Sponsor
This work was funded in part by the Early Learning Division, Oregon Department of Education, as a part of its Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Initiative.
Published In
Societies
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-7-2023
Subjects
Family–teacher relationships, Child engagement, Family engagement, Early care and education
Abstract
Young children’s positive interactions with teachers and peers in early care and education (ECE) settings support the development of their social and academic skills. Identifying malleable factors that contribute to children’s positive engagement in these interactions is important in supporting early development. The current study examines one potential malleable factor that could be bolstered through supports for families and teachers alike: family–teacher relationships. We investigate associations between three specific domains of family–teacher relationships and children’s engagement in ECE, so that findings are specific and relevant to intervention. We examine data from Oregon’s Quality Rating Improvement System Validation Study; a diverse sample of 492 preschool-aged children in center-based ECE participated. Children’s engagement was directly observed; parents reported their perception of family–teacher relationships. Multilevel models examined the associations between family–teacher relationships and children’s positive engagement with teachers and peers in ECE classrooms. Results indicate a positive significant relationship between practices and children’s positive engagement with teachers. Although this association was not causal, it suggests that teachers who collaborate and communicate with families, respond to family feedback and cultural values, and demonstrate a family-focused concern may help children engage more positively with teachers. Findings are discussed, limitations addressed, and future directions provided.
Rights
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).
Locate the Document
DOI
10.3390/soc13030067
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/39707
Citation Details
Lewis, H.R.; Lipscomb, S.T.; Hatfield, B.E.; Weber, R.; Green, B.; Patterson, L. Family–Teacher Relationships and Child Engagement in Early Care and Education. Societies 2023, 13, 67. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/soc13030067