Poster #184 - Predicting Kindergartners' School Readiness from Social and Learning Behaviors: Mediation by Teacher-Child Relationship Quality

• In Event: 2-055 - Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Section - School Readiness/Childcare

Integrative Statement

The present study aimed to examine the association of teacher-child relationship quality, children’s social and learning behaviors with their school readiness. Specifically, this study sought to answer three questions: (1) Which child social and learning behaviors predict teacher-child relationship quality? (2) Which child social and learning behaviors predict child school readiness? (3) Does teacher-child relationship quality mediate the effect of child social and learning behaviors on their school readiness?

This study was part of a larger project evaluating the effectiveness of preschool literacy curricula. Participants were a sub-sample of 127 children and their teachers. Preschool teachers completed child social and learning behavior ratings using the Social Skill Rating Systems-Teacher Form (subscales: Cooperation, Assertion and Self-Control; Gresham & Elliot, 1990), the Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale (subscales: Motivation, Persistence and Attitudes toward Learning; McDermott, Leigh, & Perry, 2002) and Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation (subscales: Internalizing Behavior and Externalizing Behavior; LaFreniere & Dumas, 1996) in the spring. Kindergarten teachers rated their relationship quality with the same group of children using the Teacher-Child Relationship Scale-short form (subscales: Closeness and Conflict; Pianta, 1992) the next fall. Children’s school readiness was assessed using a teacher-rated School Readiness subscale the following spring. Child ratings were thus completed by preschool and kindergarten teachers independently, which is a strength of our data. Multiple regressions and sequential mediations were conducted using software SPSS and R.

For research question 1, child social and learning behaviors did not contribute to teacher-perceived closeness. On the other hand, externalizing behavior (e.g., aggression), cooperation, persistence, and attitudes toward learning significantly predicted teacher-child conflict (see Table 1). For research question 2, cooperation and persistence significantly predicted school readiness (see Table 1). For research question 3, closeness did not demonstrate a meditating effect; conflict mediated the effect of cooperation (total effect = .40; 95% CI [-.80, -.31]) and persistence (total effect= .42; 95% CI [-1.41, -.62]) on readiness. However, when combined, conflict only mediated the path between persistence and readiness (total effect= .09; 95% CI [-1.40, -.21]) and the predictive power of cooperation disappeared (see Figure 1).

The fact that children’s social and learning behaviors predicted conflict but not closeness with teachers in our study might be because teachers’ social competence had a greater impact on teacher-child closeness than did children’s (Kyung-chul, Eun-ok, Ko-eun, 2017). Similar to previous research, children’s cooperativeness and persistence were linked to achievement (Berhenkea, Millerb, Brownc, Seiferd, & Dicksteind, 2011). Very limited literature examines the mediating role of teacher-child relationships in lower grades. Slightly different than our results, Hernandez et al. (2017) reported that kindergarten teacher-child closeness, not conflict, mediated the relation between effortful control and achievement in first grade. Our results suggest that teacher-child relationship quality is one mechanism by which children’s social and learning behaviors are associated with school readiness. This finding supports the importance of teacher-child relationship quality in child school readiness. Moreover, persistence and cooperation are robust predictors for school readiness, indicating potential benefits in promoting task-persistence and cooperative behaviors in preschool and kindergarten classrooms.

Authors

• Shiyi Chen, Florida State University
  Presenting Author

• Beth Phillips, Florida State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christopher Lonigan, Florida State University
  Non-Presenting Author