Associations between parent-teacher and teacher-child relationships and children’s socioemotional functioning

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examined whether mother-teacher, father-teacher, teacher-parent, and teacher-child relationships were linked to the socioemotional functioning of children (N = 42) aged 18–40 months. Results indicated that when mothers perceived their child’s teacher more positively, fathers perceived the teacher more positively. In turn, teachers also perceived the parents more positively, which was related to their relationship with the child. Though teachers’ perceptions of the parent were not directly related to their perceptions of children’s socioemotional functioning, the link was mediated through the teacher-child relationship. However, mothers’ perceptions of the teacher were not related to the teacher’s relationship with the child nor the teacher’s perception of the child’s socioemotional functioning. Our findings stress the importance of building positive relationships between teachers and children’s parents, and that these relationships contribute to teachers’ relationships with children and children’s socioemotional functioning.