Self-Regulation in Preschool: Examining Its Factor Structure and Associations with Pre-Academic Skills and Social-Emotional Competence

Self-regulation in early childhood is an important predictor of success across a variety of indicators in life, including health, well-being, and earnings. Although conceptually self-regulation has been defined as multifaceted, previous research has not investigated whether there is conceptual and e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in psychology 2022-01, Vol.12, p.717317-717317
Main Authors: Korucu, Irem, Ayturk, Ezgi, Finders, Jennifer K, Schnur, Gina, Bailey, Craig S, Tominey, Shauna L, Schmitt, Sara A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achievement Tests
behavioral self-regulation
bifactor model
Child Behavior
Child Development
emotion regulation
Emotional Development
Executive Function
Literacy
Mathematics Skills
Measures (Individuals)
Metacognition
pre-academic skills
Predictor Variables
Preschool Children
Psychology
Rating Scales
Self Control
Social Development
social-emotional competence
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Summary:Self-regulation in early childhood is an important predictor of success across a variety of indicators in life, including health, well-being, and earnings. Although conceptually self-regulation has been defined as multifaceted, previous research has not investigated whether there is conceptual and empirical overlap between the factors that comprise self-regulation or if they are distinct. In this study, using a bifactor model, we tested the shared and unique variance among self-regulation constructs and prediction to pre-academic and social-emotional skills. The sample included 932 preschool children ( M[subscript age] = 48 months, SD = 6.55; 49% female), their parents, and their teachers in the United States. Children's self-regulation was assessed using measures of executive function, behavioral self-regulation, and emotion regulation. The bifactor model demonstrated a common overarching self-regulation factor, as well as distinct executive function and emotion regulation factors. The common overarching self-regulation factor and executive function predicted children's pre-academic (i.e., mathematics and literacy) and social-emotional skills. The emotion regulation factor predicted children's social-emotional skills. Identifying the shared and unique aspects of self-regulation may have important implications for supporting children's regulatory skills as well as their success in school.
ISSN:1664-1078
1664-1078
DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.717317