A recent National Head Start Association NHSA Dialog (vol 13, issue 3), a research-to-practice journal for the early intervention field, features the article “Teacher-Child Relationships and Children’s Externalizing Behaviors in Head Start.” Authors Jessica Vick Whittaker and Brenda Jones Harden found significant linkages between teacher experience and child age in teacher-child relationship quality and that research suggests that the quality of teacher-child interaction is an important indicator of classroom quality in Head Start and other early childhood program classrooms. The full article is available to NHSA program members and NHSA individual academic/researcher members as part of their membership or by subscribing to NHSA Dialog.
Abstract
“This study explored the association between teacher-child relationship quality and Head Start children’s externalizing behaviors. We also investigated the associations among teacher, student, and classroom characteristics and teacher-child relationship quality. Data were gathered from 100 Head Start children and their teachers. Teacher-child conflict, cohesion, dependency, and positive interactions significantly predicted children’s externalizing behaviors with conflict being the strongest and most consistent predictor. Teacher experience and child age were significantly associated with teacher-child relationship quality. The findings have implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in understanding how to strengthen teacher-child relationships in order to promote Head Start children’s behavioral competence.”
