ERIC Number: EJ1023907
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-9289
EISSN: N/A
Predictors of Children's Kindergarten Classroom Engagement: Preschool Adult-Child Relationships, Self-Concept, and Hyperactivity/Inattention
Searle, Amelia Kate; Miller-Lewis, Lauren R.; Sawyer, Michael G.; Baghurst, Peter A.
Early Education and Development, v24 n8 p1112-1136 2013
The aim of this prospective study was to identify preschool factors that are associated with children's classroom engagement during their 1st school year. The study was guided by a social-motivational process model that highlights the importance of parent-child and teacher-child relationships in promoting engagement. In preschool, parents and teachers completed questionnaires assessing children's ("n" = 562) parent-child and teacher-child relationships, global self-concept, and mental health problems. Teachers rated children's engagement levels 1 year later in kindergarten. Research Findings: Results from structural equation modeling suggested that experiencing good-quality relationships with parents and teachers and positive self-concept during preschool were only indirectly associated with children's kindergarten classroom engagement through their negative associations with hyperactivity/inattention; only hyperactivity/inattention had a significant direct (small-moderate and negative) association with children's engagement. Practice or Policy: Interventions that improve adult-child relationships may reduce childhood hyperactivity/inattention during preschool and potentially improve children's engagement, helping them start school ready and eager to learn.
Descriptors: Predictor Variables, Kindergarten, Learner Engagement, Parent Child Relationship, Teacher Student Relationship, Questionnaires, Self Concept, Mental Health, Structural Equation Models, Attachment Behavior, Young Children, Longitudinal Studies, Foreign Countries, Preschool Children, Hyperactivity, Peer Relationship, Emotional Development, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Attention Span, Behavior Problems, Scores
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education; Kindergarten
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; Student Teacher Relationship Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A