Conflictual relationships between kindergarten children and their teachers: Associations with child and classroom context variables

The focus of this study was on kindergarten children's reports of teacher-child relational conflict and the associations of the reported conflict with (a) child characteristics (gender, behavior problems, and academic achievement); (b) the quality of classroom practices (teacher instructional practices, transition-to-school activities, and perceptions of support provided by the school); (c) teachers' perceptions of the classroom and school relational climates; and (d) teachers' perceptions of workload stress. These variables were examined with a group of 103 economically disadvantaged children and their kindergarten teachers in 24 public schools. There was evidence that teacher-child conflict was related to problem behaviors, teachers' perceptions of workload stress, as well as classroom instructional practices and the classroom/school relational climate.