Influence of Teacher-Child Relationship on Emotional and Behavioral Strengths of Preschool Children: The Moderating Effect of Preschoolers’s Effortful Control

Abstract Screen time is increasing rapidly in young children. The aim of this study was to examine associations of long-term stress and temperament with screen time in Finnish preschool children and the moderating role of socioeconomic status. Cross-sectional DAGIS data were utilized. Long-term stress was assessed using hair cortisol concentration, indicating values of the past 2 months. Temperament was reported by the parents using the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (the Very Short Form), and three broad temperament dimensions were constructed: surgency, negative affectivity, and effortful control. Screen time was reported by the parents over 7 days. The highest education level in the household was used as an indicator of socioeconomic status. In total, 779 children (mean age, 4.7 ± 0.9 years, 52% boys) were included in the study. Of the temperament dimensions, a higher effortful control was associated with less screen time (B = − 6.70, p = 0.002). There was no evidence for an association between hair cortisol concentration and screen time nor a moderating role of socioeconomic status in the associations (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that preschool children with a higher score in effortful control had less screen time. Because effortful control reflects general self-regulatory abilities, promoting these skills may be effective in reducing screen time in young children. What is Known: • Screen time has increased rapidly during the last decades, and higher screen time has been linked with numerous adverse health consequences in children. • There are no previous studies investigating associations of long-term stress and temperament with screen time in young children. What is New: • Of the temperament dimensions, effortful control was associated with higher screen time in preschool children, but there was no association found between long-term stress and screen time. • Since effortful control reflects general self-regulatory abilities, promoting these skills may be effective in reducing screen time in young children.

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Young children’s perceptions of the quality of teacher–child interactions and school engagement in Greek kindergartens

Journal of Early Childhood Research ◽

10.1177/1476718x16656212 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 323-335 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Elena Papadopoulou ◽

Athanasios Gregoriadis

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

School Engagement ◽

Positive Interactions ◽

Northern Greece ◽

Children’S Perspectives ◽

Children's Perceptions ◽

Children’S Perceptions ◽

Child Relationship ◽

Ethnicity Differences

The purpose of this study was to examine young children’s perceptions about the quality of their interactions with their teachers and the possible association of teacher–child relationships with children’s school engagement. Additionally, gender and ethnicity differences were investigated regarding both teachers’ and children’s perceptions. Young Children’s Appraisals of Teacher Support and Teacher-Rated Effortful Engagement were used to evaluate children’s perceptions about their teacher–child relationships and teacher’s assessments about children’s school engagement. In all, 232 preschool children and 39 kindergarten teachers from northern Greece participated in the study. Findings provided interesting information about the profile of teacher–child interactions based on children’s perspectives and about the association between the quality of teacher–child interactions and children’s school engagement. More specifically, findings showed that children mostly describe positive interactions with their teachers and that the quality of teacher–child relationship is associated with children’s school engagement.

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