Teacher qualifications and preschoolers' math outcomes: Mediation by teacher-child relationships?

Ji Young Choi, Purdue University

Abstract

The major research question guiding this study asks whether the teacher-child relationship acts as a mediator between teachers' qualifications (e.g., education, major, credentials, and years of experience) and preschool children's math outcomes. To investigate this question, the study examined three types of associations: (a) those between teacher qualifications and children's math outcomes, (b) those between teacher-child relationships and children's math outcomes, and (c) those between teacher qualifications and teacher-child relationships. The participants in this study were 34 teachers and 132 3- to 5-year-old preschool children from their classrooms. A self-administered questionnaire was used for assessing teachers' qualifications, the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale-Short Form was used for measuring teacher-child relationships, and the Test of Early Mathematics Ability was used for measuring preschoolers' math gains over the course of one year. The study results showed that, among children whose teachers had a B.A. or higher degree, children gained more in math when their teachers had both pre-K and elementary teaching licenses compared to the children whose teachers had an elementary license only or no teaching license. However, none of the other teacher qualification models detected an association between teacher qualifications (i.e., education level, major, Child Development Associate [CDA], or years of experience in child care) and children's growth in math. Because only the teaching license was found to be related to children's gain in math, the association between teacher-child relationship variables (i.e., closeness and conflict) and children's math gains was further tested using the teaching license model. Controlling for teachers' teaching license status, the results showed that teacher-child conflict was related to children's math development. However, the study failed to find an association between teacher-child closeness and children's math gain. As the last step for examining the potential mediation effect of teacher-child relationships between teacher qualifications and children's gains in math, the study tested whether teaching licensure is associated with teacher-child conflict. The results showed that teachers' licensure was not significantly related to the conflictual teacher-child relationship. Therefore, the mediation effects of teacher-child relationships between teacher qualifications and children's gain in math were not confirmed.

Degree

M.S.

Advisors

Dobbs-Oates, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Mathematics education|Early childhood education|Teacher education

COinS