Examining Additive and Synergistic Relations Between Preschool Self-Regulation and Executive Function Skills: Predictions to Academic Outcomes

In the present study, we examined the extent to which teacher-rated self-regulation and directly assessed executive function skills were independently, additively, or synergistically related to academic achievement during the transition to kindergarten. The sample included 126 children (42% female; Mage = 4.73 years) from families with low incomes who participated in a larger evaluation of state-funded preschool. Regression models with children nested in their respective preschool classrooms investigated main effects and moderated effects of teacher-rated self-regulation skills manifested in preschool classroom behaviors and cognitive executive function skills assessed through direct assessments on math, literacy, and vocabulary in the spring of preschool and in the fall of kindergarten. Results revealed independent but not additive relations between executive function and math in the spring of preschool and self-regulation and literacy in the fall of kindergarten. One significant interaction emerged providing evidence for synergistic relations between teacher-rated self-regulation and directly assessed executive function for literacy at both timepoints across the transition to kindergarten. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

A Two-Generational Approach to Promoting a Successful Transition to Kindergarten

The kindergarten transition is a time when both children and parents face changes in routines, environments, and peers. The new cognitive and behavioral expectations for children at school may also require enhanced parenting skills. Thus, programming to support the transition to kindergarten for children requires a two-generational approach. This chapter describes the Kids In Transition to School (KITS) Program, an intervention designed to help both children and parents gain the essential skills necessary to make a positive transition to kindergarten. For children, this includes academic and social-emotional skills. For parents, this includes skills to support children's learning at home and school as well as positive parenting skills. Evidence from multiple randomized controlled trials and a large-scale implementation shows positive effects on both children and parents. Future directions for research are also explored.

Developmental pathways between infant gestures and symbolic actions, and children’s communicative skills at age 5: Findings from the All Our Families pregnancy cohort

Using data from the All Our Families study, a longitudinal study of 1992 mother-child dyads in Canada (47.7% female; 81.9% White), we examined the developmental pathways between infant gestures and symbolic actions and communicative skills at age 5. Communicative gestures at age 12 months (e.g., pointing, nodding head “yes”), obtained via parental report, predicted stronger general communicative skills at age 5 years. Moreover, greater use of symbolic actions (e.g., “feeding” a stuffed animal with a bottle) indirectly predicted increased communicative skills at age 5 via increased productive vocabulary at 24 months. These pathways support the hypothesis that children’s communicative skills during the transition to kindergarten emerge from a chain of developmental abilities starting with gestures and symbolic actions during infancy.