Poster #84 - Teacher-Child Relationship Quality & Preschool Children’s Academic Outcomes: A Moderating Role of SES

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Education, Schooling

Integrative Statement

Teacher-child relationship quality in early childhood plays a significant role in children’s academic achievement and school adjustment (Burchinal et al., 2002; McCormick & O’Connor, 2015). A number of studies have found that children who have close relationships with their teachers adjust to the school environment more easily and show better academic performance than children who do not (Burchinal, Peisner-Feinberg, Pianta, & Howes, 2002; McCormick & O’Connor, 2015). However, previous studies primarily rely on teachers’ perceptions about their relationships with children. Because relationships are established through bidirectional interactions between two individuals, it is important to consider both teachers’ and children’s perceptions of teacher-child relationships. Research also found that children could be affected differently by their relationships with teachers depending on their socioeconomic status (SES) (Pianta & Stuhlman, 2004). Thus, we explored whether teacher- and child-perceived relationships are differently associated with children’s academic skills. The moderating effect of child SES on the association between teacher-child relationship and children’s academic outcomes was also examined.

Method

179 preschool-aged children from diverse racial and social economic backgrounds and their parents and teachers (75% African American) from child care centers in a Southeastern metropolitan city participated in this study. Teachers completed a questionnaire on their perceptions about relationships with each child (Student-Teacher Relationships Scale; Pianta, 1992) that includes a subscale of closeness, conflicts, and dependency. Children were interviewed about their perceptions of teacher-child relationships using the Scale of Young Children’s Appraisals of Teacher Support (YCATS; Mantzicopoulos & Neuharth-Pritchett, 2003) that consists of a subscale of teacher warmth, negativity, and encouragement for autonomy. Children were also assessed on their mathematics and literacy skills (e.g., Woodcock Johnson III [W-J], Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test [PPVT]).

Results and Discussion

Results of bivariate correlation revealed that teachers’ and children’s perceptions of their relationships did not show concordance in general. Only children’s perception of teacher negativity was significantly associated with teachers’ perception of closeness (r = .19, p < .01) and children’s dependency (r = .25, p < .01). The Structural Equation Modeling results showed a good fit (RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.03, CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.91) (see Figure 1). Teachers’ perception of children’s dependency and children’s perception of teacher negativity were significant predictors of children’s math scores (β = -.22, p < .05; β = -.39, p < .001, respectively) and literacy (β = -.24, p < .01; β = -.34, p < .001, respectively). The Johnson-Neyman plot of math (Figure 2) showed where the slope of dependency differs significantly from zero. When SES was centered, the value was 0.4 and smaller, the slope of dependency was significantly different from zero. Thus, a moderating role of SES was significant on the association between dependency and children who were in middle to low SES. This study highlights the importance of the use of both teacher- and child-report of their relationships as a better way to assess relationship quality and its relation to child outcomes.

Authors

• Chaehyun Lim, Georgia State University
  Presenting Author

• Kyong-Ah Kwon, University of Oklahoma
  Non-Presenting Author

• Gary Bingham, Georgia State University
  Non-Presenting Author