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• Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Rydland, Veslemøy; Vandell, Deborah Lowe & Lekhal, Ratib (2026). The impact of an early childhood professional development intervention on teachers’ reports of pedagogical competence and approaches to socialisation practices. Teaching and Teacher Education : An International Journal of Research and Studies. ISSN 0742-051X. 179. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2026.105601. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Professional development (PD) programmes aim to ensure high-quality educational practices in early childhood to support children's development. To understand the mechanisms behind improved educational practices, it is necessary to gain knowledge about how teachers experience change following PD programmes. This study examined the impact of a PD programme with coaching – the OEES – on teachers' reports of pedagogical competence, and their approaches to emotion socialisation and scaffolding practices. Multilevel linear mixed models with 308 head teachers and 240 assistant teachers from 56 child-care centres indicated a significantly higher increase in reported pedagogical competence among teachers in the intervention group compared to the control group, particularly among the assistant teachers. Effects on teachers' approaches to emotion socialisation and scaffolding were not found. The results support the coaching model in OEES as effective PD for teachers' competence, and encourage the inclusion of both head and assistant teachers in PD programmes.

• Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Lekhal, Ratib; Rydland, Veslemøy & Coplan, Robert J. (2025). Exploring the role of early childhood educators’ emotion socialization strategies in the development of young children’s social and non-social play behaviors. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. ISSN 0885-2006. 73. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.06.005. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  It is widely postulated that caregivers’ emotion socialization strategies support children’s positive socio-emotional functioning with peers. However, this theoretical model has been rarely examined empirically in the context of early childhood education and care (ECEC), despite ECEC being a prominent environment for children to practice peer play (a robust marker variable for social and emotional competencies). This study explored the role of ECEC teachers’ emotion coaching and emotion distracting strategies in the development of children’s social and non-social play behaviors over time. Participants were 275 teachers and 487 children (aged 36–57 months) from 123 classrooms in 56 ECEC centers in Norway. Results from multilevel linear mixed modeling analyses indicated that emotion coaching was associated with a steeper increase in social play and steeper decrease in reticent behavior. In contrast, although emotion distracting was also associated with a steeper decrease in reticent behavior, it also predicted a less steep increase in social play. These results suggest that emotion coaching is a supportive socialization strategy for children’s peer relations in ECEC, whereas findings for distracting were more mixed. Using responses from multiple teachers within each classroom to examine both average classroom scores, in addition to minimum and maximum classroom scores, offers a novel insight into the group dynamics of teacher-child interactions in ECEC to support children’s peer relations.

• Lekhal, Ratib; Karlsen, Lisa-Marie; Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Vandell, Deborah Lowe; Lydersen, Stian & Rydland, Veslemøy (2025). Promoting classroom quality through professional development: Results from the Oslo early education study, a randomized controlled trial. Studies in Educational Evaluation. ISSN 0191-491X. 86, p. 1–11. doi: 10.1016/j.stueduc.2025.101462. Full text in Research Archive
• Stensen, Kenneth; Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Buøen, Elisabet Solheim & Lekhal, Ratib (2025). Investigating the Psychometric Properties of the Emotionality Activity and Sociability Temperament Survey among Young Preschoolers in Norway. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment. ISSN 0882-2689. 47(2), p. 1–8. doi: 10.1007/s10862-025-10229-5. Full text in Research Archive
• Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Rydland, Veslemøy; Buøen, Elisabet Solheim; Drugli, May Britt & Lekhal, Ratib (2024). Validation of the Coping with Children’s Negative Emotions Scale Adapted to the Early Childhood Education and Care Context. Early Education and Development. ISSN 1040-9289. p. 1–16. doi: 10.1080/10409289.2024.2423386. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Research findings. The Coping with Children’s Negative Emotions Scale (CCNES) is a self-report instrument developed to measure parents’ emotion socialization with their children. This study examined the factorial and convergent validity of a short version of the CCNES adapted for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) context. Using exploratory factor analysis with responses from 490 ECEC-workers from the Oslo Early Education Study, our results revealed a three-factor structure of the CCNES, including emotion dismissing, emotion coaching, and emotion distracting. Model specifications were conducted in half the sample and cross-validated in the other half. ECEC-workers’ coaching and distracting correlated positively with each other and with their reports of supportive scaffolding practices and self-efficacy in supporting children’s socioemotional development. Dismissing correlated negatively with these measures. Practice and Policy. Our results indicate that this ECEC version of the CCNES is a valid instrument to assess ECEC-workers’ emotion socialization strategies in interactions with children, and to support the use of distracting as a separate strategy. This instrument enables extending our knowledge of teacher–child interaction quality in ECEC by examining associations with children’s development. The CCNES could also form the baseline for discussions and reflections about ECEC-workers’ professional roles and development.

• Alexandersen, Nina; Zachrisson, Henrik Daae; Røysamb, Espen; Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Wang, Mari Vaage & Brandlistuen, Ragnhild Eek (2023). Preschool structural quality and student–teacher closeness are related to children's adjustment: sibling-informed design. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. ISSN 0885-2006. 66, p. 48–60. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.08.009. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study aims at examining whether children's adjustment, social play behavior and Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) program-liking in universal ECEC are associated with the quality of student–teacher relationships and structural quality features of the classrooms they attend. The sample includes 7,436 5-year-old children (50% girls) and 195 sibling pairs (48% girls) participating in the nationwide Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Three sets of findings are presented. First, student–teacher closeness is associated with children's adjustment (β = .47; SE = .01), ECEC liking (β = .14; SE = .02) and social play behavior (β = .06; SE = .02) in the between-child analysis. Second, associations of student–teacher closeness with children's adjustment and ECEC liking are evident even after accounting for all confounders shared by siblings in the within-family analysis (sibling fixed effects). Third, structural quality indicators are related to the children's outcomes primarily via quality of student–teacher relationships.

• Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Røysamb, Espen; Lekhal, Ratib; Brandlistuen, Ragnhild Eek; Alexandersen, Nina & Wang, Mari Vaage (2023). Children's mental health: The role of multiple risks and child care quality. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. ISSN 0193-3973. 86. doi: 10.1016/j.appdev.2023.101546. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The benefit of universal access to Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) for children's development can depend on the ECEC quality and children's early childhood risks. This study utilised data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa; N = 7355, 50.2% boys) to investigate the relative contribution of children's early childhood risk accumulated up to three years of age and five separate dimensions of ECEC quality on children's mental health (externalising and internalising problems) at five years of age rated by mothers and teachers. Results from the hierarchical regression models indicated that lower ECEC quality added to, and higher ECEC quality counteracted, the risk of mental health problems. Relationship quality was the strongest contributor. Total ECEC quality and relationship quality interacted significantly with early childhood risk, indicating that higher ECEC quality protected against, while lower ECEC quality exacerbated, the detrimental effects of early childhood risk on mental health problems.

• Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Alexandersen, Nina; Røysamb, Espen; Moser, Thomas; Brandlistuen, Ragnhild Eek & Wang, Mari Vaage (2022). Teachers’ competence promote close relationships to children with externalising problems and conflictual relationships. Educational Psychology. ISSN 0144-3410. 42(6), p. 673–693. doi: 10.1080/01443410.2022.2059653. Full text in Research Archive
• Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Lekhal, Ratib; Alexandersen, Nina; Brandlistuen, Ragnhild Eek & Wang, Mari Vaage (2021). Children’s temperament moderates the long-term effects of pedagogical practices in ECEC on children’s externalising problems. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. ISSN 1350-293X. 29(2), p. 206–223. doi: 10.1080/1350293X.2021.1895273. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this study, we explored how free play and scaffolding practices in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) related to children’sexternalising problems both in ECEC and later in school.Furthermore, we aimed to reduce the knowledge gap of whether these relations depended on children’s differences in emotional temperament. We used structural equation modelling to analysedata from 7421 children from the Norwegian Mother, Father an dChild Cohort Study. Results indicated that more free playassociated with less externalising problems in ECEC for children ingeneral. For children with higher emotionality, more free playrelated to increased externalising problems in school. Scaffoldingin ECEC was not associated with externalising problems, butmoderated the longitudinal association of free play for children with higher emotionality. All children benefited from free play in ECEC for their concurrent mental health. However, for childrenwith higher emotionality, more free play in ECEC might be a riskfactor for reduced mental health in school, where there is lessfree play than in ECEC. More scaffolding in combination with freeplay in ECEC can reduce this risk. Further research should addressthe content of play and scaffolding practices in more detail.

• Alexandersen, Nina; Zachrisson, Henrik Daae; Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Wang, Mari Vaage & Brandlistuen, Ragnhild Eek (2021). Predicting selection into ECEC of higher quality in a universal context:The role of parental education and income. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. ISSN 0885-2006. 55, p. 336–348. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.01.001. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  There is consensus about the positive effects of high quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) on children’s development, particularly for children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. However, limited knowledge exists on the access to quality in ECEC in a universal context. This study investigates potential socioeconomic selection into ECEC of higher structural quality in the context of a universal, heavily subsidized, and regulated system in Norway, intended to provide equal access to high quality ECEC. Furthermore, we explore the impact of SES and structural quality in ECEC on student-teacher relationship quality. Our conceptual model takes into account how readily accessible information on different quality aspects is for parents. We use data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study linked with teacher-reported ECEC quality for children born in 2006–2009 (N 7,226), supplemented by registry data at ECEC and municipality level. We find that higher parental education, and to a lesser degree income, predict child attendance of ECEC with higher structural quality as rated by ECEC teachers. Further, higher parental SES and structural quality (i.e., developmental material, staff competence and stability) predict better student-teacher relationship quality in terms of higher level of closeness and less conflict. These findings suggest that ambitions of universal equal access to high quality ECEC are not entirely realized and more efforts are needed to ensure higher structural quality in ECEC and enhance relationship quality for children from less advantageous socioeconomic backgrounds.

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• Lekhal, Ratib; Bratlie, Siri Steffensen; Karlsen, Lisa-Marie; Ovati, Tone Sofie Røsholt; Øksendal, Elise & Wilhelmsen, Tiril [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Oslo Early Education Study (OEES): Enhancing Interaction Quality through Practice-Based Professional Development in Early Childhood Education and Care. Full text in Research Archive
• Wilhelmsen, Tiril (2026). Barns psykiske helseutvikling, barnehagekvalitet og inkluderende praksis. Full text in Research Archive
• Bjermeland, Monica & Wilhelmsen, Tiril (2026). Dette fungerer best når barna strever med følelsene. Forskning.no. ISSN 1891-635X. doi: https:/www.uio.no/forskning/forskningsnytt/artikler/2026/nar-folelsene-blir-for-store-bor-barnehagebarn-veiledes-ikke-avledes.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Å avlede kan gi mindre sosial lek, advarer forskere.

• Wilhelmsen, Tiril (2025). Emosjonell støtte og frilek i barnehagen - betydningen for barnas sosiale lek og utvikling. Full text in Research Archive
• Rydland, Veslemøy; Bratlie, Siri Steffensen; Lekhal, Ratib; Wilhelmsen, Tiril & Grøver, Vibeke (2025). The Effectiveness of a Professional Development Intervention in Diverse Norwegian ECEC Settings. Full text in Research Archive
• Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Lekhal, Ratib; Rydland, Veslemøy; Ovati, Tone Sofie Røsholt; Øksendal, Elise & Coplan, Robert J. (2025). Supporting children's peer-play development in ECEC through emotion socialisation. Full text in Research Archive
• Wilhelmsen, Tiril (2025). Ansattes møte med barns følelser og betydningen for barnas sosiale lek. Full text in Research Archive
• Lekhal, Ratib & Wilhelmsen, Tiril (2024). Har Språksterk hatt betydning for prosesskvaliteten i barnehagene? Full text in Research Archive
• Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Røysamb, Espen; Lekhal, Ratib; Brandlistuen, Ragnhild Eek; Alexandersen, Nina & Wang, Mari Vaage (2024). Betydningen av tidlig multippel risiko og barnehagekvalitet for barns psykiske helse. Full text in Research Archive
• Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Rydland, Veslemøy & Lekhal, Ratib (2023). Associations between teachers' emotion socialisation behaviour and children's social competence and play in Norwegian childcare, and moderations by children's temperament. Full text in Research Archive
• Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Rydland, Veslemøy; Buøen, Elisabet Solheim; Drugli, May Britt & Lekhal, Ratib (2023). Measuring preschool teachers’ emotion socialisation with young children. Full text in Research Archive
• Alexandersen, Nina; Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Wang, Mari Vaage; Zachrisson, Henrik Daae & Brandlistuen, Ragnhild Eek (2019). Access to childcare quality in a universal context: the role of parental education and income. Full text in Research Archive
• Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Alexandersen, Nina; Røysamb, Espen; Brandlistuen, Ragnhild Eek & Wang, Mari Vaage (2019). Teachers' competence moderates the association between teacher-child closeness and child behaviour. Full text in Research Archive
• Wilhelmsen, Tiril (2022). Children's Mental Health and the Quality of thir Early Childhood Education and Care. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Helland, Siri Saugestad; Wilhelmsen, Tiril; Alexandersen, Nina; Brandlistuen, Ragnhild Eek; Schjølberg, Synnve & Wang, Mari Vaage (2019). Skoleferdigheter og psykisk helse hos 8-åringer. Betydningen av pedagogisk praksis i barnehagen og læringsmiljø i skolen. Folkehelseinstituttet. ISSN 9788280829511. Full text in Research Archive

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