The moderating role of the teacher-child relationship in the association between peer rejection and language competence in early childhood education

Background: Early language competence is an important predictor of children's academic and social success, as it underpins cognitive, communicative, and interpersonal skills. Aims: In the present study, the relation between peer rejection and language competence was investigated in early childhood education. In addition, it was assessed whether the teacher-child relationship moderates this relation. Sample(s): In total, N = 328 children and seventeen teachers participated in the study. Children went to Dutch primary schools and were aged four to six years. Methods: The extent to which children were rejected by peers was measured with a nomination procedure and children's level of language competence was assessed with a subscale of the Nijmegen Test for Pragmatics. The teacher-child relationship was measured by two subscales of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale, indicating the level of teacher-child closeness and teacher-child conflict. Results: Outcomes of multilevel analyses demonstrated that peer rejection is related to language competence for below-median levels of teacher-child closeness (not above-median) and for above-median levels of teacher-child conflict (not below-median). Conclusions: These findings extend previous research into the relation between peer rejection and language competence and indicate the need of investigating both teacher-child – and peer relationships to better understand their joint influence on language development.