Examination of teacher-child interactions in early childhood education programmes in the United Arab Emirates

Teacher-child interactions provide an important context for children's development and learning. The study explored how teacher- and classroom-level factors were associated with quality of teacher-child interactions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We also investigated associations between teacher-child interactions and child outcomes. Teacher-child interactions were observed in 60 kindergarten classrooms using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System, for the first time with this population. Pre-academic skills (letter and number knowledge), behavioural regulation (assessed with the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task), and stress response physiology (assessed with salivary cortisol levels) were measured in a sample of 115 five-year-old children, recruited from 22 of the 60 classrooms. Results provided moderate evidence for a three-domain structure of teacher-child interactions. Some differences in the quality of teacher-child interactions were related to teachers' years of experience. Correlational findings suggest links between quality of emotional support with children's pre-academic skills and behavioural regulation. Results are also discussed in relation to similar international studies to highlight any unique findings to the UAE context.