What Do Teachers Do When Preschoolers “Misbehave”? Family Matters

There are documented disparities in how preschool teachers perceive and respond to challenging behavior in the classroom. Teachers’ decision-making processes when handling challenging behavior and how they include families in the process is an area that is notably under-researched. Using an experimental design, preschool teachers (N = 131; 93% Female; 27.5% Black) read a standardized vignette describing a child’s challenging behavior. Teachers were randomly assigned to receive a vignette with the name and picture of a Black or White boy. Teachers listed the actions they would take in addressing the behavior and whether they would include families. Qualitative answers were coded using the validated Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool for Preschool Classrooms. Although the child’s behavior was identical, teachers’ responses greatly varied—some appropriate and others maladaptive according to published multi-tiered systems of support. Involving families in the process was often referenced as a separate step with teachers frequently placing the blame on families for the child’s behavior. Variations in results by child race are also reported and discussed. Findings indicate that supporting preschool teachers in successfully implementing full tiered systems of support and finding meaningful ways to engage families in the process is critical.