TY - JOUR
T1 - Early Behavioral Self-Regulation, Academic Achievement, and Gender
T2 - Longitudinal Findings From France, Germany, and Iceland
AU - Gestsdottir, Steinunn
AU - von Suchodoletz, Antje
AU - Wanless, Shannon B.
AU - Hubert, Blandine
AU - Guimard, Philippe
AU - Birgisdottir, Freyja
AU - Gunzenhauser, Catherine
AU - McClelland, Megan
N1 - Funding Information:
The French project was financed by the research group ‘‘Technological Research in Education.’’ The German project was financed by a grant given to the research group ‘‘The Empirics of Education: Economic and Behavioral Perspectives’’ within the context of the German Excellence Initiative at the University of Freiburg. The Icelandic project was supported by grants from the Icelandic Research Fund and the University of Iceland Research Fund to the study ‘‘Development in Early Childhood: Self-Regulation, Language Development and Literacy.’’
PY - 2014/4
Y1 - 2014/4
N2 - Research suggests that behavioral self-regulation skills are critical for early school success, but few studies have explored such links among young children in Europe. This study examined the contribution of early self-regulation to academic achievement gains among children in France, Germany, and Iceland. Gender differences in behavioral self-regulation skills were also explored. A total of 260 children were followed longitudinally over one to two years (average age at Wave 1 was 74.5 months). Behavioral self-regulation was assessed using a structured direct observation (Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task) and assessment. Multilevel analyses revealed that higher levels on both ratings of self-regulation predicted higher academic skills after controlling for gender, age, maternal education, and previous achievement, but the relations depended on the cultural context. Teacher ratings were more consistently related to achievement gains than directly assessed behavioral self-regulation. Girls outperformed boys only in Iceland. We discuss universal and culture-specific findings and implications for educational practices.
AB - Research suggests that behavioral self-regulation skills are critical for early school success, but few studies have explored such links among young children in Europe. This study examined the contribution of early self-regulation to academic achievement gains among children in France, Germany, and Iceland. Gender differences in behavioral self-regulation skills were also explored. A total of 260 children were followed longitudinally over one to two years (average age at Wave 1 was 74.5 months). Behavioral self-regulation was assessed using a structured direct observation (Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task) and assessment. Multilevel analyses revealed that higher levels on both ratings of self-regulation predicted higher academic skills after controlling for gender, age, maternal education, and previous achievement, but the relations depended on the cultural context. Teacher ratings were more consistently related to achievement gains than directly assessed behavioral self-regulation. Girls outperformed boys only in Iceland. We discuss universal and culture-specific findings and implications for educational practices.
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U2 - 10.1080/10888691.2014.894870
DO - 10.1080/10888691.2014.894870
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84899412548
SN - 1088-8691
VL - 18
SP - 90
EP - 109
JO - Applied Developmental Science
JF - Applied Developmental Science
IS - 2
ER -