Teacher Bias in Ratings of Black and White First Grade Children’s Emotion Regulation: The Role of Positive Teacher Child Relationships

• In Event: The Role of Teachers in Perpetuating or Dismantling Racialized Practices/Behaviors

Abstract

Mounting evidence demonstrates racial disparities in teacher evaluations of children’s social-emotional behavior, biases that can have severe consequences for Black children’s academic and social-emotional trajectories (Halberstadt et al., 2018). However, most studies finding teacher biases do not simultaneously compare parent or observer reports. Thus, the goal of the present study was to examine whether teachers are uniquely biased in their reports of children’s emotion regulation and reactivity, and to examine the role of teacher-child relationships.
We proposed that 1) there would be greater Black-White racial disparities in teacher reports of 1st grade children’s emotion regulation than mother or observer reports, and 2) teachers’ positive relationships with Black children in kindergarten would predict first grade teachers’ more favorable ratings of children’s emotion regulation.
Methods:
Teachers and mothers reported on 184 1st grade children’s emotion reactivity and regulation (71% White, 29% Black) via the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC; Shields & Cicchetti, 1998). Trained research assistants also observed and coded children’s emotion regulation during a lab-based frustrating task (Dunbar et al., 2022; Zeytinoglu et al., 2019). Teachers reported their closeness with the child (level of affection and open communication) via the Student Teacher Relationship Scale (Pianta, 2001).
Results:
ANOVA revealed no significant racial differences in observer ratings of 1st grade children’s emotion regulation, F (3) =.15, p = .93. However, there were significant differences in mothers’ ratings of children’s emotion regulation, F (3) = 5.23, p = .002, such that mothers of White girls reported higher emotion regulation than mothers of Black boys, Mean Difference = .29, p = .013. There were also significant racial differences in teacher reports of 1st grade children’s emotion regulation, F (3) = 5.24, p = .002. Specifically, teachers reported higher emotion regulation for White girls than Black boys, Mean Difference = .46, p = .013, a greater difference than was found among mothers. Further, whereas there were no significant racial differences in mother reports of children’s emotion reactivity, F (3) = 1.01, p = .393, there were significant disparities in teacher reports of children’s emotion reactivity, F (3) = 8.82, p < .001. Teachers rated White girls as significantly less emotionally reactive than Black girls, Mean Difference = -.52, p < .001, and Black boys, Mean Difference = -.55, p < .001.
Regressions revealed an association between teacher closeness with the child in kindergarten and teacher ratings of the child’s emotion regulation in first grade (controlling for teacher-reported kindergarten levels of emotion regulation) that was moderate by child race and gender, b = -.53, p = .04. Specifically, teachers’ reported closeness with Black boys in kindergarten predicted higher teacher reported emotion regulation of Black boys in 1st grade, b = .436, p = .02. This association was not significant for Black girls, or White boys or girls.
Implications: Bolstering positive relationships between teachers and Black students could be a point of intervention. However, it is concerning that positive teacher-child relationships were important for Black boys but did not bias teachers’ evaluations of Black girls or White children.

Author

• Angel Sia Dunbar, University of Maryland - College Park
  Presenting Author