The Longitudinal Effects of Preschoolers’ Peer Interaction on Self-Control with Linguistic and Cognitive Abilities as Mediators: Focusing on Gender Differences

Abstract

The study examined the longitudinal relations of preschool children's peer interaction, linguistic and cognitive abilities, and self-control, while taking into account gender differences. The study was conducted with 671 preschoolers from the 5 th , 6 th , and 7 th wave of the Korean Children and Youth Panel Study (KCYPS). Data were analyzed by means of basic descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlations, and structural equation modeling analysis.Bootstrapping method was also used to determine the significance of indirect effects. The analysis were conducted to find the longitudinal effects of peer interaction at the age of 4 on their self-control at the age of 6, and the mediating effects of linguistics and cognitive abilities at the age of 5 on its associations. The results indicated gender differences among the variables. According to multi-group analysis, there was a significant influence of 4 years' peer interaction on subsequent 5 years' linguistic and cognitive abilities but also on 6 years' self-control across time for boys; however, no significant direct effect of peer interaction on self-control was found for girls. Based on the findings of this study, it can be implied that it is necessary to apply different methods for boys and girls to promote self-control from the influence of peer interaction and linguistic and cognitive abilities.