PERCEIVED ROLES OF TEACHERS AND CAREGIVERS ON TEACHER-CHILD INTERACTION AND THE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN URBAN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Teacher-child interaction is widely recognised as a determinant of children’s social and emotional competencies in early childhood settings. This qualitative case study explored how preschool teachers and caregivers in urban areas of Ogun State, Nigeria, perceive and describe the relationship between teacher-child interaction and children’s social and emotional development, and how those interactions were observed to unfold in classrooms. The study distinguishes two related but distinct constructs: teacher-child relationship quality (the enduring affective bond between a teacher and an individual child) and teacher-child interactional quality (observable moment-to-moment classroom exchanges). Observations addressed the second; interviews and focus groups addressed adults’ perceptions of both. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with ten preschool teachers, six focus group discussions with 38 caregivers, and structured classroom observations across twelve purposively selected public and private preschool settings in Abeokuta South and Sagamu Local Government Areas. Observation was guided by an adaptation of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) domains, used as an organising observational frame rather than as a scored measure. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants consistently described warm, responsive and emotionally attuned interactions as supporting children’s emotional regulation, social skills, empathy and sense of belonging, and described authoritarian and dismissive styles as accompanying anxiety, withdrawal and aggressive behaviour. Classroom observations were broadly consistent with these accounts. These findings represent adult perceptions and researcher observational interpretations. No child interviews, validated child assessments or longitudinal measurements were conducted, and the study therefore does not establish that interaction styles cause the developmental patterns described. Contextual factors reported as shaping interaction quality included teacher qualification, class size, institutional type and teacher well-being. The study concludes that relational quality is treated by practitioners and caregivers as central to social-emotional learning in this context, and recommends training in relational pedagogy, teacher well being support, curriculum integration of social-emotional learning, and longitudinal research with child-level measures.