Teacher emotional support in relation to social competence in preschool classrooms

Figures & data

Figure 1. MSEM Model for Emotional Support and Prosocial Behaviours.

Figure 2. MSEM Model for Emotional Support and Antisocial Behaviours.

Table 1. Model fit indices of the confirmatory factor analyses.

	χ^2	df	p-value	CFI	RMSEA	SRMRbetween	SRMRwithin
Emotional Support
Configural invariance over time	8.40	6	.211	.98	.09	.05	–
Metric invariance over time	19.96	9	.018	.92	.16	.62	–
Scalar invariance over time	39.26	16	.000	.80	.21	.70	–
Cooperating Skills^a	101.77	71	.010	.98	.03	.26	.04
Empathy^a	21.73	16	.152	.99	.03	.18	.02
Impulsivity^a	21.79	16	.150	1.00	.03	.07	.02
Disruptiveness^b	86.54	40	.000	.98	.05	.18	.03
Pro-Social Skills^c	1.76	1	.185	1.00	.04	.05	.02
Anti-Social Skills^c	12.91	6	.044	.99	.05	.18	.02

^aMultilevel CFA model including both time points.

^bMultilevel CFA model, not including correlated uniqueness of item 3 at T1 and T2 at between-level.

^cMulti-level CFA model including both time points.

Table 2. Descriptive statistics and correlations between study variables (within-level correlations below the diagonal and between-level correlations above the diagonal).

	1.	2.	3.	4.	5.	6.	7.	8.	9.	10.	11.	12.	13.	14.	15.
Preschool fall
1. Emotional support T1	1	.27^†	.07	−.07	−.06	.39^b	.43^b	.33^†	−.23	−.16	−.17	−.08	–	–	–
2. Cooperating skills T1	–	1	.52^b	−.11	−.03	.29^†	.68^a	.53^b	−.24	−.08	−.33^†	.16	–	–	–
3. Empathy T1	–	.64^a	1	−.34^c	−.35^†	.35^c	.28	.48^c	−.35^c	−.32^†	.02	.06	–	–	–
4. Disruptiveness T1	–	−.25^a	−.55^a	1	.85^a	−.32	.05	−.02	.59^c	.65^b	.02	−.04	–	–	–
5. Impulsivity T1	–	−.28^a	−.51^a	.71^a	1	−.34^†	−.07	−.03	.75^a	.76^a	−.36^b	−.03	–	–	–
Preschool spring													–	–	–
6. Emotional support T2	–	–	–	–	–	1	.49^b	.44^b	−.38^†	−.38^c	.00	−.21	–	–	–
7. Cooperating skills T2	–	.72^a	.55^a	−.23^a	−.21^a	–	1	.64^a	−.32^c	−.22	−.29^†	−.03	–	–	–
8. Empathy T2	–	.49^a	.65^a	−.52^a	−.44^a	–	.67^a	1	−.16	−.24	−.38^c	.04	–	–	–
9. Disruptiveness T2	–	−.24^a	−.46^a	.79^a	.63^a	–	−.26^a	−.58^a	1	.77^a	−.15	−.02	–	–	–
10. Impulsivity T2	–	−.26^a	−.44^a	.65^a	.79^a	–	−.25^a	−.54^a	.85^a	1	−.24^†	.12	–	–	–
Control variables
11. Group size	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	.14	–	–	–
12. Work experience^1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	–
13. Gender^2	–	−.24^a	−.26^a	.40^a	.29^a	–	−.22^a	−.24^a	.45^a	31^a	–	–	1	–	–
14. Age	–	.14^b	.07	−.05	−.08^†	–	.08	.08	−.07	−.12^c	–	–	−.03	1	–
15. Parental education	–	.09	.12^c	−.17 ^c	−.20 ^b	–	.10	.11^d	−.21	−.13	–	–	.00	−.03	1
Descriptive statistics
Mean	5.49	12.26	7.96	4.56	4.16	5.57	12.20	7.89	4.64	4.14	12.26	4.11	1.48	73.51	3.87
Std. deviation	0.50	2.25	1.36	1.82	1.88	0.50	2.25	1.39	1.87	1.90	3.62	1.15	0.50	3.57
Minimum	3.5	5.56	4.14	2.82	2.57	4.31	4	4.04	2.82	2.57	3	2	1	68	1
Maximum	6.25	16	9.76	10.95	10.28	6.45	16	9.76	11.28	10.28	20	5	2	80	5
ICC	–	.18^b	.15^b	.16^c	.21^b	–	.12^c	.12^b	.15^c	.14^c	–	–	.00	.00	.02

Notes: T1 = preschool fall, T2 = preschool spring. ¹Work experience measured: 0 = none, 1 = less than a year, 2 = 1–5 years, 3 = 6–10 years, 4 = 11–15 years, 5 = more than 15 years. ²gender 1= female, 2 = male.

^ap < .001, ^bp < .01, ^cp < .05; ^†=p < .10.

Table 3. Standardized estimates (standard errors in parenthesis) of multilevel sem models for emotional support and children’s prosocial and antisocial behaviours.

MSEM model for emotional support and prosocial behaviours			MSEM model for emotional support and antisocial behaviours
Within-level (individual level)		Est (s.e)	Within-level (individual level)		Est (s.e)
Regression coefficients			Regression coefficients
	Regression coefficient from T1 prosocial behaviours to T2 prosocial behaviours	0.82(0.06)***		Regression coefficient from T1 antisocial behaviours to T2 antisocial behaviours	0.90(0.05)***
Residual variances			Residual variances
	Prosocial behaviours (T2)	0.21(.03)***		Antisocial behaviours (T2)	0.20(0.04)***
$R_{\mathrm{w}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{h}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{n}}^2$: model explained 62% of individual level variance of T2 prosocial behaviours			$R_{\mathrm{w}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{h}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{n}}^2$: model explained 76% of individual level variance of T2 antisocial behaviours
Between-level (preschool classroom level)			Between-level (classroom level)
Intercepts			Intercepts
	Positive Climate (T1)	−0.04(0.16)		Positive Climate (T1)	−0.04(0.16)
	Negative Climate (T1)	−0.04(0.17)		Negative Climate (T1)	−0.04(0.17)
	Teacher Sensitivity (T1)	−0.02(0.14)		Teacher Sensitivity (T1)	−0.02(0.14)
	Regard for Student Perspectives (T1)	−0.06(0.15)		Regard for Student Perspectives (T1)	−0.06(0.15)
	Positive Climate (T2)	−0.07(0.14)		Positive Climate (T2)	−0.07(0.14)
	Negative Climate (T2)	−0.00(0.15)		Negative Climate (T2)	−0.00(0.15)
	Teacher Sensitivity (T2)	−0.06(0.15)		Teacher Sensitivity (T2)	−0.06(0.15)
	Regard for Student Perspectives (T2)	0.07(0.14)		Regard for Student Perspectives (T2)	0.07(0.14)
	Cooperating Skills (T1)	0.01(0.08)		Impulsivity (T1)	0.03(0.09)
	Empathy (T1)	−0.00(0.07)		Disruptiveness (T1)	0.02(0.08)
	Cooperating Skills (T2)	0.02(0.08)		Impulsivity (T12)	0.04(0.08)
	Empathy (T2)	0.02(0.07)		Disruptiveness (T2)	0.02(0.08)
Regression coefficients			Regression coefficients
	Regression coefficient from T1 prosocial behaviours to T2 prosocial behaviours	0.62(0.24)*		Regression coefficient from T1 antisocial behaviours to T2 antisocial behaviours	0.69(0.19)***
	Regression coefficient from T1 emotional support to T2 emotional support	0.33(0.16)*		Regression coefficient from T1 emotional support to T2 emotional support	0.37(0.16)***
	Regression coefficient from T1 emotional support to T2 prosocial behaviours	0.10(0.05)+		Regression coefficient from T1 emotional support to T2 antisocial behaviours	−0.04(0.04)
	Regression coefficient from T1 prosocial behaviours to T2 emotional support	1.05(0.65)		Regression coefficient from T1 antisocial behaviours to T2 emotional support	−0.93(0.61)
Residual variances			Residual variances
	Prosocial behaviours (T2)	0.05 (0.02)*		Antisocial behaviours (T2)	0.06(0.02)***
	Emotional support (T2)	1.00(0.00)		Emotional support (T2)	1.00(0.00)
$R_{\mathrm{b}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{w}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{n}}^2$: model explained 22% of the classroom level variance in T2 emotional support and 56% of variance in T2 prosocial behaviours			$R_{\mathrm{b}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{w}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{n}}^2$: model explained 26% of the classroom level variance in emotional support and 63% in T2 antisocial behaviours.
R^2 overall: model explained 37% of the total variance in T2 prosocial behaviours			R^2 overall: model explained 57% of the total variance in T2 antisocial behaviours

Notes: T1 = preschool fall, T2 = preschool spring, ***p < .001, **p < .01, *p < .05, ⁺p < .05.