5 research outputs found
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Profiles of Community Resources and their Influence on Self-Regulation at Preschool : A Focus on Children from Low-Income Families
Self-regulation skills lay the foundation for short- and long-term school success, and strengthening these skills in early childhood can have significant implications for immediate and future life outcomes (e.g., Blair & Diamond, 2008; McClelland, Acock, Piccinin, Rhea, & Stallings, 2013). A large body of literature has investigated how characteristics of the individual and family, including demographic risk factors, influence the development of self-regulation (e.g., Li-Grinning, 2007; Wanless, McClelland, Tominey, & Acock, 2011). Few studies, however, have examined whether features in the broader environment, such as community resources, can support children's self-regulation (Evans & English, 2002; Richters & Martinez, 1993; Roy, McCoy, & Raver, 2014; Sharkey, Tirado-Strayer, Papachristos, & Raver, 2012). Moreover, the link between community-level indicators and children’s self-regulation has typically been described from a deficit perspective. The present study adopted a strength-based approach to explore: (1) the unique profiles of community resources available to children from low-income families; (2) if community profile membership predicted self-regulation upon entry to preschool, beyond the effect of demographic risks; and (3) if the association between community profile membership and self-regulation was moderated by English-Language Learner (ELL) status. Results from an exploratory latent profile analysis suggested that subgroups of community resources captured variability in the contexts that low-income children reside in. Specifically, three latent profiles of community resources fit the data best: (1) high affordances; (2) mixed affordances; and (3) low affordances. These profiles were described in further detail. Multi-level random effects models demonstrated that low-income children who were most likely to reside in the mixed affordances community profile, characterized by offering high human capital resources, low structural resources, and high social service resources, displayed significantly lower self-regulation at entry to preschool than low-income children in the low affordances community profile, characterized by offering low human capital resources, low structural resources, and low social service resources, across two outcomes of self-regulation. An interaction effect for ELLs was not observed, which suggests that all children from low-income families can benefit from the same community contexts, regardless of the constellation of their sociodemographic risks
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Examining the Contribution of Self-Regulation and Executive Function Skills to School Readiness and Longer-Term Achievement Gaps: A Replication and Extension in Statewide and National Datasets
Self-regulation in early childhood encompasses higher-order executive function processes and lower-order emotional responses that enable children to navigate the classroom environment. Although self-regulation and executive functions are overlapping constructs, self-regulation represents a broad assessment of children’s ability to call upon executive function processes in order to meet contextual demands. Prior research has demonstrated the utility of teacher-rated classroom self-regulation and individually-assessed executive functions through evidence of their independent associations with academic achievement. Yet, the unique contribution of these skills to achievement gaps are largely unknown. The two studies in this dissertation establish the roles of individual executive function skills and classroom self-regulation for school readiness gaps and longer-term achievement among two particularly vulnerable subgroups of children: students from economically disadvantaged families and English-language learners (ELLs). Acknowledging the importance of replication for the robustness of scientific results across contexts, questions were addressed using Oregon’s statewide kindergarten assessment data (OKA) and data from the most recent cohort of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten (ECLS-K). Study 1 estimated the kindergarten and third grade achievement gaps among economically disadvantaged students and ELLs nationally and in Oregon and investigated whether these gaps could be partially explained by classroom self-regulation skills, individual executive functions, or both. Results uncovered only slight differences in the magnitude of achievement gaps experienced by children in Oregon when compared to children nationally. Classroom self-regulation significantly explained school readiness gaps for economically disadvantaged children and ELLs nationally and in Oregon. Furthermore, after accounting for classroom self-regulation skills, individual executive functions significantly explained achievement gaps for both groups in kindergarten and third grade nationally. Study 2 investigated whether classroom self-regulation skills, executive functions skills, or both could compensate for the negative effects of economic disadvantage being of ELL status on kindergarten and third grade academic achievement. Results revealed compensatory effects of classroom self-regulation on third grade academic achievement among economically disadvantaged students and ELLs nationally. Furthermore, having strong attentional flexibility and working memory served as additional protective factors for third achievement nationally. Together, the results from these studies expand our knowledge on the specificity and generalizability of developmental processes across subgroups and contexts. Implications for targeted interventions developed to close achievement gaps and recommendations for the selection of statewide kindergarten assessments are discussed
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Residential Mobility, Inhibitory Control, and Academic Achievement in Preschool
The present study investigated the direct effects of residential mobility on children’s inhibitory control and academic achievement during the preschool year. It also explored fall inhibitory control and academic skills as mediators linking residential mobility and spring achievement. Participants included 359 preschool children (49% female) studied in the fall and spring of the preschool year (73% were enrolled in Head Start). Residential mobility was significantly and negatively associated with fall inhibitory control and fall math and literacy. Significant indirect effects of mobility were found for spring math and literacy through inhibitory control and fall achievement. Specifically, the negative relation between mobility and spring math and literacy was partially explained by lower scores on fall inhibitory control and academic skills. The current study contributes to existing literature by specifying pathways linking frequent moves and achievement for young children. Policy implications are discussed.Keywords: preschool, inhibitory control, residential mobility, academic achievemen
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Revisiting the Utility of Retrospective Pre-Post Designs: The Need for Mixed-Method Pilot Data
The retrospective pre-post design affords many benefits to program staff and, accordingly, has piqued renewed interest among applied program evaluators. In particular, the field has witnessed increasing application of a post-program-only data collection strategy in which only posttest and retrospective pretest data are collected. A post-program-only assessment strategy takes considerably less time than is required for collecting pre-program data and presumably has the added benefit of eliminating the impact of response-shift bias. Response-shift bias occurs when the knowledge, skills, or experiences participants gain through program participation leads them to interpret questionnaire items in a qualitatively different manner at pretest versus posttest. In this article, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses associated with administering retrospective pretest assessments and underscore the importance of thoroughly evaluating any application of a retrospective measurement strategy prior to its broader implementation. We provide a practical illustration of this evaluation process using a mixed-method study that assesses one measure of parenting education program effectiveness—the Parenting Skills Ladder.24 month embargo; available online 9 July 2018This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]