Susanne A. Denham

Susanne A. Denham

University Professor
Applied Developmental Psychology: Social and emotional development of children
George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia, USA

Early Childhood Teachers as Socializers of Young Children’s Emotional Competence

Abstract

Children’s self-regulation of behavior, emotions, and attention, as well as their social cognitions, emotional competence, and positive social behaviors contribute to their early success in school. Research on parents’ roles in development of such social-emotional learning (SEL) shows that parents’ emotions, reactions to children’s emotions, teaching about emotions, and beliefs about emotions, all contribute to growth in preschoolers’ SEL. As children spend more and more time in preschool settings, we must also examine contributions of teachers to SEL development. In this presentation findings from a large-scale study of early childhood educators in the US show that in many respects, but not all, teachers socialize positive SEL, like parents, via positive emotions and reactions to children’s emotions, and teaching about emotions through storybooks and conversations. However, important differences reflective of the group classroom context also exist and will be discussed.

Author

Susanne A Denham has teaching and research interests which include basic processes of social-emotional development, social cognition, and social competence, particularly in young children, as well as developmental psychopathology (i.e., primary and secondary prevention of deviations from normal social-emotional development). Recently, her research has focused on the development of forgiveness in children, the measurement and assessment of social emotional skills, and the role of teachers in the socialization of a child’s emotions.

Learn more about Professor Denham at http://psychology.gmu.edu/people/sdenham