Observed peer competence moderates links between children’s observed self-regulation skills and academic performance
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Accepted manuscript
Date
2020-10-24
Authors
Wagner, Nicholas
Holochwost, Steven
Dankoo, Christina
Propper, Cathi
Coffman, Jennifer
Version
Accepted manuscript
OA Version
Citation
Nicholas Wagner, Steven Holochwost, Christina Dankoo, Cathi Propper, Jennifer Coffman. "Observed Peer Competence Moderates Links between Children’s Observed Self-Regulation Skills and Academic Performance.." Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Volume 54, pp. 286 - 293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2020.10.001
Abstract
The current study focuses on the relations between observed measures of children’s self-regulation and academic achievement, as well as the extent to which observations of children’s peer competence in preschool moderates these links. Data were drawn from 102 students (male = 48; Mage = 4.82 years, SDage = 0.46 years) enrolled in pre-kindergarten classrooms. A series of linear path models was used to test study hypotheses, and the nature of significant interactions was elucidated by examining simple slopes and regions of significance. Children’s self-regulation, but not peer competence, significantly predicted both reading and math performance assessed using the Woodcock Johnson III, β = .43, p < .001 and β = .39, p < .001, respectively. Tests of moderation effects revealed that the association between children’s poor self-regulation and poor math performance, but not reading performance, β = −.28, p = .022 and β = −.11, p = .23, was negated for children with average to high peer competence. These results demonstrate the protective quality of peer competence for academic performance using observational methods collected in preschools.
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