Young Children’s and Teachers’ Perceptions of Affective Teacher-Child Relationships: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between the Netherlands and China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research Findings: The present study focused on the affective quality of dyadic relationships between teachers and young children in China and the Netherlands. We examined whether there were cross-cultural differences in teachers’ and children’s relationship perceptions, as well as the degree to which teachers and children agreed on their relationship perceptions. The Dutch sample included 234 kindergartners and first-graders (47.7% girls; M age = 5.82 years) and 35 teachers. The Chinese sample consisted of 190 kindergartners (50.5% girls; M age = 5.60 years) and 19 teachers. Both teachers and children reported about their mutual relationships. Multiple group analyses showed that, unexpectedly, Chinese children experienced lower warmth and higher conflict with teachers than Dutch children. In contrast, teachers from China and the Netherlands did not differ in the degree of closeness and conflict they experienced in their relationships with young children. In both countries, teachers and children had significant agreement on conflict but lacked agreement on closeness. Practice or Policy: Thus, it seems important to include child perceptions in cross-cultural comparisons of early teacher-child relationships as well.