The study investigated ten early childhood teachers' perceptions of their relationships with 120 children (mean age = 4 years 3 months), of whom 41 children spoke English as an additional language (EAL: mean age = 4 years 2 months). The Student—Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) was employed to elicit teachers' perceptions of their relationships in the first and third terms of a school year. The results show that, while children who have the least experience in spoken English were scored significantly lower on the STRS Closeness Scale by their teachers as compared with the rest of the children at the beginning of the school year, these differences were not significant at the end of the school year. The findings add empirical support to the importance of verbal communication, in addition to teachers' sensitivity towards EAL children's non-verbal expressions, as the basis for developing positive teacher—child relationships.
Barrs, M., Ellis, S., Hester, H. and Kelly, A.V. (1988) The Primary Language Record Handbook. London: CLPE.
2.
Birch, S.H. and Ladd, G.W. (1997) `The teacher-child relationship and children's early school adjustment'. Journal of School Psychology35(1): 61—79.
3.
Birch, S.H. and Ladd, G.W. (1998) `Children's interpersonal behaviors and the teacher-child relationship'. Developmental Psychology34(5): 934—46.
4.
Bryman, A. (2001) Social Research Methods. Oxford University Press.
5.
Burchinal, M.R., Peisner-Feinberg, E., Pianta, R. and Howes, C. (2002) `Development of academic skills from preschool through second grade: family and classroom predictors of developmental trajectories ' Journal of School Psychology40(5): 415—36.
6.
Cummins, J. (1989) `A theoretical framework for bilingual special education'. Exceptional Children56(2): 111—19.
7.
Cummins, J. (2000) Language, Power and Pedagogy: Bilingual Children in the Crossfire. Clevedon, Buffalo , Toronto, Sydney: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
8.
Department for Education and Skills (2004) Statistics of Education: Schools in England 2004 Edition, London: HMSO. Available at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000495/schools_04_final.pdf (accessed 3 February 2006).
9.
Department for Education and Skills (2005) Every Child Matters, Children's Workforce Strategy consultation document, London: DfES. Available at http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/_files/37183E5C09CCE460A81C781CC70863F0.pdf (accessed 3 February 2006).
10.
Desforges, M. and Kerr, T. (1984) `Developing bilingual children's English in school '. Educational and Child Psychology1(1): 68—80.
11.
Fumoto, H. (2005) Teachers' perceptions of teacher-child relationships in early childhood settings. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Surrey Roehampton.
12.
Fumoto, H., Hargreaves, D.J. and Maxwell, S. (2003) `Teachers' perceptions of teacher-child relationships in nursery schools'. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal11(2): 29—42.
13.
Fumoto, H., Hargreaves, D.J. and Maxwell, S. (2004) `The concept of teaching: a reappraisal'. Early Years: anInternational Journal of Research and Development24(2): 179—91.
14.
Hall, D. (2001) Assessing the Needs of Bilingual Pupil: Living in Two Languages (2nd edn), revised and updated by Griffiths, D., Haslam, L. and Wilkin, Y. London: David Fulton.
15.
Hester, H. (1995) `The stages of English learning: the context', in School Curriculum and Assessment Authority, Invitational Conference on Teaching and Learning English as an Additional LanguageLondon: 27—28 April 1995, pp. 182—7. School Curriculum and Assessment Authority Ref: COM/96/409.
16.
Hinde, R.A. (1997) Relationships: A Dialectical Perspective. Hove: Psychology Press.
17.
Hobson, R.P. (2002) The Cradle of Thought: Exploring the Origins of Thinking. London: Macmillan.
18.
Howes, C. (2000) `Social-emotional classroom climate in child care, child-teacher relationships and children's second grade peer relations'. Social Development9(2): 191—204.
19.
Howes, C. and Ritchie, S. (2002) A Matter of Trust: Connecting Teachers and Learners in the Early Childhood Classroom. New York, London: Teacher College Press.
20.
Howes, C., Hamilton, C.E. and Matheson, C.C. (1994) `Children's relationships with peers: differential associations with aspects of teacher-child relationship'. Child Development, 65, 253—63.
21.
Howes, C., Phillipsen, L.C. and Peisner-Feinberg, E. (2000) `The consistency of perceived teacher-child relationships between pre-school and kindergarten'. Journal of School Psychology28(2): 113—32.
22.
Kesner, J.E. (2000) `Teacher characteristics and the quality of child-teacher relationships'. Journal of School Psychology28(2): 133—49.
23.
Ladd, G.W. and Burgess, K.B. (1999) `Charting the relationships trajectories of aggressive, withdrawn and aggressive/withdrawn children during early grade school'. Child Development70(4): 910—29.
24.
Landon, J. (2005) `Tackling the issue of the teacher's response to linguistic diversity in initial teacher education (ITE) — the potential for Problem-Based Learning (PBL)'. National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum Quarterly3(1): 15—17.
25.
Lynch, M. and Cicchetti, D. (1992) `Maltreated children's reports of relatedness to their teachers', in R. C. Pianta (ed.) New Directions for Child Development, Vol. 57. Beyond the Parents: The Role of Other Adults in Children's Lives. San Francisco , Jossey-Bass.
26.
Ogilvy, C.M., Boath, E.H., Cheyne, W.M., Jahoda, G. and Schaffer, H.R. (1992) `Staff-child interaction styles in multi-ethnic nursery schools'. British Journal of Developmental Psychology10: 85—97.
27.
Pedersen, E., Faucher, T. and Eaton, W. (1978) `A new perspective on the effects of firstgrade teachers on children's subsequent adult status'. Harvard Educational Review48(1): 1—31.
28.
Pianta, R.C. (1996) Manual and Scoring Guide for the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale. University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
29.
Pianta, R.C. (1999) Enhancing Relationships Between Children and Teachers . Washington: American Psychological Association.
Pianta, R.C. and Stuhlman, M. (2004) `Teacher-child relationships and children's success in the first years of school'. School Psychology Review33(3): 444—58.
32.
Pianta, R.C., Steinberg, M. and Rollins, K.B. (1995) `The first two years of school: teacher-child relationship and deflections in children's classroom adjustment'. Development and Psychopathology7: 295—312.
33.
Qca (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority) (2000) Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage. London: QCA/DfEE.
34.
Robinson, K.H. and Díaz, J. (2006) Diversity and Difference in Early Childhood Education: Issues for Theory and Practice. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
35.
Siraj-Blatchford, I. (1994) The Early Years: Laying the Foundations of Racial Equality. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books.
