Teacher-child relationships and preschool peer acceptance: a two wave longitudinal study of theory informed indirect pathways through emotion understanding and social initiative.
- 1Faculty of Education, Taiyuan Normal University, Jinzhong, China.
- 2Faculty of Education, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
- 3Department of Physical Education, Shanxi Medical University, Jinzhong, China.
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.
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BibTeX
@article{li2026teacherchild,
title = {{Teacher-child relationships and preschool peer acceptance: a two wave longitudinal study of theory informed indirect pathways through emotion understanding and social initiative.}},
author = {Yuebo Li and Haowen Dang and Yong Yang and Jianye Li},
journal = {Frontiers in psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1809721},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908931},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Teacher-child relationships and preschool peer acceptance: a two wave longitudinal study of theory informed indirect pathways through emotion understanding and social initiative.
AU - Yuebo Li
AU - Haowen Dang
AU - Yong Yang
AU - Jianye Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Frontiers in psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1809721
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908931
AB - 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.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -