Evidence for General and Domain-Specific Elements of Teacher-Child Interactions: Associations With Preschool Children's Development

Teachers' strategies and interactions with students may influence child development outcomes. The effects of both general (e.g., responsive teaching) and specific (e.g., positive management, routines, cognitive facilitation) child-teacher interaction factors on child development were examined in 325 early childhood Head Start classrooms. Responsive teaching was associated with positive child development across social and cognitive domains, while positive management and routines were associated with better child inhibitory control, and cognitive facilitation was associated with gains in early language and literacy skills.