ERIC Number: EJ782972
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 20
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0885-2006
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
At the Heart of Child Care: Predictors of Teacher Sensitivity in Center-Based Child Care
Gerber, Emily B.; Whitebook, Marcy; Weinstein, Rhona S.
Early Childhood Research Quarterly, v22 n3 p327-346 2007
This study examined the extent to which characteristics of early childhood teachers and settings predicted observed teacher sensitivity. Participants included 41 head teachers at child care centers located in Northern California. Accreditation status, center size, and program quality were uniquely associated with teacher sensitivity. Accreditation was also associated with a number of other teacher (training, ethnic minority status, and depression) and setting characteristics (program quality, subsidies, and child ethnic minority enrollment). Other unique predictors included more teacher training, smaller center size, and perceived organizational health. Having a greater number of depressive symptoms or working in a larger center were identified as risks to teacher sensitivity, and were moderated by higher levels of teacher training and observed program quality. The current study provides preliminary support for the importance of examining the ways that teacher and setting characteristics are related to teacher interactions with young children.
Descriptors: Young Children, Child Care Centers, Enrollment, Depression (Psychology), Interpersonal Competence, Child Care, Teacher Characteristics, Institutional Characteristics, Predictor Variables, Teacher Student Relationship, Early Childhood Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A