The Impact of Banking Time on Teacher-Child Interaction Quality in Preschool

Introduction: Positive teacher-child relationships expressed through warm, sensitive, and responsive teacher-child interactions are consistently linked with better academic and social-emotional child outcomes.  Children who display disruptive behaviors, however, are more likely to experience a teacher-child relationship characterized by negativity and conflict.  Banking Time (Pianta & Hamre, 2001) is an intervention consisting of brief, regular, play-focused sessions between a teacher and child where the teacher follows the child’s lead, reflects the child’s experience, and explores relational themes with the child.  In this paper, we will examine whether the implementation of Banking Timeimproves the quality of observed teacher-child interactions and child regulatory behavior in a sample of preschoolers at risk for disruptive behavior disorders.  

Methods: The sample included 173 preschool teachers and 484 three- and four- year old children. Teachers were recruited into the study. Within each classroom, teachers rated and attempted to consent all children. The three children (2 boys, 1 girl) in each classroom evidencing the highest disruptive behaviors were selected to be in the study. Classrooms were randomized into one of three conditions: Banking time (BT, experimental), Child Time (CT, time control), or Business-As-Usual (BAU, control).  Classrooms came from a mix of state-funded, Head Start, and private preschool programs and the sample was demographically diverse.  Children in each classroom were randomized into one of three treatment/assessment windows (fall, winter, spring). Teachers in the BT and CT conditions conducted play sessions with the targeted child during each window (7 weeks). As part of a comprehensive assessment battery, each teacher-child pair participated in a 20-minute structured play task (SPT; free play, clean-up, book reading) at the end of the window that was video recorded for later coding.

Results and conclusions: We will report the results of teacher-child interactive behaviors using a coding scheme adapted from widely used mother-child codes; Pianta & Egeland, 1990; NICHD-SECCYD) and child compliance adapted from the Preschool Self-Regulation Assessment (Smith Donald et al., 2007) coded during the clean-up portion of this task.  Teacher and child behaviors are being coded by independent coding teams who are blind to condition. Teacher behaviors have been coded and results indicate that teachers in the BT condition were less directive (compared to CT and BAU) and displayed less negativity during clean-up (compared to CT).  Child behavior coding is currently underway and will be completed by 02/14 and will include assessments of children interactive behaviors with teachers as well as their compliance to sort and pick up toys during the clean-up task.