Preschool teachers and classroom aides: Same context, similar perceptions of children's behaviors?

Abstract

This study explored the correspondence and differences between school staff perceptions of preschool children's social skills and behavior problems. One hundred preschoolers were assessed by 14 pairs of teachers and classroom aides with the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales -2 nd Edition (PKBS-2 Portuguese version).Indexes of agreement and disagreement were calculated. Risk levels and item analyses of PKBS-2 scores according to both informants' ratings were compared. A higher level of agreement was obtained for social skills scores than for behavior problems (mean correlation of .62). No statistically significant differences between informants were obtained for the risk levels, and item analyses revealed a similar pattern of behaviors that were most and least rated by both informants. Results indicate that the classroom aides' perspective on preschool assessment represents a reliable input, which justifies that they network with teachers in addressing preschoolers' socialemotional and behavioral challenges.

The relations between maternal mental state talk and preschoolers’ behavioral adaptation and school readiness: moderation by emotion situation knowledge

“…Lead classroom teachers completed ratings of school readiness and teacher assistants rated social competence, externalizing and internalizing behavior in late May and early June. Teacher assistants are a reliable and valid source of information about children's social and behavioral competence (Major, Seabra‐Santos, & Gaspar, 2018).…”