Abstract
This study focused on preschool teachers' behaviors in children's emotional settings, particularly in settings when children stumbled, to explore the role of preschool teachers in children's emotion regulation. Observations were conducted of interactions between 3-year olds (AT= 26) and their two teachers at a preschool. The observations and interview data with teachers were analyzed by the method of psychological ethnography. Functional analysis of the teachers' behaviors revealed that their behavior involved staying out of the children's way. Additional analysis of the functions of teachers' behaviors showed that the teacher's behavior "got children to settle down," "cultivated a feeling of sadness and frustration," and "changed their manner of expressing emotions." These findings led to the conclusion that teachers' staying out of the children's way enabled children to face problems and afforded them the opportunity to regulate their emotions.
