Furthermore, the interaction between task orientation and
behavior management also emphasizes the potential importance
of “fit” between teacher and student. Research on transactional
models of child development has concluded that child and adult
behaviors have bidirectional and interactive contributions to children’s
development (Combs-Ronto et al., 2009). This perspective
provides a meaningful lens to interpret the interaction between
task orientation and behavior management; yet, much more
research is needed to understand how teachers’ and students’
characteristics interact to promote learning. For early childhood
professionals, these findings emphasize the need to attend to children’s
task orientation. Children with low task orientations are at
risk for limited learning progress. There is a need for educators to
consider how task orientation and other learning-related skills are
connected to young children’s language and literacy development,
as well as how practices in the classroom may promote those skills.