Teacher–child interaction quality and children's self‐regulation in toddler classrooms in Finland and Portugal

Jenni Salminen,Marja‐Kristiina Lerkkanen,Eija Pakarinen,Carolina Guedes,Joana Cadima

doi:10.1002/icd.2222

Jenni Salminen, Marja‐Kristiina Lerkkanen + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2222

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Abstract

AbstractThis study examines the association between teacher–child interaction quality and children's self‐regulation in Finnish and Portuguese toddler classrooms. The participants included 230 Finnish (M = 29; SD = 3 months) and 283 Portuguese (M = 30, SD = 4 months) toddlers and their teachers (n = 43 Finland; n = 29 Portugal). The children's behavioural self‐regulation (attention, working memory, and inhibition control) was individually tested, and the teachers evaluated the children's self‐regulation skills in the classroom. The quality of the teacher–child interactions (i.e., emotional and behavioural support and engaged support for learning) was evaluated using the CLASS‐Toddler observation instrument. The analyses were conducted with path models using a complex option. The results for Finland show that the engaged support for learning was positively associated with children's attention and inhibitory control, and emotional and behavioural support was positively associated with children's inhibitory control. For Portugal, engaged support for learning was positively associated with children's attention. The results aid in recognizing the characteristics of teacher support that is beneficial to the development of children's self‐regulation skills in two sociocultural contexts, hence being of relevance for teacher in‐ and pre‐service training.

Highlights

By the third year of life, an increasing number of toddlers transition from home to early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, marking significant growth in the children's interactions with peers and adults
The current study aims to respond to this need by exploring how the quality of teacher–child interactions is related to the development of behavioural self-regulation of very young children in ECEC classrooms
Toddlerhood has been acknowledged as a significant developmental period and studies on toddlers in an ECEC context have been growing in number, teacher–child interaction quality and its associations with a toddler's development remains a surprisingly understudied area

Summary

Introduction

By the third year of life, an increasing number of toddlers transition from home to early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, marking significant growth in the children's interactions with peers and adults. Children's abilities to maintain attention, regulate and inhibit their behaviour, while bearing in mind the teachers' instructions, are major developmental steps of self-regulation during toddlerhood and are crucial for successfully navigating the new social and cognitive demands of the classroom (Kärtner, Borke, Maasmeier, Keller, & Kleis, 2011; McClelland & Cameron, 2012). These skills can best be practiced with support from ECEC teachers (Murray, Rosanbalm, Christopoulos, & Meyer, 2019; Rimm-Kaufman, Curby, Grimm, Nathanson, & Brock, 2009). The current study aims to respond to this need by exploring how the quality of teacher–child interactions is related to the development of behavioural self-regulation of very young children in ECEC classrooms

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