The Effects of Emotion Regulation on Behavioral and Affective Learning Engagement During the Transition to School

Halliday, S. E. (Simone)¹, Calkins, S. D. (Susan)¹, Leerkes, E. M. (Esther)^1
1University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1400 Spring Garden Street, NC27412, Greensboro

 

Submission type

Poster only

Scheduled

Hallway, 10-07-2019, 15:30 - 17:00

Keywords

learning engagement, emotion regulation, learning behaviors, school attitude, early childhood, school adjustment

Summary

Learning engagement is a multidimensional construct with foundational consequences for children’s academic success.  However, the mechanisms that promote early engagement with learning are not well understood. This study assessed how emotion regulation (ER), which rapidly develops in early childhood, may influence the development of both behavioral and affective learning engagement. Participants included 278 children in the southeastern USA.  ER was measured as a composite of laboratory-observed distress regulation and mother-reported emotional reactivity at preschool-age, kindergarten, and first grade. At kindergarten and first grade, behavioral engagement was measured as a composite of laboratory-observed and teacher-reported learning behaviors, and affective engagement was opperationalized as teacher-reported school attitude.  Effects were assessed in two structural equation models demonstrating excellent fit.  Results indicated that ER at preschool-age was positively associated with affective engagement in kindergarten and with behavioral engagement in both kindergarten and first grade.  Kindergarten ER was positively associated with concurrent behavioral engagement and marginally associated with concurrent affective engagement but did not predict any first-grade outcome. Thus, strong early ER skills may promote children’s engagement with learning and have particularly enduring effects on learning behaviors.  Critically, children’s ability to regulate emotion before formal schooling begins may be most influential in future learning processes.

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