Teacher–Child Relationship Building: Trainers’ Perceptions of a Play-Based Intervention

Abstract

Teacher–child relationship building (TCRB) is a play-based professional development program designed to strengthen the teacher–child relationship, improve student behavior, enhance academic involvement, and develop classroom management skills of early education teachers. Although researchers have examined the process and impact of play-based interventions from the perspective of teacher participants, no study to date has explored trainers’ perspectives. As part of a larger intervention, in the current study the research team utilized a phenomenological approach to examine five trainers’ perceptions of a play-based intervention, including their views of teachers’ skill development, teacher–child relationships, and student behavior. Analysis of the trainers’ reflexive journals yielded five major themes: relationships, play therapy skills, emotional response to the learning process, supervision, and child’s experience. Findings of this study have the potential to inform professional development models, particularly related to school-based interventions and the training of paraprofessionals.