Effectiveness of Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT) in a preschool setting.
Brief TCIT workshops plus live coaching quickly lift preschool teachers' praise and discipline skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Lawer et al. (2009) tested Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT) in preschool classrooms. They ran small workshops and then coached teachers while class was in session.
The study used a multiple-baseline design across rooms. They watched how teachers praised, gave directions, and managed behavior before, during, and after training.
What they found
Teacher skills went up step-by-step as each room started TCIT. Teachers used more labeled praise and calm discipline. They said they liked the program and found it useful.
Gains showed up right away and stayed while coaching continued.
How this fits with other research
Tryggestad et al. (2025) later used a similar workshop-plus-coach model. Their 4-hour kickoff and 17 weeks of visits also lifted preschool quality, showing the format keeps working.
Laermans et al. (2025) gave teachers behavioral skills training to run peer-mediated play. Like TCIT, short teacher training spread new skills across the whole class.
Fingeret et al. (1985) also boosted peer play, but they needed teacher prompts and tokens every day. TCIT got similar gains with in-vivo coaching instead of extra rewards.
Why it matters
You can copy TCIT in any preschool. Offer a half-day workshop, then coach live for 20 minutes a week. Focus on labeled praise and clear commands. Track teacher praise rate with simple tally sheets. When praise hits twice per minute, fade coaching but keep spot checks. Teachers like the low dose, and kids get calmer, more positive classrooms without extra token systems.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This research addressed the need for trained child care staff to support optimal early social-emotional development in urban, low-income, ethnic minority children. We evaluated effectiveness of Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT), an approach adapted from Eyberg's Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). TCIT focuses on increasing preschool teachers' positive attention skills and consistent discipline in order to enhance children's psychosocial functioning and prevent mental health problems. A total of 12 teachers participated in small-group workshop sessions with in vivo coaching on their use of skills in the classroom. A multiple-baseline design across four classrooms (3 teachers each) evaluated effects of training on teacher behaviors during weekly classroom observations. Findings indicated systematic increases in trained skills during intervention, and consumer evaluations showed that the training was rated positively. Our results suggest that TCIT is a promising approach for enhancing positive teacher-child interactions in a preschool setting and should receive further investigation.
Behavior modification, 2009 · doi:10.1177/0145445509344215