotion dysregulation (Hatton-Bowers et al., 2022) and children’s EFs (Neuenschwander et al., 2017; Siekkinen et al., 2013). When accounting for both teacher emotional support and stress, Zinsser and colleagues (2013) found that variability in teacher emotional support positively predicted preschooler’s emotion regulation, while teacher stress negatively predicted preschooler’s emotion regulation and prosociality, closely tied constructs to EFs. The current study jointly examines the relations of teacher emotion dysregulation and job stress to preschooler’s EFs. We hypothesize that emotion dysregulation and job stress will each uniquely predict preschooler’s EFs.

A sample of 131 Midwestern early childhood teachers completed online surveys during baseline assessment prior to participating in a mindfulness-based intervention. Teachers reported on their emotion dysregulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale; Gratz & Roemer, 2004) and workplace stress (Child Care Work Job Stress Inventory; Jeon & Wells, 2018). Additionally, parents of preschoolers completed a family demographic questionnaire and reported on their children’s EFs (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function; Gioia et al., 2013).

Descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations are presented in Table 1. We used a two-level multilevel regression model, accounting for nesting of children (Level 1) within classrooms (Level 2) and controlling for intervention status (1 = intervention), years of teaching experience, child’s gender (1 = male), and child’s race/ethnicity (1 = White/Caucasian). Results indicated that teacher’s emotion dysregulation was negatively associated with preschooler’s EFs, such that, higher teacher emotion dysregulation related to lower child EFs. Teacher job stress was not significantly associated with children’s EFs when accounting for teacher and child variables. The ICC suggested that about 5% of the variance of preschool EF was explained by having the same teacher.

Our findings suggest that teachers who struggle to regulate their own emotions may have a harder time supporting children’s cognitive and behavioral regulation. This may be due to preschoolers learning classroom norms and expectations through teacher socialization. Importantly, these results provide evidence for targeting preschool teacher’s emotion regulation via interventions not only to support teachers but also to support children’s self-regulation. Next steps include exploring how further teaching factors, such as mindfulness and self-compassion, may relate to children’s outcomes.

Authors

• Kimia Akhavein, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
  Presenting Author

• Qingyu Jiang, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Pearl Avari, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Jenna Elizabeth Finch, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Gilbert Parra

• Carrie Clark, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Holly Hatton-Bowers, University of Nebraska - Lincoln