The Relationship Between Mother-Child Relationship Quality and Young Children’s School Readiness: The Mediating Role of Executive Function and the Moderated Mediation Effect of Teacher-Child Relationship Quality

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the relationships among mother-child relationship quality, executive function, teacher-child relationship quality, and school readiness in young children. Specifically, it tested whether executive function mediates the association between mother-child relationship quality and school readiness, and whether teacher-child relationship quality moderates this mediation.Methods: Participants included 269 five-year-old children and their mothers, as well as 78 classroom teachers from early childhood education settings. Data were analyzed with SPSS 27.0, employing frequency distributions, descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s α, and Pearson correlation analysis. In addition, PROCESS Macro 4.2 was used to test the mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation effects.Results: First, mother-child relationship quality, executive function, teacher-child relationship quality, and school readiness were all significantly and positively correlated. Second, executive function partially mediated the relationship between mother-child relationship quality and school readiness. Third, teacher-child relationship quality moderated the association between mother-child relationship quality and executive function. Finally, the mediating effect of executive function on the relationship between mother-child relationship quality and school readiness was moderated by teacher-child relationship quality, with a significant conditional indirect effect observed only when teacher-child relationship quality was high.Conclusion: Higher mother-child relationship quality is associated with greater school readiness through enhanced executive function, particularly when teacher-child relationship quality is high. These findings underscore the importance of supportive relationships in both home and early childhood education contexts and suggest implications for parent- and teacher-focused interventions that promote executive function and facilitate successful school transition.