Higher caregiver education level is associated with higher interactive skills of individual child-care professionals (r = .21)¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r3 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 Across 23 studies, caregiver education level showed a small significant positive association with observer-rated interactive skills (r = .21). → Støve 2026

Evidence¶

Støve 2026¶

Støve, L. L., Dalgaard, N. T., Mohr, J. W., Hansen, J. E., Wendelboe, K. I., Hestbaek, E., Vieira, C. C., Væver, M. S., & Smith-Nielsen, J. (2026). Individual and Structural Factors Associated with Interactive Skills of Child-Care Professionals in Early Childhood Education and Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10162-3

q3 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r3

Three-level random-effects meta-analysis of 23 studies (N = 5461) in a preregistered systematic review; education level yielded r = .207, 95% CI [0.09, 0.34], p = .001, a "small" effect by Cohen's guidelines. The review notes the association was "more pronounced in North American studies than in European ones."

"Structural factors significantly associated with higher levels of interactive skills included higher caregiver education ( r = .21), smaller group sizes ( r = − .20), lower child-caregiver ratios (r = − .13), and higher salaries ( r = .22)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Region, study quality, and interaction domain moderate associations between factors and interactive skills — related
• The evidence base on caregiver interactive skills is fragmented: 57% of identified factors were examined in only one study — related
• The ratio–interactive-skills association may be partly or entirely attributable to small-study publication bias — related
• Higher caregiver salary is associated with higher interactive skills, though causality cannot be determined — related