Peer-reviewed article
Teacher–child relationships and preschool peer acceptance: a two wave longitudinal study of theory informed indirect pathways through emotion understanding and social initiative
Yuebo Li, Haowen Dang, Yong Yang, Jianye Li ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This study followed 319 Chinese preschool children over 12 months to see how their relationships with teachers relate to how well they are accepted by classmates. Teachers rated closeness, conflict and children's social initiative. Children did an emotion understanding task, and peer acceptance was measured by peer nominations. Closer teacher–child relationships were linked to higher later peer acceptance, and conflict was linked to lower acceptance. Part of these links ran through children's emotion understanding and social initiative.
Key points
- Teacher closeness at the first time point positively predicted peer acceptance 12 months later.
- Teacher conflict at the first time point negatively predicted later peer acceptance.
- Emotion understanding and social initiative each served as significant indirect pathways between teacher–child relationship quality and peer acceptance.
- A serial pathway from teacher–child relationship quality through emotion understanding and then social initiative to peer acceptance was statistically significant.
- The models controlled for baseline emotion understanding, social initiative, peer acceptance and other covariates.
Limitations
The study was observational, and the mediators and the outcome were all measured at the second time point. The findings are therefore prospective associations, not proof of causal or strictly temporal mechanisms. The sample is from Chinese preschools only, and teachers rated both the relationship and social initiative.
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. Results Results showed that T1 teacher closeness positively predicted, whereas teacher conflict negatively predicted, T2 peer acceptance. Emotion understanding and social initiative each served as significant indirect pathways linking teacher–child relationship quality with later peer acceptance. In addition, a theory-informed serial indirect pathway from T1 teacher–child relationship quality to T2 peer acceptance via T2 emotion understanding and T2 social initiative was statistically significant. Discussion However, because the study was observational and because the mediators and outcome were all assessed at T2, the findings should be interpreted as prospective associations consistent with the proposed theoretical model rather than as evidence of causal or strictly temporal mechanisms. These findings suggest that supportive teacher–child relationships may be linked to peer acceptance through children’s socioemotional understanding and proactive peer engagement.