Frontiers in psychology
Teacher-child relationships and preschool peer acceptance: a two wave longitudinal study of theory informed indirect pathways through emotion understanding and social initiative
By Li Y, Dang H, Yang Y and 1 others.
Abstract
Introduction
Preschool peer acceptance is a pivotal marker of social-emotional well-being and future adaptation. Although teacher-child relationship quality is a known correlate of children's peer status, the mechanisms linking this vertical relationship to horizontal peer relations remain insufficiently understood.
Methods
This two-wave longitudinal study examined whether emotion understanding and social initiative were associated with the prospective link between teacher-child relationship quality and later peer acceptance. Data were collected from 319 Chinese preschool children across a 12-month interval. Teachers reported teacher-child closeness, conflict, and children's social initiative; children completed an emotion understanding task; and peer acceptance was assessed using peer nominations. Structural equation models controlled for baseline levels of emotion understanding, social initiative, peer acceptance, and relevant covariates.