Teachers, afterschool program staff, and mothers: Relationships with key adults and children’s adjustment in early elementary school

Abstract

According to bioecological theory, children’s experiences in one developmental setting are meaningful for their adjustment in other settings. In the current study, the quality of children’s relationships with classroom teachers, afterschool program staff, and mothers in 1^st grade (n = 137) were examined in relation to their academic, social-emotional, and behavioral adjustment at school in 2^nd grade. Closeness and conflict varied across these three adult-child relationships. Our hypotheses were partially supported such that higher teacher-child conflict in 1^st grade related to poorer work habits and cooperation in 2^nd grade. More conflict with afterschool staff in 1^st grade was associated with lower social self-control and more externalizing behaviors at school in 2^nd grade. Closeness was not related to children’s adjustment in 2^nd grade. These findings highlight the potential negative implications of conflictual relationships with teachers and afterschool staff for children’s school adjustment.

Data availability statement

Data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on request.

Teachers, Afterschool Program Staff, and Mothers: Relationships with Key Adults and Children’s Adjustment in Early Elementary School

Additional information

Funding

A cooperative agreement (5 U10 HD027040) between the study investigators that included Deborah Lowe Vandell and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) supported the design and data collection of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) from birth through age 15 years. Analyses for the current study were supported by grants from the Sir John Templeton Foundation under Grant [161089] to Sandra Simpkins, Deborah Lowe Vandell, Nicole Zarrett, & Jacquelynne Eccles and from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation under Grant [2001-01768.01] to Deborah Lowe Vandell. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the official views of the funders. We thank the study participants, families, schools, and afterschool programs for their willingness to participate in this project.