ABSTRACT

Studies with extensive observations of real-life emotions at school are rare but might be especially useful for predicting school-related outcomes. This study evaluated observations of negative emotion expressivity in lunch and recreation settings across kindergarten, first grade, and second grade (N = 301), kindergarten teachers’ reports of children’s effortful control, and kindergarten and second grade teachers’ reports of their perceived conflict with children. In latent growth curve analyses, we tested whether individual trajectories of negative expressivity from kindergarten to second grade, based on estimated slopes, predicted teacher–student conflict in second grade, and whether effortful control in kindergarten moderated this association. Research findings: Negative expressivity levels in kindergarten significantly predicted higher levels of teacher–student conflict in second grade, controlling prior teacher–student conflict. Furthermore, greater increases in negative expressivity from kindergarten to second grade were associated with higher teacher–student conflict in second grade especially for children who had difficulties with effortful control in kindergarten. Practice or Policy: Results from this study have the potential to inform programs focused on reducing teacher–student conflict. The findings highlight the possibility of targeting both effortful control and negative emotion in the early elementary school transition as a means to improve teacher–student relationships.

摘要

对学校现实生活中的情绪进行广泛观察的研究很少见，但可能对预测与学校相关的结果特别有用。本研究评估了幼儿园、一年级和二年级 ( N = 301) 在午餐和娱乐环境中负面情绪表达的观察、幼儿园教师关于儿童努力控制的报告，以及幼儿园和二年级教师关于他们感知到的冲突的报告孩子们。在潜在增长曲线分析中，我们根据估计的斜率测试了从幼儿园到二年级的消极表达轨迹是否预测了二年级的师生冲突，以及幼儿园的努力控制是否缓和了这种关联。研究成果：幼儿园的消极表达水平显着预测了二年级更高水平的师生冲突，控制了之前的师生冲突。此外，从幼儿园到二年级消极表达的增加与二年级师生冲突的增加有关，特别是对于在幼儿园难以控制的儿童。实践或政策：这项研究的结果有可能为专注于减少师生冲突的计划提供信息。研究结果强调了在小学过渡早期将努力控制和消极情绪作为改善师生关系的一种手段的可能性。