Kyong-Ah Kwon , Wonkyung Jang , Timothy G. Ford , Sherri Castle
{"title":"The Head Start teacher paradox: Working conditions, whole well-being, and classroom quality","authors":"Kyong-Ah Kwon , Wonkyung Jang , Timothy G. Ford , Sherri Castle","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The purpose of this study was to examine Head Start (HS) teachers’ characteristics, working conditions, whole well-being, and classroom quality and their associations compared to other (non-HS) ECE teachers. The study collected survey and direct assessment data on a range of working conditions and whole well-being (physical, psychological, and professional well-being) from 262 teachers (112 HS teachers and 150 ECE teachers, including private child care and public pre-K teachers). Additionally, we used emotional/behavioral and instructional supports among 83 teachers in their classrooms. Our findings from the propensity score analysis revealed that HS teachers are better educated, have better resources in general, and provide higher classroom quality, but they have more job demands, are less likely to have daily breaks, and have overall poorer whole teacher well-being, which was unexpected and paradoxical. Job demands, well-being resources, and a high-quality physical environment were all significant predictors of teacher well-being. We also found that some resources (i.e., well-being resources, physical environmental quality) served as moderators, either buffering the negative impact of physical job demands or having a combined, synergizing effect in fostering teacher well-being. Finally, teachers’ job demands and whole well-being were found to predict classroom quality. The study highlights the unique strengths, needs, and challenges of HS teachers and offers insights into optimizing working conditions to promote their well-being, which may also help improve classroom quality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"72 ","pages":"Pages 371-382"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144072275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Associations between daily parent–teacher communication, child’s problem behavior, and parent–child relationship mediated by parental self-efficacy","authors":"Keiko K. Fujisawa , Kayo Nozaki , Michio Naoi , Chizuru Shikishima , Hideo Akabayashi","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.05.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.05.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the role that daily communication between parents and teachers in childcare centers plays in enhancing parental self-efficacy, which in turn decreases the child’s problem behaviors and improves the parent–child relationship. The data were drawn from 239 children (boys: <em>N</em> = 141; girls: <em>N</em> = 98; mean (<em>SD</em>) age = 4.95 (0.99) years) in formal childcare settings from the Japan Child Panel Survey-Preschool Survey. The results showed that daily communication between parents and teachers was positively related to parental self-efficacy, which was negatively related to child’s problem behaviors and the conflictive parent–child relationship. Mediation analysis showed that parental self-efficacy mediated the association between parent–teacher communication and child’s outcome and parent–child relationship. Furthermore, the association between parent–teacher communication and parental self-efficacy was moderated by socioeconomic status (SES), suggesting that higher-SES parents benefited more from daily parent–teacher communication compared with lower-SES parents. Child’s daily experiences at childcare centers were not related to parental self-efficacy or any other outcomes. These findings suggest that daily communication between parents and teachers in childcare centers plays an indispensable role in supporting parents, which ultimately leads to positive child development and family well-being.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"72 ","pages":"Pages 361-370"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144067189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring invariance of the measurement and prediction of ADHD behaviors in Latino children","authors":"Christopher DeCamp, Christopher J. Lonigan","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The goal of this study was to determine whether the measurement of children’s externalizing behaviors, as rated by teachers on a short version of the Conners’ Rating Scale, was invariant for Latino and non-Latino children with different language backgrounds and whether those ratings displayed invariant prediction of academic outcomes. The sample included 1,174 children (592 boys, 582 girls) who ranged in age from 38 – 73 months (<em>M</em> = 54.42 months; <em>SD</em> = 4.64 months) at the time of initial assessment. Model fit indices highlighted that teacher ratings displayed fully invariant measurement. Prediction was found to be invariant for all language and literacy outcomes but not for math outcomes. This was due to differences in ratings of oppositional defiant behavior for non-Latino children. Because differences in ratings of oppositional defiant behaviors for non-Latino children led to a lack of predictive invariance on math outcomes, and oppositional defiant behaviors have smaller associations with important outcomes, like a child’s academic achievement, these differences are unlikely to have meaningful clinical implications. Overall, these results suggest that the Conners Teacher Rating Scale-15 Item Version measures externalizing behaviors the same way for children of varying ethnic and language backgrounds. This may have important implications for research and multi-informant assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"72 ","pages":"Pages 352-360"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143942641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Non-contact time implementation in early childhood center-based programs: A mixed methods study","authors":"Erin E. Hamel , Rachel E. Schachter","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The qualifications, practices, and interactions of early childhood (EC) teachers with children have been widely researched as avenues for improving EC education. However, little is known about the work supports EC teachers need to be successful. Non-contact time is an important element of the work environment that supports teachers’ ability to meet their professional expectations. This exploratory study aimed to provide a current snapshot of non-contact time at center-based programs accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) using a mixed methods embedded questionnaire design. Both EC center directors (104) and teachers (106) completed the questionnaire. Results indicate that non-contact time amounts varied widely and were associated with the type of program where teachers were employed. Teachers received less non-contact time than intended and shared a range of strategies for completing their work tasks when they lacked adequate non-contact time. Directors expected and teachers used non-contact time primarily for activities related to teaching and curriculum, documenting and assessing child progress, and establishing and maintaining relationships with families. Program management activities emerged as an unexpected responsibility for teachers during non-contact time. Directors reported prioritizing non-contact time decisions based on mandated program factors. Implications include creating policies that mandate specific amounts of non-contact time for EC teachers, creating a culture that respects and prioritizes planning, and providing early career teachers with time management strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"72 ","pages":"Pages 339-351"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143922293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An initial yet rigorous test of multisensory alphabet instruction for english monolingual and emergent bilingual children","authors":"Somin Park , Shayne B. Piasta , Peter M. Sayer","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Little evidence exists on how best to support children’s alphabet knowledge, which is a foundational early literacy skill. In this study, we investigated the impact of multisensory alphabet instruction on the alphabet learning of English monolingual and emergent bilingual (EB) children aged 3:5 to 5 years old, compared to visual-auditory alphabet instruction (i.e., featuring visual and auditory modalities, which are typically present in alphabet instruction). We also investigated whether children’s language status, either EB or not EB, moderated the impact of multisensory alphabet instruction. We utilize a rigorous within-subjects experimental research design. Thirty-six children were enrolled in the study and received 1:1 alphabet instruction on two sets of four letters, either using a multisensory or visual-auditory approach, with a final set of four letters as a control. Findings revealed that young children benefited from explicit and systematic alphabet instruction, whether multisensory or visual-auditory, in terms of improving their lowercase letter knowledge. EB and English monolingual children experienced a similar benefit from alphabet instruction, perhaps because they had similar socio-economic status and language backgrounds. In using an experimental design and strong counterfactual, this study contributes to the literature concerning understanding effective evidence-based practices to promote English monolingual and EB children’s alphabet knowledge.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"72 ","pages":"Pages 328-338"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143922292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Examining young children’s transitions from drawing into early writing","authors":"Kelly Campbell, Anne E. Cunningham","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Examining young children’s progressions in drawing, from scribble lines to graphic representations of people, places, and objects—to their writing of alphabetic symbols—may open windows into knowledge of early cognitive, language, and motor development. In the present mixed-method investigation, we first review prior literature on such transitions, which includes discussion of the stages or sequences of mark-making, drawing, and early writing. We then discuss existing measures of human figure drawings, name writing, early writing, oral language (mean length of utterance of the child’s descriptions of each drawing/writing sample), and content themes. Next, for five children aged 3-5 years attending a university-affiliated preschool, we examine repeated sets of drawings and early writings, ranging from 23 to 73 samples per child, from archival materials. Each case study includes both (a) narrative descriptions of each child’s progressions and (b) analyses of scores on the included measures. With the overall aim of preparing for a larger study that includes regular and more data-intensive samples subject to blinded scoring, we provide comparisons within each child and across children—featuring linear trends and high intra-individual variability– regarding development of graphic symbol systems (i.e., drawing and early writing) during the foundational preschool years.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"72 ","pages":"Pages 317-327"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143891720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elia G. Ramirez, Jessica E. Whittaker, Jamie DeCoster, Robert C. Pianta, Virginia E. Vitiello
{"title":"Teacher-child relationship quality and kindergarten outcomes: The moderating role of classroom activity settings","authors":"Elia G. Ramirez, Jessica E. Whittaker, Jamie DeCoster, Robert C. Pianta, Virginia E. Vitiello","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.03.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.03.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Grounded in the bioecological model of human development and attachment theory, this study examined whether the proportion of time children spend in activity settings in the kindergarten classroom moderated the relationship between teacher-child relationship quality and children's kindergarten academic and social-emotional outcomes. Participants included kindergarten students (<em>n</em> = 2439) and their teachers (<em>n</em> = 452) in a large and diverse school district in the United States. Using regression models that accounted for the dependence of students in classrooms, we examined the following three research questions: 1) To what extent is quality of children's relationships with their teacher at the beginning of kindergarten associated with growth in children's outcomes (academic, social-emotional, behavioral) over the kindergarten year? 2) To what extent is time spent in different classroom activity settings (i.e., small group, whole group, individual) associated with growth in outcomes? 3) Does time spent in different classroom activity settings moderate the association between teacher-child relationship quality and growth in children's outcomes? We found significant associations between teacher-child relationship quality and kindergarten outcomes as well as between small group setting and mathematics outcomes. We also found that group setting moderated associations between teacher-child relationship quality and some kindergarten outcomes. The findings illustrate the centrality of teacher-child relationship quality in supporting children's outcomes in the early years. Findings also suggest that although there may not be many direct associations between time spent in different settings and outcomes, to fully understand how teacher-child relationships are associated with children's outcomes, it may be important to consider the activity settings in which children spend their time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"72 ","pages":"Pages 295-306"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143883289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Qianru Tiffany Yang, Iris Jeffries, Ziqin Xie, Jon R. Star, Paul L. Harris, Meredith L. Rowe
{"title":"American and Chinese parents’ math talk during numeracy and routine activities: Do parental beliefs matter?","authors":"Qianru Tiffany Yang, Iris Jeffries, Ziqin Xie, Jon R. Star, Paul L. Harris, Meredith L. Rowe","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Parents vary in their math talk during parent-child interactions, and this variation is related to children's early mathematics skills. To understand the sources of individual variability in parental math talk, the present study investigated the associations between parents’ math beliefs and math talk when engaging their children in number book reading and pretend play. Further, this study compared parents in two cultural contexts to establish commonalities and differences. Participants included 50 American (27 girls) and 44 Chinese (23 girls) families of 4-year-old children, with participating parents predominantly being mothers. We assessed parents’ child-specific math expectations and their math attitudes. Parental math talk, including types (e.g., cardinality, arithmetic) and forms (i.e., prompt vs. statement) of math talk, were analyzed. Across activities, Chinese parents consistently engaged in more cardinality statements than American parents. However, aside from these differences in cardinality statements, the results indicated considerable cultural commonalities in parents’ math expectations and attitudes, as well as in the quantity and features of their math talk across both number book reading and pretend play. In both cultures, parents’ math beliefs were associated with the frequency of their arithmetic statements but not with other features of math talk during book reading. Moreover, no significant connections were found between parents’ math beliefs and math talk during pretend play in either culture. Implications for understanding parental math involvement in various cultural and activity contexts are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"72 ","pages":"Pages 284-294"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143883288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nan Xiao, Tzu-Jung Lin, Monica S. Lu, Hui Jiang, Jing Sun, Kelly Purtell, Laura M. Justice
{"title":"Classroom social network antecedents of relational aggression and victimization for kindergarten children","authors":"Nan Xiao, Tzu-Jung Lin, Monica S. Lu, Hui Jiang, Jing Sun, Kelly Purtell, Laura M. Justice","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Relational aggression and victimization experiences are prevalent among young children and can compromise their development. Although classroom social network characteristics have been found to predict relational aggression and victimization, few studies have been conducted in early childhood classrooms. This study examined the predictability of individual classroom social network characteristics (centralization, density, transitivity) on relational aggression and relational victimization. The unique contribution of each classroom social network characteristic in predicting relational aggression/victimization was also assessed. The analytical sample involved 647 children from 43 kindergarten classrooms. Results demonstrated that classrooms with higher centralization and lower transitivity tended to have a higher rate of aggression, while relational victimization was only negatively predicted by transitivity. The present study highlighted the importance of classroom social networks as the contextual antecedents of children’s relational aggression and victimization behaviors in kindergarten. Specifically, high transitivity was a protective social network characteristic for relational aggression and victimization beyond network centralization. Peer-based interventions focusing on forming and strengthening friendship cliques may be worth exploring.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"72 ","pages":"Pages 307-316"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143886675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pathways from parenting emotion regulation, emotion socialization and parenting practices to preschoolers’ emotion regulation","authors":"Catrinel A. Ștefan, Ingrid Dănilă","doi":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of children’s emotion regulation (ER) is the result of a complex interplay of factors, among which parental influences play a significant role. Building on Morris et al.’s (2007; 2017) model, the present study aimed to investigate the contributions of parenting ER, emotion socialization, and parenting practices to children’s ER. The sample of the present study included 330 preschoolers. Two-stage structural equation modeling was employed to test two hypothesized models. Findings suggested that: (a) parenting reappraisal was directly associated with preschoolers’ adaptive ER, whereas the path between parenting suppression and children’s maladaptive ER was not significant; and (b) indirect effects were found from parenting reappraisal via emotion coaching and positive parenting to adaptive ER, whereas emotion coaching/ dismissing strategies exerted effects on adaptive/ maladaptive ER through positive/ negative parenting. These outcomes suggest that parenting ER contributes to children’s ER both directly and indirectly. Moreover, parenting practices may represent a mechanism that explains how emotion socialization affects learning about ER. The findings from the present study highlight that interventions aiming to enhance preschoolers’ ER and reduce risk of emotional/behavioral problems should target multiple aspects of parenting behaviors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48348,"journal":{"name":"Early Childhood Research Quarterly","volume":"72 ","pages":"Pages 273-283"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143883287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}