Teacher Efficacy Mediates Links Between Professional Perceptions, Social Support, and Teacher-Child Interactions

Summary

Data from 350 Chinese pre-service early childhood teachers were analyzed to examine relationships among professional perceptions, social support, and self-reported teacher-child interaction competence. Structural equation modeling indicated that teacher efficacy mediated both associations, with stronger indirect effects for professional perceptions, highlighting the importance of efficacy development within regional teacher-preparation contexts.

Abstract

Quality teacher-child interactions are central to early childhood education, yet less is known about how pre-service teachers develop perceived competence in such interactions before entering full professional practice. This study aimed to examine how professional perceptions and social support are associated with self-reported teacher-child interaction competence, and whether teacher efficacy statistically mediates these associations. A regional sample of 350 pre-service early childhood education teachers from four institutions in Fujian and Shaanxi, China, completed validated self-report questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed associative mediation model, with common method bias, construct validity, discriminant validity, measurement invariance, and indirect effects examined through complementary analyses. Teacher efficacy was positively associated with teacher-child interaction competence (β = 0.660, p < 0.001), while professional perceptions (β = 0.629, p < 0.001) and social support (β = 0.292, p < 0.001) were positively associated with teacher efficacy. Bootstrap analysis showed significant indirect associations for professional perceptions (standardized indirect coefficient = 0.415, 95% bias-corrected confidence interval [0.331, 0.509], p < 0.001) and social support (standardized indirect coefficient = 0.193, 95% bias-corrected confidence interval [0.117, 0.277], p = 0.004). The findings suggest that teacher efficacy is a key explanatory mechanism linking professional and contextual resources with perceived interaction competence among pre-service early childhood education teachers.

Introduction

Teacher-child interactions are complex, nuanced processes of mutual engagement between educators and young children that permeates children's daily experiences in early childhood education settings. These interactions not only profoundly shape children's learning and developmental trajectories but also serve as a pivotal indicator of the overall quality of early childhood education. Against the global backdrop of efforts to enhance early childhood education standards, the significance of teacher-child interactions has become increasingly prominent.

High-quality teacher-child interactions have been shown to stimulate young children&#....

Protocol

The study protocol, including both the pilot and formal surveys, was approved by the Daegu University Research Ethics Committee (approval number: 52212298) before participant recruitment and data collection. All participants received information about the study and provided informed consent before completing the questionnaire. Participation was voluntary, responses were collected anonymously, and participants could withdraw at any time without penalty.

Research questions and research model

Research questions: This study examines the associations among pre-service early childhood education teachers&....

Results

Descriptive statistics and correlations

Table 1 presents Cronbach's alpha coefficients, descriptive statistics, and correlation analyses for four variables among pre-service early childhood teachers: professional perceptions, social support, teacher efficacy, and teacher-child interactions. All variables showed Cronbach's alpha coefficients exceeding 0.90, indicating high reliability. These bivariate correlations were used only as preliminary descriptive evide.......

Discussion

This study reveals a distinct pattern in the relationship between professional perceptions and teacher-child interaction among pre-service early childhood educators. Professional perceptions were not directly associated with self-reported teacher-child interaction competence after accounting for teacher efficacy, but they showed a significant indirect association through teacher efficacy, supporting teacher efficacy as a full statistical mediator in the cross-sectional SEM model. This finding contrasts with prior studies.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Social Support Scale	Published academic scale; originally developed by Park and revised/supplemented by Kim	25-item version; 5-point Likert response format; no commercial catalog number	Measures perceived social support among pre-service early childhood teachers across Emotional Support, Informational Support, Material Support, and Evaluative Support. Overall Cronbach’s alpha = 0.96.
Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale	Published academic scale; originally developed by Enochs and Riggs; Chinese-adapted study version	25-item version; 5-point Likert response format; no commercial catalog number	Assesses teacher efficacy in the Chinese pre-service early childhood education context across General Teacher Self-Efficacy and Personal Teacher Self-Efficacy. Overall Cronbach’s alpha = 0.96.
Teacher-Child Interaction Scale	Published academic scale; developed by Lee and reviewed by the study expert panel for Chinese use	30-item version; 5-point Likert response format; no commercial catalog number	Assesses self-reported teacher-child interaction competence rather than observed classroom interaction quality. Includes Emotional Interaction, Verbal Interaction, and Behavioral Interaction; overall Cronbach’s alpha = 0.94.
Demographic Information Form	Research team, Sichuan University of Arts and Science / Daegu University collaboration	Custom study questionnaire section; no commercial catalog number	Collected participant characteristics including gender, educational background, professional category, internship location, internship duration, internship type, and kindergarten type.
Participant Information and Informed Consent Script	Research team; approved by Daegu University Research Ethics Committee	Ethics approval number: XXX; local approval record to verify	Used before questionnaire distribution to explain study purpose and survey content and obtain informed consent from pre-service early childhood education teacher participants.
Pilot Survey Questionnaire Package	Research team and expert panel	Pilot version used June 1–5, 2024; no commercial catalog number	Pilot-tested the clarity and appropriateness of the Professional Perceptions Scale, Social Support Scale, Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, Teacher-Child Interaction Scale, and demographic items in 50 pre-service early childhood education teachers.
Expert Panel Review Procedure	Research team; expert panel of two early childhood education professors, one preschool director, three internship supervisors, and the research team	Consensus-based content review; no commercial model number	Used to revise scale items for ambiguity, appropriateness, semantic clarity, developmental suitability, and cultural relevance before the formal survey.
Printed On-Site Questionnaire Forms	Research team; local institutional survey supplies	Paper survey forms; no commercial catalog number	Used for on-site questionnaire administration. In the final sample, 336 valid on-site questionnaires were obtained before combining with online questionnaires.
WeChat	Tencent	WeChat mobile application; version should be verified from the device/app record used during June–July 2024	Used as an online distribution channel for questionnaire administration; 27 completed online questionnaires were collected through the online/WeChat route.
Telephone and In-Person Recruitment Procedure	Research team	Standardized recruitment procedure; no commercial catalog number	Used to contact institutions/participants, explain the study purpose and survey content, and support informed consent before questionnaire administration.
SPSS Statistics	IBM	Version 27.0	Used for descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, Cronbach’s alpha reliability analysis, normality checks using skewness and kurtosis, and Harman’s single-factor test for common method bias.
SPSS Amos	IBM	Version 26.0	Used for confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, multi-group measurement invariance testing, bootstrap testing of indirect effects, and alternative model comparisons.
Microsoft Excel	Microsoft	Microsoft 365 Excel or locally installed Excel version; verify exact local build before submission	Recommended/used as the workbook environment for organizing coded survey data, data dictionary, supplementary tables, and the JoVE Table of Materials. Exact local version should be verified by the authors.
Structural Equation Modeling Fit-Index Criteria	Published methodological guidance; Schreiber et al. and Kline references cited in the manuscript	No commercial catalog number; criteria applied in the statistical analysis plan	Defines and reports model-fit indices including chi-square statistic, chi-square divided by degrees of freedom, Tucker-Lewis Index, Comparative Fit Index, Adjusted Goodness-of-Fit Index, Incremental Fit Index, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation, and Standardized Root Mean Square Residual.
Bootstrap Mediation Testing Procedure	SPSS Amos / research team statistical analysis plan	5,000 bootstrap samples; 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals	Used to test indirect associations through teacher efficacy. Indirect effects were considered significant when the 95% bias-corrected confidence interval did not include zero.
Measurement Invariance Testing Procedure	SPSS Amos / research team statistical analysis plan	Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis; ΔCFI less than .010 and ΔRMSEA less than .015 criteria	Used to evaluate configural, metric, and scalar invariance across gender, program type, internship duration, and institution before pooled SEM estimates were interpreted.