The moderating role of the teacher-child relationship in the association between peer rejection and language competence in early childhood education

Early language competence is an important predictor of children's academic and social success, as it underpins cognitive, communicative, and interpersonal skills. In the present study, the relation between peer rejection and language competence was investigated in early childhood education. In addition, it was assessed whether the teacher-child relationship moderates this relation. In total, N = 328 children and seventeen teachers participated in the study. Children went to Dutch primary schools and were aged four to six years. The extent to which children were rejected by peers was measured with a nomination procedure and children's level of language competence was assessed with a subscale of the Nijmegen Test for Pragmatics. The teacher-child relationship was measured by two subscales of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale, indicating the level of teacher-child closeness and teacher-child conflict. Outcomes of multilevel analyses demonstrated that peer rejection is related to language competence for below-median levels of teacher-child closeness (not above-median) and for above-median levels of teacher-child conflict (not below-median). These findings extend previous research into the relation between peer rejection and language competence and indicate the need of investigating both teacher-child – and peer relationships to better understand their joint influence on language development. • There was no direct relation between peer rejection and language competence. • Peer rejection linked to poor language competence with low teacher-child closeness. • Peer rejection linked to poor language competence with high teacher-child conflict. • Teacher-child and peer relationships play a crucial role in language development.