Early Childhood Teachers’ Emotion Validating Language Regarding Negative Emotions: Comparisons by Child Gender

ABSTRACT

This study examined teachers’ emotion-validating language regarding negative emotions in early childhood classrooms. By analyzing teachers’ emotion language differing by child gender, the research highlights the gendered socialization of emotional expression, especially regarding negative emotions, in early childhood contexts. In toddler and preschool classrooms, 28 teachers were video recorded during four 30-minute sessions of free play time for a total of approximately 40 hours. Videos were coded for teachers’ emotion language regarding negative emotions with attention to the gender of the child to whom the language was spoken. Results indicate that teachers validate negative emotions more to girls than to boys. This aligns with previous research suggesting that girls’ expression of emotion is more encouraged and acceptable than boys’. This work highlights potential gender differences in emotion socialization and points to missed opportunities to validate boys’ negative emotions and thus develop their emotion language and regulation skills. Implications for teacher professional development are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Child gender
• early childhood education
• emotion validating language
• gender socialization
• social-emotional development
• teacher emotion socialization

Disclosure statement

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

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Ethics approval statement

This study was reviewed and approved by the Missouri State University Institutional Review Board. All participants gave informed consent.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by an internal Faculty Research Grant from Missouri State University.