Relationship between parental involvement and children’s positive mental character during early years: the moderating role of parent-teacher relationship and teacher-parent relationship

Editorial reading guide · Collaboration

If a teacher feels the partnership is working, would a parent necessarily say the same?

The paper separates the direction of parent–teacher and teacher–parent relationships when examining family involvement and children's development.

Who was studied?

167 teachers and 1,019 preschool children and their parents in China.

Age / stage: Preschool years

Read with three questions

1. How were the two directions of the relationship measured?
2. Which measures came from the same participant, and which had an independent source?
3. Where do children, families and educators each have a voice in the evidence?

Keep the limits in view

A cross-sectional account measures variables in the same period. It cannot establish which came first; participants reporting more than one measure may also introduce shared reporting bias.