Pilar Álamos Valenzuela

Research Focus

Pilar Alamos’s research focuses on the kinds of teacher-child interactions and relationships that matter for young children’s emotional and social development in early childhood education settings. She is keen to observe classrooms to understand how and why teacher-child interactions vary within and between classrooms, how this variability is linked to child outcomes, and how teachers and children perceive their relationship with one another. She strives to apply her research findings to the design and implementation of teacher training and supports for early childhood educators so they can meet the emotional and social needs of diverse children.

My plans for the fellowship period

During my fellowship, I will describe and explain how and why teacher-child interactions vary within and between classrooms. Teacher-child interactions are essential for learning, considered to be the “active ingredients” through which early childhood education programs promote children’s healthy development. My work will provide insights about ways that educators can interact with diverse children to support and enhance children’s emotional well-being. Through the Jacobs Foundation Fellowship Program, I will be able to expand the focus of my work to include not only lead educators but assistant teachers as well. This expansion is meaningful because early childhood classrooms are dynamic, busy, and complex contexts, and typically include a lead educator and an assistant teacher who are constantly interacting with children in different ways. By considering both adults in the classroom, my goal is to provide a more complete picture of early childhood classrooms as contexts in which children learn and develop emotionally and socially.

How will my work change children’s and youth’s lives?

With many young children around the world spending large amounts of time in early care and education programs, supporting the educators who care for them cannot be overstated. During the fellowship, I will conduct a fine-grained examination of very proximal teacher-child interactions and their implications for children’s early social and emotional adjustment. Findings from this work will inform how early childhood educators and other adults who work with children can strengthen the quality of classroom interactions. As part of the Jacobs fellowship, I will also advance the application of this knowledge to teacher training resources and supports (e.g., blogs, professional development materials), disseminating new knowledge about how and why teacher-child interactions support children’s social and emotional development. By generating new knowledge and connecting it to teachers’ professional supports, my goal is that more young children will have access to responsive interactions and relationships that are essential for their development.