Exploratory behaviour, emotional wellbeing and childcare quality in preschool education

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between children exploratory behaviour and the quality of structural childcare and process in preschools. The study also examined how childcare quality affects the relationship between emotional wellbeing and exploratory behaviour. The sample com...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Alexander Barandiaran, Alexander Muela, Elena López de Arana, Iñaki Larrea, José R. Vitoria
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Servicio de Publicaciones 2015-05-01
Series:Anales de Psicología
Subjects:
Online Access:http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0212-97282015000200020&lng=en&tlng=en
Description
Summary:The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between children exploratory behaviour and the quality of structural childcare and process in preschools. The study also examined how childcare quality affects the relationship between emotional wellbeing and exploratory behaviour. The sample comprised 206 children from 40 classrooms in 20 preschools, together with their teachers. The children's age ranged between 37 and 64 months (M = 50.96, SD = 6.54). The results indicated that children cared for by more sensitive teachers engaged in more exploratory behavior. However, no moderating effect was found of teacher sensitivity on the positive relationship between exploratory behavior and wellbeing. Finally, some factors linked to the quality of structural childcare also influenced exploratory behavior, although to a lesser extent.
ISSN:0212-9728