Objective: The purpose of the present study was to explore the moderating role
of children’s verbal ability in the relation between shyness and teacher-child
relationships.
Methods: Participants were 200 children, their mothers, and their kindergarten
teachers. Children’s shyness was rated by their mothers and teachers, and children’s
verbal ability was measured using the language problem solving ability
test. And teachers completed a rating scale in order to examine the teacher-child
relationship. The collected data were analyzed using correlations and hierarchical
multiple regressions.
Results: Children’s shyness had a negative relation to close teacher-child
relationships. And child’s verbal ability was significantly related to teacher-child
relationships. Hierachical regression analysis indicted to the interaction of child’s
shyness and verbal ability predicted close teacher-child relationships. Children’s
shyness, those who demonstrated the lowest level of child’s verbal ability, was
significantly associated with close teacher-child relationships. Children’s shyness
had no significant relation to close teacher-child relationships, especially for the
highest level of children’s verbal ability.
Conclusion/Implications: We suggested that verbal ability training for children
might be valuable for shy children in order to buffer the link between shyness
and teacher-child relationships.