Linking social-emotional competence to behavioral and academic adjustment among Chinese kindergarten children: A multilevel approach

Linking social-emotional competence to behavioral and academic adjustment among Chinese kindergarten children: A multilevel approach

• Lam, Chun Bun Ian The Education University of Hong Kong
• Chung, Kevin Kien Hoa The Education University of Hong Kong
• Lam, Chung Sze The Education University of Hong Kong
• Li, Xiaomin Sun Yat Sen University

Early Education and Development, 2021

Routledge

2021

• A Human Growth & Development
  • AC Socialization, Self-concept, Self-esteem, Identity, Affective, Emotional, Psycho-social & Moral Development
• B Human Behaviour
  • BE Behavioural Problems, Unruly & Criminal Behaviours, Juvenile Delinquency, Children & Youth at Risk, Triad Society

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Pre-Primary Education

Research Findings: This cross-sectional study examined the class- and child-level associations of social-emotional competence with behavioral and academic adjustment among Chinese kindergarten children and tested teacher collectivistic socialization goals as a moderator. Participants were 523 kindergarten children and their mothers and class teachers from Hong Kong, China. The mean age of children was 4.37 years (SD = 0.60), and 53% of them were boys. Using paper-and-pencil questionnaires, class teachers rated children’s social-emotional competence and their own socialization goals, and mothers rated children’s externalizing behaviors and school readiness and provided demographic information. Also, in structured interviews, children completed a Chinese word reading test. Multilevel models indicated that, controlling for child gender and age, mother age and education, and teacher experience of teaching, the class average of child social-emotional competence – which indicated the overall social-emotional climate of the classroom – was linked negatively to child externalizing behaviors and positively to child school readiness and Chinese word reading ability. Moreover, children who scored higher on social-emotional competence – compared to their own class average (i.e., their everyday companions) – scored lower on externalizing behaviors and higher on school readiness. There was no evidence of the moderating role of teacher socialization goals, however. Practice or Policy: Findings pointed to the utility of using class-wide initiatives to promote the overall classroom climate and using child-specific activities to promote individual social-emotional development. Copyright © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

• English

Journal Articles

• 10409289

• /10.1080/10409289.2021.1979836

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/en/bibs/ca26ee6e

2021-11-05