The bi-directional association between Spanish-speaking preschoolers' English oral proficiency and student-teacher relationship qualities

Abstract

This study examined the bi-directional association between Spanish-speaking preschoolers' (N = 137) English use tendencies and vocabulary skills and the quality of the student-teacher relationship (e.g., close, conflictive, and dependent). Results revealed that children who began preschool in the fall with high English expressive vocabulary skills and a high tendency to use English were more likely to develop close relationships with their teachers the following spring. Further, children with dependent relationships with their teachers in the fall of preschool were more likely to exhibit low English receptive vocabulary skills in the spring. These findings highlight the importance of Spanish-speaking children's English oral proficiency upon school entrance for the development of positive student-teacher relationships, which might be one avenue to foster their school achievement and help close the academic performance gap between Spanish-speaking students and monolingual English speaking peers.