Preschool teacher-child relationships and children's expressive vocabulary skills: The potential mediating role of profiles of children's engagement in the classroom

Abstract

Prior research suggests that positive teacher-child relationships support children's engagement in the classroom and their language skills. This short-term longitudinal study explored whether profiles of preschool children's engagement in the classroom (winter) mediated the association between teacher-child relationships (fall) and children's language skills (spring). The analytic sample included 708 children. Children's engagement was measured using a direct observational measure called the inCLASS. A latent profile analysis revealed six profiles of children's engagement: (1) highly engaged with tasks and peers; (2) engaged; (3) low engagement; (4) mild conflict; (5) high conflict, but positive engagement with teachers; and (6) extreme conflict. Using the low engagement profile as the reference group, mediation analyses revealed 3 indirect effects: (a) close-teacher-child relationship (as reported by teachers using the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale) was positively related to children's growth in expressive vocabulary (EV) skills (Woodcock-Johnson III Picture Vocabulary subscale) by spring through membership in the engaged rather than the low engagement profile; (b) a close relationship with a teacher was negatively related to children's EV skills through membership in the mild conflict profile with teachers and peers, and (c) a conflictual relationship with a teacher was negatively related to children's EV skills through membership in the mild conflict profile. Poor teacher-student relationships can lead children to become unengaged or negatively engaged in the classroom. Improving close teacher-child relationships can support more optimal patterns of engagement in the classroom, with positive implications for their EV development.