Protocol to investigate teacher-child neural scaffolding in executive functions and school readiness development in preschool children.

Abstract

The transition to primary school is a key milestone in a child's life and how ready a child is for this change can affect their later academic success. Executive functions are regarded as an important contributor to school readiness, and the early development of executive functions are strongly moderated by the child's social context, such as caregiver relationships. Whilst the role of parent-child relationships on the development of executive functions is well established, less is known about the role of other caregivers, such as teachers. A series of novel teacher-child electroencephalography hyperscanning interaction tasks have been developed to explore how teachers scaffold preschool children's emerging literacy skills, problem solving and executive functions. Behavioural and neural synchrony will be measured during interactive tasks. Children's school readiness will be measured, as well as teacher and child executive functions and intelligence. The relative contribution of the teacher and child's individual characteristics to behavioural neural synchrony will be explored, as well as the effects teacher scaffolding style. These insights are necessary to ensure the quality of infant care and preschool in a climate where attendance is becoming increasingly popular worldwide.