The role of ECEC teachers for the long-term social and academic adjustment of children with early externalizing difficulties: a prospective cohort study

ABSTRACT

Using data from more than 7000 children from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child (MoBa) study, this study explored the role of school readiness and teacher–child closeness in the early child education and care (ECEC) setting for the prospective academic and social development of children with early externalizing problems. Mother, ECEC teachers, and schoolteacher ratings were applied. Latent moderated mediation analyses within a SEM framework were performed. Early externalizing problems at age three were associated with less school readiness at age five, but this association was weaker among children with closer teacher–child relationships. School readiness mediated the link from early externalizing problems to later academic and social adjustment difficulties, but this long-term indirect effect also decreased with increasing levels of teacher–child closeness. With regards to intervention efforts, the study demonstrates the potentially important role of ECEC teachers for the long-term social and academic adjustment of children with early externalizing problems.

KEYWORDS:

• Externalizing
• academic performance
• social adjustment
• MoBa
• teacher–child relations
• SEM

Acknowledgement

We are grateful to all the participating families in Norway who take part in this on-going cohort study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data are available for researchers upon request and through application to the MoBa Study. Data codes and syntax are available upon request to the researchers of this study.

Additional information

Funding

The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services and the Ministry of Education and Research.