A Multilevel Examination of the Role of Head Start Teachers in Ratings of Child Behavior

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 26
  In Roundtable Session: Early Childhood Teacher Well-Being

Abstract

The present study examined how Head Start teachers’ levels of depression, attitudes about child development, and job satisfaction relate to their ratings of children’s behavior. Findings from a multilevel analysis suggested that children in classrooms with teachers who were less depressed and had more developmentally appropriate attitudes about child development had higher social skills in the spring, even after controlling for skills in the fall. Additionally, children with teachers with higher job satisfaction tended to have fewer problem behaviors in the spring after controlling for fall behavior. This study also found that teacher depression did not moderate agreement between teachers and observers, suggesting these differences in child social skills and problem behaviors may not simply be differences in teacher perception.

Authors

• Kelsey Clayback, University of Virginia

• Callie Silver, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Kate Zinsser, University of Illinois at Chicago