Behavioral Self-Regulation Skills and the Teacher-Child Relationship in Early Childhood

The present study examined the relationship between children's behavioral self-regulation (BSR) skills and the teacher-child relationship (TCR). Furthermore, this study investigated the contribution of the TCR, child's age, parent monthly income, child gender, and year of attendance in preschool education on children's BSR assessed by the Revised Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS-R). Participants consist of 388 children aged 42 to 77 months. Pearson product-moment correlation analysis and multivariate linear regression analysis were used in the data analysis. The results show a moderately positive relationship between BSR skills and the TCR. Furthermore, the results indicate that except for child gender and years of attendance in preschool, TCR, child's age, and monthly income of the family significantly predict the total score of BSR skills. Moreover, the TCR is the strongest predictor of BSR skills, followed by the child's age and the family’s monthly income, respectively. The qualities of TCR appear to be essential for children’s BSR skills.