Stimulating preschoolers’ language development: The contribution of teacher-child interaction and dyadic teacher-child relationships

Preschoolers' language competencies are pivotal for their future academic performance and development. Previous studies point to the contribution of both teacher-child interactions and dyadic teacher-child relations to preschoolers' language development. However, systematic analyses of the complex interplay between teacher-child interactions, dyadic teacher-child relations and preschoolers' language development are scarce, constraining current understanding of this timely topic. This PhD project aims to address this gap via three studies. In the first study, the available scientific studies on teacher-child interactions, dyadic teacher-child relations and preschoolers' language development will be systematically analyzed (systematic literature review). On the basis of the findings of this first study, the complex interplay between teacher-child interactions and dyadic teacher-child relations will be investigated in the context of picture book reading activities in Chinese kindergartens (Study 2). In Study 3, the complex interplay between teacher-child interactions, dyadic teacher-child relations and preschoolers' language development will be longitudinally followed up in Chinese kindergartners. Together, the findings of these studies will broaden and deepen current insights into this timely topic and provide building blocks for improving educational practices in the domain.