What kind of children do kindergarten teachers prefer? —Typology of the preferred types of children

Abstract

The teacher’s pets are a common occurrence in the field of education. To investigate the preferences teachers exhibit toward certain children, the study focused on kindergarten teachers and employed a mixed research methodology. Initially, qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 kindergarten teachers to identify specific criteria influencing teacher preferences. Subsequently, A comprehensive model of teacher’s pets was developed through a questionnaire survey involving 463 participants. This model encapsulated 32 distinct indicators, categorized into 7 types: children with good appearance (GA), exceptional abilities (OA), commendable conduct (GC), proactive and enthusiastic demeanor (PE), compliant and carefree nature (OC), children from vulnerable groups (VC), and those influenced by their parents (PI). The resulting model demonstrated a sound structure. Not only did it validate existing findings, but it also expanded upon the identified types of teacher’s pets. An analysis based on game theory revealed the weighted combinations, highlighting the top three types of teacher’s pets: children influenced by parental factors (24.3%), proactive and enthusiastic individuals (15.7%), and obedient, carefree children (14.8%), respectively. Conversely, the representation of vulnerable-concerned children (11.1%) was the lowest among the identified types.