Promoting Higher Quality Teacher-Child Relationships: The INSIGHTS Intervention in Rural Schools.

Kathleen Moritz Rudasill,Martinique Sealy,Yuenjung Joo,Ray E Reichenberg,Jentry Stoneman Barrett,Jungwon Eum,Emily Wilson

doi:10.3390/ijerph17249371

Abstract

Children’s relationships with teachers in kindergarten are crucial for academic and social success. Research shows that teacher–child relationships are predicated, in part, on children’s temperament. The “INSIGHTS into Children’s Temperament” intervention was intended to improve children’s and teachers’ understanding of their and others’ temperament, and has been shown to improve children’s social skills and self-regulation in urban, under-resourced schools. The current study is part of a replication of the effects of INSIGHTS with a sample in rural schools. The purpose was to test the effectiveness of INSIGHTS for promoting positive relationships between teachers and children in kindergarten. Two cohorts of kindergarten students (N = 127) and teachers (N = 30) were randomized into INSIGHTS or control conditions by school. Teachers reported on the quality of the teacher–child relationship before and after the INSIGHTS intervention (Time 1 and 2) using the Student–Teacher Relationship Scale: Short Form and provided a rating of children’s temperament with the Teacher School-Age Temperament Inventory at Time 1. Data were analyzed with hierarchical linear modeling. Two significant findings emerged. First, INSIGHTS promoted more closeness between teachers and children, regardless of temperament. Second, the INSIGHTS intervention was protective against the development of conflictual teacher–child relationships for children with negative reactivity.

Highlights

Children’s relationships with teachers are crucial for academic and social success in school [1,2,3,4,5].Especially in the preschool and early elementary grades, these relationships set the trajectory for children’s experiences across the elementary school years and beyond [6,7,8]
Many factors affect the quality of this important relationship, and research points to child characteristics as paramount in teachers’ perceptions of teacher–child relationship quality [9,10,11]
Child factors such as temperament, behavior, socio-economic status, gender, and race have been implicated in teacher–child relationship quality [12,13,14,15]

Summary

Introduction

In the preschool and early elementary grades, these relationships set the trajectory for children’s experiences across the elementary school years and beyond [6,7,8]. Many factors affect the quality of this important relationship, and research points to child characteristics as paramount in teachers’ (and children’s) perceptions of teacher–child relationship quality [9,10,11]. Child factors such as temperament, behavior, socio-economic status, gender, and race have been implicated in teacher–child relationship quality [12,13,14,15]. It is critical that teachers’ perceptions of children and their relationships with them are understood so that positive relationships may be nurtured

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion