The influences of dimensions of teacher and mother responsiveness on children's social outcomes at 24 and 36 months: A comparison of dyadic and group environments

The purpose of this study was to identify the specific dimensions of teacher and mother responsiveness that were most strongly associated with social outcomes of toddlers at 24 and 36 months of age within the child care, either family or center based, setting.; The dataset used in this study was collected through the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. The study is a longitudinal study that began in 1991 with the births of the children participating. For the present study only phase 1 (birth–36 months) was used. A sub-sample of the larger data set was used and included only those children involved in 10 or more hours of child care, either family center or center based, per week. The resulting sub-sample included 399 children (195 girls; 204 boys) assessed in child care at 24 months and 462 (227 girls; 235 boys) assessed at 36 months. The sample at 24 months consisted of European American (86.5%), African-American (8.8%), Asian or Pacific Islander (.5%), American Indian or Eskimo (.3%), and other ethnicities (4.0%). At 36 months the sample consisted of European American (83.5%), African-American (9.7%), Asian or Pacific Islander (1.5%), American Indian or Eskimo (.4%), and other ethnicities (4.8%).; Multiple regressions and analyses of variance were used and indicated that teacher dimensions of responsiveness were more significant predictors of social behaviors at 24 and 36 months. Lack of findings and issues with maternal data collection are discussed. For teachers at 24 months, positive regard was the strongest predictor of social behaviors, while fostering exploration and detachment were most significant at 36 months. Consistency of teacher responsiveness behaviors from 24 to 36 months was associated with more positive mood in the group setting.; Attachment of mothers and education level of teachers were not significant predictors of any social outcomes in children.; Overall, the results of this study indicate that there are dimensions of responsiveness that independently predict social outcomes in toddler. Future research that further delineates dimensions of responsiveness and compares mother and teacher consistencies over time would be beneficial.