Families’ Perceived Quality of the Family-Teacher Relationship as a Predictor of Child Outcomes

• In Event: Improving Quality and Access to Early Care and Education in the United States

Abstract

Family-school relationships play an important role in children’s learning and development. Families’ engagement in their child’s education is linked to improved academic and social-emotional outcomes (Pomerantz et al., 2007). Research suggests that when teachers build strong relationships with families, these relationships can act as a buffer against risk factors (Nalls et al, 2010). This is especially important for children attending Head Start, many of whom face risk factors that can be detrimental to academic and social outcomes (Crosnoe & Cooper, 2010). However, limited research has quantitatively measured the quality of family-teacher relationships and their relationship to child outcomes.
The current study used nationally representative data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey, 2014 cohort (FACES:2014; Tarullo et al., 2017) to explore this question: How do families’ perceptions of the quality of the family-teacher relationship predict children’s academic and social outcomes at the end of Head Start? Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s (2005) bioecological theory and the Family Provider Relationship Quality Conceptual Model (Forry et al., 2012), we hypothesized that children whose parents perceive the family-teacher relationship more positively would have better academic and social outcomes.
Our study relied on parent survey data from the Family Engagement Plus study from FACES:2014, which was conducted with a subset of families and programs and focused on family engagement efforts. The analytic sample included families (n=785) that completed survey items about parent-teacher relationships.
The Family and Provider/Teacher Relationship Quality (FPTRQ) Provider/Teacher Measure Short Form (Kim et al., 2014) was used to measure the quality of the parent-teacher relationship from the parent’s perspective. The FPRTQ was designed for use with staff and families across ECE settings, including Head Start. The short form includes 25 items about parents’ perceptions of their child’s teacher. Items are scored on a four-point Likert scale. These items are aggregated to obtain a total score, as well as three construct scores: family-specific knowledge, practices, and attitudes.
For child outcomes, we examined vocabulary using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test; math skills using an IRT Math score that draws from the Applied Problems subtest of the Woodcock Johnson and from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort math assessment; and social skills using the teacher-rated Social Skills Rating Scale. We included family and child characteristics as covariates, consistent with previous studies. Variables and descriptive statistics are presented in Table 1.
We conducted multiple regression analyses for three outcome variables: PPVT, math, and SSRS. Predictors included the FPTRQ construct scores, and covariates, as well as children’s fall achievement scores. Models were run using sample weights and full information maximum likelihood to account for missing data in Mplus.
Results, shown in Table 2, indicate that families’ ratings of the teacher’s attitudes have a small, positive relationship with children’s math achievement at the end of Head Start. Future research will incorporate classroom-level characteristics into analyses. This initial finding highlights the potential importance of how families perceive the teacher’s attitude towards the family, and the benefit that a positive, supportive relationship may have on student math achievement.

Authors

• Alison Hooper, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
  Presenting Author

• Juana Gaviria-Loaiza, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author

• Gerilyn Slicker, University of Nevada Las Vegas
  Non-Presenting Author