A picture of strength: Preschool competencies mediate the effects of early behavior problems on later academic and social adjustment for Head Start children

In the current study, the authors tested the hypothesis that the relationship between early behavior problems and later academic and social outcomes is mediated by children's evidence of strengths during the transition to school. A locally representative and predominantly African American sampl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied developmental psychology 2009-05, Vol.30 (3), p.273-285
Main Authors: McWayne, Christine, Cheung, Katherine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African Americans
Behavior Problems
Behaviour disordered children
Behavioural problems
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child development
Children
Developmental psychology
Disadvantaged Youth
Early childhood transition
Educational Policy
Educational Research
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Grade 1
Head Start
Low-income
Mediation
Preschool
Preschool Children
Preschools
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
School readiness
Social Adjustment
Structural Equation Models
Student Adjustment
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Summary:In the current study, the authors tested the hypothesis that the relationship between early behavior problems and later academic and social outcomes is mediated by children's evidence of strengths during the transition to school. A locally representative and predominantly African American sample of 162 Head Start children was assessed at the end of children's Head Start experience and again at the end of their first grade year. Findings based on structural equation modeling revealed that both the partial and full mediation models better explained the data than the direct effects model, suggesting that the influence of preschool behavior problems is more fully understood in the context of children's concomitant strengths. The authors conclude with a discussion of the practical and policy implications of these findings and how they extend prior research on the relationship between early problem behavior and later school adjustment.
ISSN:0193-3973
1873-7900
DOI:10.1016/j.appdev.2008.12.014