Educational Practices and Child Behaviors: Mothers’ and Teachers’ Evaluation

Abstract The objective of this study was to describe and compare mothers’ and teachers’ reports concerning their educational social skills and negative practices and children’s behavioral problems and social skills. The mothers and teachers of 81 children participated in this study. The children were assigned to four groups depending on whether they presented problems exclusively at home, school, in both, or none of these contexts. Valid instruments measured educational practices and child behavior. The results show that: (a) mothers and teachers agreed that children with problems in both contexts presented the highest level of impairment; (b) the mothers more frequently reported skills such as affection, adopted negative practices, and identified problem behaviors; (c) the teachers reported more skills such as limit setting. The conclusion is that teachers’ and mothers’ practices differ, and such information can guide preventive programs and interventions. Resumo Objetivou-se descrever e comparar avaliações de mães e professores quanto às suas habilidades sociais educativas, práticas negativas e problemas de comportamento e de habilidades sociais das crianças. Participaram mães e professores de 81 crianças, distribuídas em 4 subgrupos quanto à presença/ausência de dificuldades na família e na escola. Aplicou-se instrumentos validados para mensurar práticas educativas e comportamentos infantis. Verificou-se que: (a) crianças com problemas nos dois ambientes apresentaram mais comprometimento para mães e professores; (b) as mães referiram mais habilidades (afeto), usaram mais práticas negativas e identificaram mais problemas de comportamento; (c) os professores referiram mais habilidades para estabelecer limites. Conclui-se que práticas de mães e professores diferem e tais dados podem nortear programas de prevenção e intervenção.