Purpose
The study investigates how the relationship between kindergarten teachers and children can affect shy children’s social skills over time. The researchers look at whether a good and close relationship with adults can help shy children develop better social skills, both when playing with other children in kindergarten and later at school.
Result
The study found that shy children often have challenges in developing good social skills. However, children who had a close and positive relationship with kindergarten teachers were less likely to experience social problems later on. In other words, if shy five-year-olds had a good relationship with their kindergarten teacher, they were more likely to cope better socially as they grew older and started school. The study shows that a good relationship with kindergarten teachers can protect shy children from developing social difficulties.
Design
The study uses data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). The researchers collected information from mothers about how shy their children were when they were 18 months, 3 years and 5 years old. The kindergarten teachers assessed their relationship with the children when they were 5 years old, and primary school teachers assessed the children’s social skills when they were 8 years old. The analyses were performed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to investigate direct, indirect, and moderate effects.
References
Baardstu, S., Coplan, R. J., Eliassen, E., Brandlistuen, R. E., & Wang, M. V. (2022). Exploring the role of teacher–child relationships in the longitudinal associations between childhood shyness and social functioning at school: A prospective cohort study. School Mental Health, 14(4), 984–996.