The role of teachers' causal attributions and expectations in the teacher-child relationship in the appraisal of externalized behaviors

The study aimed to reveal the effect of mental processes such as behavioral appraisal, causal attribution and expectation in the relationship of preschool teachers with children with externalized behavioral problems. The research was designed as a complex predictive correlational study. 765 preschool teachers from two different sample groups were included in the study. The first sample (N=249) was created for the exploratory factor analysis of the scales adapted and developed within the scope of the study. The second sample (N= 516) was created for both confirmatory factor analysis of the scales and structural equation modeling. Teachers' opinions were collected through The Social Competency and Behavior Evaluation-30 Scale, The Student-Teacher Relationship Scale-Short Form, The Preschool Teachers' Attribution Scale and The Social Skill Expectation Scale. The data were analyzed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling and mediating variable analysis. The findings of the study revealed that direct and indirect effects of attributions and expectations for social skills of preschool teachers in their interactions with children with externalized behavioral problems. In addition, when teachers' attributions and expectations for social skills are considered together, it was found that the effect of attributions on the teacher-child relationship was more dominant. In line with the study results, suggestions were made to teacher training institutions and researchers.