Emotion-Focused Teaching Differs Across Preschool Activity Settings

Abstract

This study explores how observed emotion-focused teaching in preschool classrooms differs across classroom activity settings. Forty-three teachers were observed across several mornings. A total of 1,604 video cycles were coded for levels of emotion-focused teaching (e.g., total, modeling, responding, and instructing) and their activity settings (e.g., mealtimes and transition). Activity settings seemed to afford—to varying degrees for different teachers—the opportunity to interact with children around their emotional learning. Small-group activity settings had the highest levels of emotion-focused teaching, and mealtimes had the lowest. Emotion instructing occurred most often during whole-group interactions, and emotion modeling occurred most often during children’s independent work. Findings can inform the creation and implementation of professional development to promote these emotion-focused teaching practices. While research is increasingly demonstrating the value of emotion-focused teaching, understanding the variability of such practice over the various activity settings may identify opportunities to enhance the intentional support of children’s emotional learning.