Does preschool children's effortful self -regulation mediate the link between child care experience and social adjustment?
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the role of individual differences in children's effortful control in the relation between quality of the child care experience and social adjustment, behavior problems and negative emotionality of preschool children. Within the scope of this study there were two composite measures of quality; quality problems and adult involvement. Quality problems reflecting chaos in child care classrooms as well as poor global quality were positively associated with behavior problems of children. Adult involvement measure reflected children-staff ratio and positive teacher-child interaction. In line with the previous research findings, effortful control was positively associated with social adjustment and it was negatively associated with behavioral problems. Effortful control was not related to the composite measures of quality. Positive teacher-child interaction was negatively related to the effortful control of the children. In testing the mediational hypothesis, both causal steps and bootstrapping approaches were used. Effortful control was a partial mediator in linking positive teacher-child interaction to social adjustment. The bootstrapping approach supported the significant indirect effects of positive teacher-child interaction on social adjustment and behavior problems through effortful control of children as well. The interaction between negative emotionality and effortful control in predicting social adjustment was also examined within the scope of this study. Teacher ratings of negative emotionality and effortful control were both predictors of social adjustment and behavior problems but the relationship between effortful control and social adjustment did not change as a function of the level of negative emotionality. In this study the child-staff ratio and positive teacher-child interaction were among the most important aspects of the child care experience that needed to be taken into account in linking child care, child temperament, and behavioral outcomes.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Wachs, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Preschool education|Developmental psychology
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