G5 Doctoral dissertation (article)
Teacher–child interactions in relation to teachers' stress, work engagement, and children’s social competence (2023)
Ohjausvuorovaikutuksen yhteys opettajien stressiin ja työnimuun sekä lasten sosiaaliseen kompetenssiin

Soininen, V. (2023). Teacher–child interactions in relation to teachers' stress, work engagement, and children’s social competence [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Jyväskylä. JYU dissertations, 630. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-9540-9

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Soininen, Viola

eISBN: 978-951-39-9540-9

Journal or series: JYU dissertations

eISSN: 2489-9003

Publication year: 2023

Number in series: 630

Number of pages in the book: 1 verkkoaineisto (69 sivua, 106 sivua useina numerointijaksoina, 3 numeroimatonta sivua)

Publisher: University of Jyväskylä

Place of Publication: Jyväskylä

Publication country: Finland

Publication language: English

Persistent website address: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-9540-9

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Abstract

This doctoral thesis consists of three sub-studies that examined the associations between the quality of teacher–child interactions and teachers’ occupational well-being in kindergarten and first grade classrooms. In addition, teacher–child interactions and teachers’ occupational well-being were examined in relation to children’s social competence. The quality of teacher–child interactions (emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support) was assessed with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS Pre-K and K-3). Teachers (sub-study 1: n = 47, sub-study 2: n = 54, and sub-study 3: n = 51) rated their occupational well-being in terms of stress, emotional exhaustion, depressive symptoms, and work engagement. Furthermore, teachers assessed the social competence of children (sub-study 3: n = 815) in their classroom in terms of prosocial and antisocial behaviors. The data were analyzed by conducting path models (sub-study 1), latent profile analyses (sub-study 2), and multilevel models (sub-study 3). In sub-study 1, the results showed that teachers’ stress predicted lower subsequent quality of emotional support and classroom organization, whereas teachers’ work engagement was associated with a higher quality of instructional support. In sub-study 2, four profiles of teacher–child interactions were identified. The profiles differed in teachers’ levels of stress, emotional exhaustion, and depressive symptoms. In sub-study 3, the results showed a reciprocal association between children’s prosocial behavior and quality of instructional support. Moreover, children’s prosocial behavior predicted teachers’ higher work engagement, whereas teachers’ work engagement predicted less antisocial behavior. Finally, teachers’ work engagement positively predicted the quality of all three domains of teacher–child interactions. Overall, the results suggest that it is important to support teachers’ occupational well-being to enhance the quality of teacher–child interactions and children’s social competence. It should be noted that especially children’s prosocial behavior also plays a role in the quality of teacher–child interactions and in teachers’ occupational well-being. Thus, it is important to support children in their social competence.

Keywords: preschool education; elementary education; pupil counselling; interaction; teachers; well-being at work; stress (biological phenomena); work engagement; pupils; social skills; doctoral dissertations

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Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2023