Relations between teacher-child interaction quality and children's playfulness.
Cornelia Rüdisüli1, Isabelle Duss2, Patricia Lannen2
1Department of Research and Development, Zurich University of Teacher Education, Zurich, Switzerland.
Early Child Development and Care
|September 11, 2024
Summary
High-quality teacher-child interactions in early childhood education and care (ECEC) did not show cross-sectional effects on children's playfulness. Longitudinally, positive interactions in learning support were linked to decreased cognitive and physical spontaneity in children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Early Childhood Education
- Childhood Behavior
Background:
- Adult behavior significantly influences children's playfulness.
- Teacher-child interaction quality is a key predictor of child development.
- The specific impact of interaction quality on playfulness in early childhood education and care (ECEC) remains under-researched.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between children's multidimensional playfulness and teacher-child interaction quality.
- To identify potential negative impacts of high interaction quality on specific dimensions of children's playfulness.
Main Methods:
- Observed 62 ECEC teachers using the CLASS Toddler scale to assess interaction quality.
- Assessed playfulness in 393 children using the children's playfulness scale at baseline and one year later.
- Employed both cross-sectional and longitudinal analytical approaches.
Main Results:
- No significant cross-sectional associations were found between interaction quality and children's playfulness.
- Longitudinally, high interaction quality in learning support showed a marginal negative relationship with total playfulness scores.
- High interaction quality in learning support was significantly negatively related to cognitive and physical spontaneity in children's playfulness.
Conclusions:
- The quality of teacher-child interactions, particularly in learning support, may negatively impact children's cognitive and physical spontaneity.
- Certain teaching styles within ECEC settings might inadvertently hinder the development of children's playfulness.
- Further research is needed to understand the nuances of how teaching practices influence children's spontaneous play.
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