Department of Psychology and Human Development, Institute of Education, University College London, 25 Woburn Square, London, WC1H 0AA, UK.
Lloyd's Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117602, Singapore.
Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol. 2024 Mar;52(3):339-352. doi: 10.1007/s10802-023-01137-x. Epub 2023 Oct 17.
Atypical responses to teacher rewards, discipline and different forms of instructional methods have been identified as potential contributors to disruptive behavior, low school engagement, and academic underachievement in children with elevated callous-unemotional (CU) traits. To date, research on CU traits in schools has relied on interview or questionnaire methods and has predominantly been conducted in Western countries. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the relationships between CU traits and children's responses to teacher rewards, discipline and instructional methods in the Chinese preschool context using classroom observation. Eight teachers (7 females, 1 male; M = 37.66 years) and 116 children (56% girls; M = 5.16 years) from two mainstream Chinese preschools participated in the study. Of the 116 eligible children, the behavior of 108 children from four classes were observed during classroom activities. Findings indicated that CU traits were not related to children's responses to discipline, nor did CU traits moderate the relationship between instructional methods and children's academic engagement. Higher CU traits predicted a greater frequency of one-to-one teacher-child interaction. Our findings offer initial insights into the potential of early school-based interventions in fostering engagement and prosocial behavior among children with CU traits. However, they also highlight the need for additional support for preschool teachers, who face the challenge of managing these high-risk children who appear to require more individual time and attention.
已经确定，对教师奖励、纪律和不同形式的教学方法的非典型反应是导致行为障碍、学校参与度低和学业成绩不佳的潜在因素，这些行为障碍、学校参与度低和学业成绩不佳在情绪冷漠（CU）特征较高的儿童中更为常见。迄今为止，学校的 CU 特征研究依赖于访谈或问卷调查方法，并且主要在西方国家进行。因此，本研究旨在使用课堂观察调查 CU 特征与中国学前儿童对教师奖励、纪律和教学方法的反应之间的关系。来自两所主流中国幼儿园的 8 名教师（7 名女性，1 名男性；M=37.66 岁）和 116 名儿童（56%为女孩；M=5.16 岁）参与了这项研究。在 116 名符合条件的儿童中，有 108 名儿童的行为在四个班级的课堂活动中被观察到。研究结果表明，CU 特征与儿童对纪律的反应无关，CU 特征也不能调节教学方法与儿童学业参与之间的关系。较高的 CU 特征预示着一对一的师幼互动频率更高。我们的研究结果为基于学校的早期干预提供了初步的见解，这些干预措施可以培养 CU 特征儿童的参与度和亲社会行为。然而，它们也强调了需要为幼儿园教师提供额外的支持，因为他们面临着管理这些高风险儿童的挑战，这些儿童似乎需要更多的个人时间和关注。
