Beliefs, practices and support needs of preschool teachers toward shy‐withdrawn behaviours

Abstract

Shy‐withdrawn behaviours place preschoolers at increased risk of experiencing adverse developmental outcomes. Positive teacher‐child relationships play a protective role against these negative socioemotional outcomes. This study aimed to understand, in‐depth, the beliefs, practices and support needs of preschool teachers toward shy‐withdrawn children. Thirty preschool teachers of children aged 3–5 years were interviewed, using a semistructured guide. The thematic analysis revealed that most preschool teachers were aware of the main manifestations, transactional influences and consequences of shy‐withdrawn behaviours, and of the empirically validated strategies that may be useful to modify them. However, a noteworthy proportion of participants reported misconceptions about the intentionality of shy‐withdrawn behaviours, negative emotions and inconsistent or less effective practices. Our findings highlight that strengthening pre‐service and in‐service training and providing coaching to the preschool staff may be helpful to restructure dysfunctional beliefs about shy‐withdrawn behaviours, translate developmental knowledge in evidence‐based classroom practices and enhance professionals' self‐awareness.Highlights This study explored, in‐depth, the beliefs, practices and support needs of preschool teachers toward shy‐withdrawn children. Most of the 30 interviewed preschool teachers were aware of the main manifestations, transactional influences and consequences of shy‐withdrawn behaviours. Our findings highlight the need to strengthen teachers' training, bridging theoretical knowledge with professional development.