(PS4-B36) A Qualitative Examination of Preschool Teachers' Responses to Child Behavior: Variations by Child Race

Background:

Challenging behavior in preschool-aged children is common, yet some children who demonstrate these behaviors are placed at risk for negative experiences at school including suspension and expulsion. Previous research has established that preschool teachers may have varying perceptions of challenging behavior depending on the child’s race. Less is known, however, about the steps preschool teachers make when a child presents with challenging behavior. Thus, the present study utilized an experimental design to qualitatively examine the impact of child race on preschool teachers’ decisions regarding how to address challenging behavior.

Methods

         Participants were 131 lead teachers working with children between the ages of 3-5 years old within a classroom-based setting who were recruited from professional network listservs in a Midwest state. Participants completed the experiment on Qualitrics and were instructed to read a vignette about a preschool child demonstrating challenging behavior (taken from Gilliam et al., 2016). All teachers received identical vignettes except they were randomly assigned to receive either: (a) a stereotypical Black-male name (DeShawn) or (b) a stereotypical White-male name (Jake). Teachers were instructed to imagine the child was in their classroom. After reading the vignette teachers answered the following open-ended questions: a) Please explain what steps you would take to address the child's behavior, and b) Explain the steps you would take to reach out to the parents. The Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool for Preschool Classrooms (TPOT) was used to develop an apriori codebook. Two study team members coded all open-ended responses (28% dual-coded) and undertook an intensive matrix or framework coding analysis.

Findings

We are currently in the process of summarizing our findings related to the following research questions: 1) what steps do preschool teachers take to address challenging child behavior in the classroom and 2) are there meaningful differences in how teachers approach the behavior by child race (Black vs. White)? Results indicate that regardless of child race, teachers most often try to gather data about the child’s behavior at home (e.g. “I would talk with DeShawn's parents, if they are open to it”; “I would find out about the family style of discipline”), and then proceed to implement a generic strategy for the child behavior. Teachers who received the Black boy endorsed twice as many red flags (e.g., punitive and harsh discipline) compared to those who received the White boys  (e.g. “I would have to have one on one conversation with him in a very serious manner. Making eye contact letting him know his behavior is not acceptable. He would have 10 minutes of alone time to think about his actions. Perhaps take away any fun time that day. “).

Conclusions

         Our findings indicate that despite a growth in evidence-based practices in preschool, teachers rarely endorse using these practices to respond to child behavior. Implications for preschool teachers and school leaders are discussed.