Children's friendship quality in early childhood education: the interplay with classroom quality, participation practices, and length of exposure to the ECE teacher

IF 3.1 1区教育学 Q1 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

Early Childhood Research Quarterly Pub Date : 2025-09-13 DOI:10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.08.006

Nadine Correia , Helena Carvalho , Cecília Aguiar

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Abstract

Friendships are crucial for children, and high-quality friendships encompass positive, supportive, and low-conflict interactions. Early childhood education (ECE) teachers spend considerable time with children and influence their relationships through high-quality teacher-child interactions and opportunities for child participation. This study examined the associations between observed classroom quality, observed participation practices, and children’s friendship quality, considering the moderating role of the length of exposure to the lead ECE teacher (i.e., months with the lead teacher). Participants in this study were 336 children (163 boys), aged 42 to 76 months (M = 60.14, SD = 7.86), from 58 ECE classrooms in the Lisbon area, Portugal, and their lead teachers. Findings suggest (i) a positive relationship between instructional support and closeness in children's friendships, when children spent more months with the lead teacher; (ii) a negative relationship between emotional support and conflict in children's friendships, when children spent more months with the lead teacher; (iii) a positive relationship between classroom organization and conflict in children’s friendships, when children spent fewer months with the lead teacher; and (iv) a negative relationship between conditions for participation and conflict in children's friendships, when children spent more time with the lead teacher. These findings have implications for practice and policymaking, emphasizing the relevance of sustained high-quality teacher-child interactions and participation practices to enhance children’s friendship quality in ECE.

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幼儿教育中儿童的友谊质量：与课堂质量、参与实践和接触幼儿教育教师时间的相互作用

友谊对孩子来说至关重要，高质量的友谊包括积极、支持和低冲突的互动。幼儿教育教师花大量时间与儿童在一起，并通过高质量的师生互动和儿童参与的机会影响他们的关系。本研究考察了观察到的课堂质量、观察到的参与实践和儿童友谊质量之间的联系，考虑到与首席幼儿教育教师接触的时间长短（即与首席教师在一起的时间）的调节作用。本研究的参与者是来自葡萄牙里斯本地区58个ECE教室的336名儿童（163名男孩）及其班主任，年龄在42至76个月之间（M = 60.14, SD = 7.86）。研究结果表明：(1)当儿童与班主任相处的时间越长，教学支持与儿童友谊亲密度之间存在正相关关系；（ii）当孩子与班主任相处的时间更长时，情感支持与儿童友谊冲突之间存在负相关关系；（iii）当儿童与班主任相处的时间较短时，课堂组织与儿童友谊冲突之间存在正相关关系；（iv）当孩子们花更多的时间与领导老师在一起时，参与条件与儿童友谊冲突之间存在负相关关系。这些发现对实践和政策制定具有启示意义，强调了持续高质量的师生互动和参与实践对提高欧洲经委会儿童友谊质量的相关性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Early Childhood Research Quarterly Multiple-

CiteScore

7.00

自引率

8.10%

发文量

109

期刊介绍： For over twenty years, Early Childhood Research Quarterly (ECRQ) has influenced the field of early childhood education and development through the publication of empirical research that meets the highest standards of scholarly and practical significance. ECRQ publishes predominantly empirical research (quantitative or qualitative methods) on issues of interest to early childhood development, theory, and educational practice (Birth through 8 years of age). The journal also occasionally publishes practitioner and/or policy perspectives, book reviews, and significant reviews of research. As an applied journal, we are interested in work that has social, policy, and educational relevance and implications and work that strengthens links between research and practice.