Classroom Emotional Support Predicts Differences in Preschool Children's Cortisol and Alpha-Amylase Levels

Autor/inn/en	Hatfield, Bridget E.; Hestenes, Linda L.; Kintner-Duffy, Victoria L.; O'Brien, Marion
Titel	Classroom Emotional Support Predicts Differences in Preschool Children's Cortisol and Alpha-Amylase Levels
Quelle	In: Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 28 (2013) 2, S.347-356 (10 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0885-2006
DOI	10.1016/j.ecresq.2012.08.001
Schlagwörter	Child Care; Anatomy; Preschool Children; Educational Assessment; Measurement Techniques; Classroom Environment + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Kinderfürsorge; Kinderbetreuung; Anatomie; Pre-school age; Preschool age; Child; Children; Pre-school education; Preschool education; Vorschulalter; Kind; Kinder; Vorschulkind; Vorschulkinder; Vorschulerziehung; Vorschule; Education; assessment; Bewertungssystem; Messtechnik; Klassenklima; Unterrichtsklima
Abstract	Accumulating evidence suggests children enrolled in full-time child care often display afternoon elevations of the hormone cortisol, which is an indicator of stress. Recent advances in immunoassays allow for measurement of activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the autonomic sympathetic nervous system from saliva, and measurement of both systems provides a more complete understanding of activity in the stress response system. This study is the first to examine both cortisol and alpha-amylase in children attending child care and focuses on the influences of specific indicators of classroom process quality. A diverse sample of 63 preschool children nested in 14 classrooms of varying quality participated in this study; child salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase were collected at six times over 2 days. Results indicate that children in classrooms with higher Emotional Support displayed a greater decline in cortisol from morning to afternoon. Further, children in classrooms with higher Emotional Support exhibited lower total alpha-amylase output while attending child care. Implications for professional development for early childhood teachers and measurement of classroom quality are discussed. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10