In this qualitative study, I explored the lived experiences of eight early childhood educators implementing a play-based teacher professional development intervention, child teacher relationship training (CTRT), in an affluent Christian based preschool. Through the building of relationships, CTRT provided the teachers a person-centered approach to develop skills to establish relationships and to attend to the intentional emotional and relational development of young children. The research questions addressed the impact on teachers with children exhibiting challenging behaviors utilizing CTRT experienced before, during, and after the implementation of the play-based consultation intervention. Thematic analysis of the pre-intervention interviews, observation journals, reflexive journal, …
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In this qualitative study, I explored the lived experiences of eight early childhood educators implementing a play-based teacher professional development intervention, child teacher relationship training (CTRT), in an affluent Christian based preschool. Through the building of relationships, CTRT provided the teachers a person-centered approach to develop skills to establish relationships and to attend to the intentional emotional and relational development of young children. The research questions addressed the impact on teachers with children exhibiting challenging behaviors utilizing CTRT experienced before, during, and after the implementation of the play-based consultation intervention. Thematic analysis of the pre-intervention interviews, observation journals, reflexive journal, and post-intervention interviews revealed two clusters and seven distinct themes. The first cluster described the learning experiences of teachers while implementing CTRT with four identified themes: (a) changes in their views about children; (b) changes in their views about their personal abilities and performance; (c) a deeper understanding of theory (Reggio Emilia and CTRT); and (d) teacher skill development. The second cluster concerned the impact of CTRT before, during, and after the implementation of CTRT with three identified themes: (a) relationships; (b) support systems; and (c) the transfer of CTRT skills outside the classroom. The emerging themes indicated that the participants found CTRT to be a useful intervention for skill development to address challenging behaviors in young children, increased the teachers' abilities to manage classrooms, and professional and personal growth.
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Miller, Leah Fowlkes.The Impact of Child Teacher Relationship Training for Early Childhood Educators: The Role of the Relationship,
dissertation,
August 2019;
Denton, Texas.
(https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1538685/:
accessed April 23, 2025),
University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu;
.
