Session: Preventing Early Childhood Externalizing Behavior through Promoting Teacher-Child Interactions: Effects of Three Indicated Interventions on Observed Teacher and Child Interactive Behaviors (Society for Prevention Research 22nd Annual Meeting)

Children who display early externalizing behavior are at risk for academic, social, and health problems later in life. Supportive environments, in particular proximal interactions with key adult figures, can moderate negative effects of externalizing behavior on later outcomes (cf. Pianta, Hamre, & Stuhlman, 2003). In the field of parent-child interactions, many interventions have been developed and shown to be effective. In recent years, there is increased attention for the role of teacher-child relationships for (behavioral) development in early childhood. For example, it has been shown that high teacher sensitivity may protect children at risk from developing more externalizing behavior (e.g., Buyse, Verschueren, & Doumen, 2011) and that adequate teacher behavioral management can reduce disruptive classroom behaviors (e.g., Sutherland & Oswald, 2005). Nevertheless, studies examining the role of teacher-child interactions in the development of externalizing behaviors remain relatively scarce and designs have been mostly non-experimental. In this symposium, we focus on three indicated (tier 2), theory-based interventions aimed at improving preschoolers’ externalizing behavior through promoting high quality teacher-child interactions. In particular, effects of randomized controlled trials with these interventions on observed teacher and child interactive behaviors will be reported. Banking Time is an intervention, grounded in attachment theory, aimed at promoting the affective quality of the teacher-child relationship. Effects of Banking Time on child interactive behaviors in a structured play task will be compared between the intervention and two control conditions. Second, BEST in CLASS is based on behavioral theory (Skinner, 1953), while also recognizing the transactional nature of social interchanges (Sameroff, 2009) which are embedded in the ecological context of the classroom (Bronfenbrenner, 2005). BEST in CLASS focuses on altering teacher-child interactions by strengthening teachers’ use of effective instructional practices to prevent children’s challenging behaviors and support their learning. Effects on observed teacher and child behaviors and interactions within instructional activities occurring in classroom contexts  will be reported. Finally, Playing-2-gether is a two-component intervention, developed in Belgium. The first component is based on Banking Time and attachment theory, and aims at improving teacher-child relationship quality; the second, learning theory based component focuses teachers’ behavioral management. Effects from a Belgian study on observed teacher and child interactive behaviour in a play task will be reported. Next to testing these interventions and the theories they are built on, this symposium will allow to discuss methods and instruments to observe professional caregiver-child interactions in the preschool context.