Can the Consistency of Emotional Support from Teachers Predict Child Outcomes?

Xiaozhu An

Advisor: Timothy W Curby, PhD, Department of Psychology

Committee Members: Linda Chrosniak, Ellen Rowe

David J. King Hall, #1024
April 11, 2019, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Abstract:

Recent research has found that the consistency of the emotional support provided by teachers can predict the academic achievement and social competence of children, and might be a better predictor than the mean level of emotional support.  In the present study, we examined the effects of the mean level and the consistency of emotional support on the academic and social outcomes of children using a longitudinal data set from the National Center for Early Development and Learning (NCEDL) Multi-State Study of Pre-Kindergarten.  We defined the consistency of emotional support to include three aspects: within-day consistency, between-day consistency, and day-to-day consistency.  We found that these three aspects of consistency predicted more child outcomes than the mean level of emotional support and that day-to-day consistency was the best predictor.