Parent–child and teacher–child relationships in Chinese preschoolers: The moderating role of preschool experiences and the mediating role of social competence

Abstract

Abstract Based on two samples of Chinese preschoolers (Study 1: N = 443; Study 2: N = 118) and their parents and teachers, the present research examined the associations between parent–child and teacher–child relationships, and how the associations were moderated by children's preschool experiences and mediated by their social competence. Using a cross-sectional design, Study 1 showed that children's years of preschool experiences moderated the associations between parent–child and teacher–child relationships. Both father–child and mother–child relationships were associated significantly with teacher–child relationships for the first-year preschoolers, and these associations were mediated fully by children's social competence. For the second- or third-year preschoolers, however, neither father–child nor mother–child relationships correlated significantly with teacher–child relationships. Using a longitudinal design, Study 2 also showed the moderating role of children's preschool experiences in the associations between parent–child and teacher–child relationships. Relationships with mothers were associated significantly with relationships with teachers at 3 months after the children's preschool entrance and, again, this association was mediated fully by children's social competence. In contrast, neither mother–child nor father–child relationships correlated significantly with teacher–child relationships at the end of the first or second preschool year.