Prediction of children's academic competence from their effortful control, relationships, and classroom participation.

Abstract

The authors examined the relations among children's effortful control, school relationships, classroom participation, and academic competence with a sample of 7-to 12-year-old children (N = 264). Parents and children reported on children's effortful control, and teachers and children reported on children's school relationships and classroom participation. Children's grade point averages (GPAs) and absences were obtained from school-issued report cards. Significant positive correlations existed between effortful control, school relationships, classroom participation, and academic competence. Consistent with expectations, the teacher-child relationship, social competence, and classroom participation partially mediated the relation between effortful control and change in GPA from the beginning to the end of the school year. The teacher-child relationship and classroom participation also partially mediated the relation between effortful control and change in school absences across the year. Keywords effortful control; peer and teacher relationships; classroom participation; academic competence Children's academic competence is central to their future success. The importance of successfully navigating the challenges of the school environment is highlighted by findings that academic competence is a significant correlate of positive mental health and high school graduation (Caspi, Elder, & Bem, 1987;Ensminger & Slusarcick, 1992). Despite the importance of school success, 15% of adults report that they have not completed high school (Stoops, 2004). Although the majority of research on school success has focused on curricula, structure, teacher-child ratios, and intelligence, there is an increased awareness of the important roles children's regulatory abilities, school-related relationships, and classroom participation play in contributing to their academic competence. Indeed, Blair (2002) NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript relate to aspects of school success or failure even when controlling for general intelligence at school entry.The literature considering indices of children's regulatory abilities and measures of academic competence is growing, as is the literature on relational and motivational correlates of school success. However, studies that bridge these literatures are rare. The current study begins to fill this gap and was designed (a) to test if effortful control (an index of regulatory abilities) predicts changes in academic competence (i.e., grades and absences) across a school year; (b) to test if students' relationships with teachers and peers, as well as their classroom participation, predict changes in academic competence; and (c) to test if relationships and classroom participation partially mediate the relation between effortful control and academic competence. Simultaneously considering constructs from traditionally different areas of research may clarify if and how children's regulatory abilities predict their academic competence.We used effortful co...

Teacher-child dependency and teacher sensitivity predict engagement of children with attachment problems.

“…This effect was found above and beyond other predictors such as receptive vocabulary and teacher-child closeness and conflict. Previous longitudinal research has reported a negative effect of a lack of independent classroom participation on the development of cognitive competencies and achievement, suggesting that the cognitive development of these children is at risk (Bossaert et al, 2011;Ladd et al, 1999;Valiente et al, 2008).…”

Self-Regulation and School Success

“…Indeed, there is evidence that the association between self-regulation and course grades is mediated by ef ective study habits, ef ort, and prosocial behavior in the classroom (Cred é & Kuncel, 2008;Duckworth & Seligman, 2005 Note. Associations were reported in a meta-analysis by Poropat ( 2009 Lemery-Chalfant, & Castro, 2007 ;Valiente, Lemery-Chalfant, Swanson, & Reiser, 2008 ). h ere is increasing evidence to suggest that the path of school success is set at a tender age.…”

The role of temperament in children's affective and behavioral responses in achievement situations

“…Temperament has been examined in relation to, for example, students' achievement, student-teacher interactions, problem behavior, and psychosocial functioning at school (e.g., Eisenberg et al, 2009;Nelson, Martin, Hodge, Havill, & Kamphaus, 1999;Valiente, Lemery-Chalfant, & Swanson, 2010;Zhou, Main, & Wang, 2010). For example, studies among kindergartners and elementary school students have found good self-regulation or high effortful control to be positively related to students' self-efficacy (Liew, McTigue, Barrois, & Hughes, 2008), academic competence (Liew et al, 2008;Valiente et al, 2010;Zhou et al, 2010), classroom participation (Valiente, Lemery-Chalfant, Swanson, & Reiser, 2008), school liking (Valiente, Lemery-Chalfant, & Castro, 2007), and work habits (Curby, Rudasill, Edwards, & Pérez-Edgar, 2011). Kindergarten and elementary school students' shyness or behavioral inhibition, TEMPERAMENT, AFFECTS, AND BEHAVIORS 6 on the other hand, has been shown to be negatively related to their academic engagement (Hughes & Coplan, 2010) and achievement (Hughes & Coplan, 2010;Valiente et al, 2010).…”