The Development of Behavioral Self-Regulation in Preschool:The Roles of Mothers,Peers and Teachers
Behavioral self-regulation is a component of self-regulation,which manifests as the explicit behavior resulting from the collaboration of executive function,language,and movement.It integrates attention focus,working memory,inhibition,and cognitive flexibility abilities.This ability plays a crucial role in the development of preschool children,including internalizing problems,externalizing problems,social skills,and academic achievement.Numerous intervention studies have demonstrated the high plasticity of preschool children's behavioral self-regulation and its sensitivity to the environment.According to the Family Systems Theory,various elements in the ecosystem may influence the development of behavioral self-regulation in preschool children.However,there is a lack of research examining the impact of social relationships on the growth rate of behavioral self-regulation in Chinese children.Therefore,this study aimed to investigate the effects of mother-child relationships,peer relationships,and teacher-child relationships on the initial level and growth rate of behavioral self-regulation in preschool children.A total of 120 children from small classes(65 boys and 55 girls)participated in this study and were assessed on behavioral self-regulation annually in April when they were 4,5,and 6 years old(T1,T2,and T3,respectively).At Tl,assessments were conducted for mother-child,teacher-student,and peer relationships.Hierarchical linear modeling was used to estimate the intercept and slope of behavioral self-regulation based on data from the three time points.This analysis aimed to investigate the impact of children's social relationships on the development of behavioral self-regulation.Results indicated a negative correlation between the intercept and slopel(slope between Tl and T2,r=-.74)as well as slope2(slope between T2 and T3,r=-.21).Furthermore,hierarchical regression analysis revealed no gender differences in the initial status of behavioral self-regulation.But boys exhibited a faster growth rate than girls between the ages of 4 and 5,while girls showed a faster growth rate than boys between the ages of 5 and 6.Additionally,children with higher levels of maternal education had a higher initial state but a lower growth rate of behavioral self-regulation between the ages of 4 and 5.Interestingly,maternal education no longer affected their children's behavior self-regulation after the age of 5.Although mother-child relationships did not influence children's behavioral self-regulation,teacher-child and peer relationships did have an impact.Specifically,a higher level of intimacy between teachers and children at the age of 4 was associated with a higher initial status of behavioral self-regulation and a lower growth rate between the ages of 5 and 6,but it did not affect the growth rate between the ages of 4 and 5.Moreover,the higher level of peer rejection at the age of 4 were associated with the slower development of behavioral self-regulation between the ages of 4 and 5,but it did not affect the growth rate between the ages of 5 and 6.In children with low maternal education,those who experienced more peer rejection at 4 exhibited faster growth in behavioral self-regulation between the ages of 5 and 6,compared to those who experienced less rejection at 4.These results provided insights into the developmental characteristics of behavioral self-regulation in children aged 4～6 and highlighted the impact of social relationships on children's behavior self-regulation.It confirmed the importance of environmental factors,particularly social relationships,in the development of children's behavioral self-regulation.Furthermore,the findings emphasized the significance of low peer rejection and high teacher-child relationship intimacy in promoting the development of children's behavioral self-regulation.These findings served as a reference for intervention research aimed at enhancing behavioral self-regulation and social skills in early childhood.
万方数据
维普
