Romantic Dyads,Friendships, and the Social Skill Ratings of Preschool Children

The incidence of romantic, same-sex friendships and CMSS-sex friendship dyads was examined in preschools and daycare centers. The objectives were to demonstrate the existence of preschool romances, to describe behavior patterns that characterize these relationships, and to compare the social skills of the three dyad groups using the Social Skills Rating Scale (Gresham & Elliott, 1990). No significant difference in social skills existed between the groups. The results suggest that preschool romances and cross-sex friendships are common occurrences and do not interfere with normal development of social skills.     

Friendship and Popularity in Preschool Classrooms

The development of friendships and peer acceptance and their relation to children's emotional regulation and social-emotional behavior with others among a group of 3-5-year-old children was examined. Peer relationships and social-emotional skills were assessed early in the preschool year and peer relationships were assessed again late in the year. Preschool friendships were prevalent, moderately consistent across situations, and moderately stable over the course of the school year; peer acceptance also was moderately stable. Popularity of preschool children was related to their social behavior with peers both early and late in the school year but acceptance by the group was unrelated to children's emotion regulation. Number of mutual friendship choices was related to children's emotional regulation but not to social behaviors with peers late in the year. Acceptance by the peer group was related to number of mutual friends but there were some well-liked children who had no friends and disliked children who had friends. These results show the importance of popularity and early friendships in preschool classrooms. That is, these peer relationships are lasting and related to social and emotional development. Therefore, efforts to foster both group relations and mutual dyadic relationships should be included in preschool programming.     

Old friends, new friends: predictors of children's perspective on their friends at school

Predictors of 5-year-old kindergartners' insights into their friends, and their accounts of liking and conflict with their friends were investigated, with a focus on both the children's and their friends' social understanding during the preschool period, and the quality of their preschool friendships. Seventy children initially studied at 4 years utilizing social cognition tasks and observations of dyadic play with their friends were followed over the transition to school; at school they were interviewed about their friendships and their social understanding was assessed. One group had remained close to their preschool friends, whereas a second group had formed new friendships. Social understanding, language abilities, and prosocial characteristics of both the children and preschool friends, their successful communication and shared pretend play experiences during the preschool period, and their mothers' educational level were related to their perspectives on their current school friends. Liking of current friends was linked to relationship history and maternal educational level for both those with old and with new friends, whereas insight was related to assessments of social cognition.     

Behavioral, Affective, and Social Correlates of Involvement in Cross-Sex Friendship in Elementary School

The purpose of this study was to compare children with and without cross-sex friends on measures of social and cognitive competence, endorsement of sex-role stereotypes, and family composition. Subjects were 723 third and fourth graders (377 girls, 346 boys) from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds; 35% were African American. Measures included sociometric assessments of peer acceptance, friendship, and behavioral reputation, as well as self-reports of perceived self-competence and endorsement of sex-role stereotypes. In addition, teachers completed ratings of children's social and cognitive competence. In all, 92 children, about 14% of the sample, had one or more reciprocal opposite-sex friends; for 21 of these children, their cross-sex friendships were their primary or only friendships. African American children were more likely than European American children to have opposite-sex friends. Involvement in cross-sex friendships was unrelated to the gender make-up of the classroom, but was related to family structure. Comparisons of the children who had primarily or only cross-sex friends to matched groups of children who had only same-sex friends and to children who had cross-sex friends secondarily to same-sex ones revealed a number of differences between the groups in social competence and relationships with peers. Overall, children with primarily opposite-sex friends had poorer social skills than other children with friends, although they were less stereotyped about sex roles than other children, and were better adjusted than children with no friends on most measures. In contrast, children involved in opposite-sex friendship secondarily to same-sex friendship were as well adjusted socially as children with only same-sex friendships. These results suggest that children with cross-sex friends differ among themselves, depending on the primacy of the cross-sex relationship.     

Peer Relationships Across the Preschool to School Transition

Research Findings: The aim of this longitudinal study was to explore peer relationships across the transition from preschool to school. Participants were 35 (17 male) children attending the Irish preschool initiative Early Start (M age = 49.31 months). Sociometric measures were employed on two occasions: at the end of preschool and in the first year of school. Results indicated that most preschoolers (83%) had at least one mutual friend, and by school age all children had at least one mutual friend. Almost one third (29%) of preschools and school-age children had a mutual best friend. Notably, all children made new friends in school. In addition, a number of friendships (18%) survived the preschool to school transition. Correlational analysis also suggested some stability in peer relationships from preschool into the first year of school. Exploratory multiple regression analyses showed that preschool peer variables predicted friendship status and social preference in school. Furthermore, best friendship in preschool uniquely predicted friendship in school, and best friend status in school was uniquely associated with social preference in school. Practice: Results have implications for parents' and early educators' promotion of children's friendships during the transition from preschool to school.     

Friendships and Social Networks in Childhood and Adolescence: Fluidity, Reliability, and Interrelations

Social networks and friendships were tracked over a 3-week period for 132 students enrolled in fourth- and seventh-grade classrooms. Individual interviews were employed to collect data on friendships. Social group membership was determined by the composite social-cognitive map (SCM) procedure and by self-reports. Considerable overlap was found among the methods for establishing relational patterns (i.e., friendships, self-reported groups, composite social-cognitive maps). When loose criteria for stability were employed, high stability was found in friendships ( p = .56–.75) and social group membership ( p = .90) over a 3-week period. But when stringent criteria were employed, only modest social relationship stability was observed in both methods, suggesting that there is much greater fluidity in peer bonds than has been generally recognized. The relationship between friendship and social network measures, the distinctive information yielded by social networks, and gender and age differences in group structure, fluidity, and friendships are discussed.     

Social participation of children and adolescents with cochlear implants: a qualitative analysis of parent, teacher, and child interviews

Psychosocial factors, including socioemotional well-being, peer relationships, and social inclusion with hearing and deaf peers, are increasingly becoming a focus of research investigating children with cochlear implants. The study reported here extends the largely quantitative findings of previous research through a qualitative analysis of interviews with parents, teachers, and pediatric cochlear implant users themselves in three eastern states of Australia. We interviewed 24 parents, 15 teachers, and 11 children and adolescents. The findings displayed commonalities across the three groups of participants, indicating positive experiences around the children's psychosocial development with their cochlear implants, but also ongoing difficulties communicating in groups of people and problems related to social skills. Some children had little contact with other deaf children (with or without cochlear implants) despite parents and teachers perceiving such contact beneficial. Children attending schools where there were other deaf children valued friendships with both deaf and hearing peers. Adolescence was a particularly difficult time for some as they struggled with feelings of self-consciousness about their deafness and external cochlear implant equipment and worries around friendships, dating, and their future place in the world. Recommendations for practice and further research are made.     

Individual Differences in Theory of Mind, Aggressive Behavior, and Social Skills In Young Children

Research Findings. The present study examined relations between social-cognitive skills, aggression, and social competence using teacher questionnaires and tabletop tasks with preschool and kindergarten children. It was hypothesized that the acquisition of a theory of “mind”, as indexed by an understanding of false beliefs, might be related to social behavior for this age group. Overall, results indicated that both generation of forceful solutions in a traditional social-problem solving task and performance on the false belief tasks were significantly related to social competence, after controlling for the effects of age, language comprehension, and teacher ratings of aggression. In addition, theory of mind understanding was a better predictor of social competence than performance on a more traditional social information-processing task that involved the generation of alternative solutions to interpersonal problems. Practice. The implications of these findings for preschool and kindergarten peer relations and their potential relevance to treatment of deficits in social skills are discussed. Specifically, training in an understanding of counterfactual thinking (e.g., through increased and structured opportunities to engage in pretend play and storytelling) may enhance preschooler social skills.     

Individual Differences in Theory of Mind,Aggressive Behavior,and Social Skills In Young Children

Research Findings. The present study examined relations between social-cognitive skills, aggression, and social competence using teacher questionnaires and tabletop tasks with preschool and kindergarten children. It was hypothesized that the acquisition of a theory of "mind," as indexed by an understanding of false beliefs, might be related to social behavior for this age group. Overall, results indicated that both generation of forceful solutions in a traditional social-problem solving task and performance on the false belief tasks were significantly related to social competence, after controlling for the effects of age, language comprehension, and teacher ratings of aggression. In addition, theory of mind understanding was a better predictor of social competence than performance on a more traditional social information-processing task that involved the generation of alternative solutions to interpersonal problems. Practice. The implications of these findings for preschool and kindergarten peer relations and their potential relevance to treatment of deficits in social skills are discussed. Specifically, training in an understanding of counterfactual thinking (e.g., through increased and structured opportunities to engage in pretend play and storytelling) may enhance preschooler social skills.     

The emergence of learning-related social skills in preschool children

Recent research has pointed to the role of learning-related social skills in academic achievement and school success [Cooper & Farran, 1988; McClelland, Morrison, & Holmes, 2000]. Learning-related social skills tap the domains of independence, responsibility, self-regulation, and cooperation. The present study examined the nature and stability of teacher ratings of early learning-related social skills in 72 preschool children at 3–4 years and 1 year later. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that a construct labeled “learning-related social skills” emerged in ratings of preschool children and showed moderate variability. Further, ratings of children’s early learning-related social skills were relatively stable over a 1-year period. Discussion focused on the emergence of learning-related social skills during the preschool period and possible role of these skills for early school success.     

A Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) approach to pre-service teacher professional experiences in Australia: organisational friendships

This study explored how students (pre-service teachers) benefit from the support of having a peer with them during their first professional experience in preschool contexts, utilising a PAL (Peer Assisted Learning) approach. International students at a large Australian University were interviewed as part of this qualitative study. We found that peer engagement facilitated the development of friendships and social support among participants. Discussion is situated within a sociological framework of organisational friendship. This study extends conceptions of organisational friendships beyond managerial imperatives and peer relationships are highlighted as supportive, not competitive, engagements. The PAL approach highlights the benefit of collaborative professional learning.     

An Observational Study of Social Communication Skills in Eight Preschoolers with and Without Hearing Loss During Cooperative Play

Early peer relationships and interactions influence social acceptance and a child’s ability to form social relationships later in life (Ladd 2005). Although it has been reported that some children with profound hearing loss who have experienced the oral approach since diagnosis display language skills similar to children with typical hearing (DeLuzio and Girolametto 2011), many may still be excluded socially and have subtle communication differences that impact friendships. More information is needed about how differences and similarities are manifested in young children with hearing loss. This investigation observed the frequency of three social communicative behaviors displayed by eight preschoolers with and without hearing loss as they played in dyads during unstructured table activities. The results revealed that the children with hearing loss produced about a quarter as many initiated verbal comments; however, they engaged in more verbal and play turns than their playmates with typical hearing. Implications for teaching young children with hearing loss in inclusive preschool settings are discussed.     

Effectiveness of ontology-based learning content generation for preschool cognitive skills learning

During early childhood, children start developing their cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioural skills, laying the foundation for life-long learning. Cognitive skills are usually taught in traditional classrooms through the use of textbooks and worksheets. The learning content in these textbooks and worksheets is static pre-authored content that is repeatedly used for teaching and learning. This repetition jeopardises the child's learning of individualised and cognitive skills. Preschool cognitive skills learning content comprises facts of everyday life. Similarly, the Semantic Web attempts to model these facts through ontologies. From this, a relationship appears between preschool cognitive skills learning content and the ontologies. The present work focuses on the stated problem and presents the theoretical and development details of a child-friendly tutoring application that dynamically generates cognitive skills learning content using ontologies as domain knowledge. The proposed application was evaluated in a preschool environment for its learning effectiveness and the correctness of the generated content. Three groups of preschool children participated in the study for preschool cognitive skills learning through the use of the proposed application. The first group learned the cognitive skills through the traditional method with textbooks and the teacher's teaching. The second group learned the skills through the proposed application at school in classroom sessions. The third group experienced the proposed application both at school and at home, along with regular classroom sessions. The results show significant gains by the third group over the other two groups, and hence support the use of the proposed application in practice. However, the enhanced learning by the third group disappears if the additional application usage time is removed. Moreover, the results of the expert evaluation show that a great deal of the learning content was correctly generated, thus justifying the true modelling of the domain ontology.     

PRESCHOOL CHILDREN'S INTEREST,SOCIAL–EMOTIONAL SKILLS,AND EMERGENT MATHEMATICS SKILLS

This cross‐sectional study examined the relationship between interest, social–emotional skills, and early math skills in preschool children. Math‐specific interest and global interest in learning were measured using teacher report and a play‐based observation task. Math skills were assessed with a test of math achievement, and social–emotional skills were assessed using a teacher‐report measure. Children with higher global interest in learning, math‐specific interest, and observed goal‐directed play demonstrated higher math skills. Furthermore, social‐emotional skills were associated with global interest in learning and math skills, but not with math‐specific interest. Overall, findings support the relevance of interest and social‐emotional skills for school readiness in young children.     

美国学前教育早期干预项目的基本要素与项目影响的比较研究--基于佩里计划、初学者项目和芝加哥亲子中心项目

20世纪60年代、70年代和80年代先后发起的佩里计划、初学者项目和芝加哥亲子中心项目将理论研究与实践探索紧密结合,证明了有质量的学前教育干预在教育、经济、健康、减少犯罪等方面具有诸多的社会、经济效益,尤其是对处境不利家庭幼儿具有更为突出的效果与效益。不可否认的是,虽然学前教育发展对儿童早期智力与学业成就的影响逐年减弱,但是幼儿社会技能与学习品质的提升产生了更加长远的效益与可持续性影响。其中,学前教育干预项目的持续时长、质量要素及科学的衡量标准是确保学前教育有效的重要因素。虽然既有研究基本呈现了学前教育干预项目影响与收益的全貌,但由于学前教育影响的不确定,学前教育项目干预效果的对比性、可复制性、可推广性仍有待进一步循证论证。     

Early school adjustment: Do social integration and persistence mediate the effects of school-entry skills on later achievement?

The present study sought to determine the relative contributions of two aspects of school adjustment to children’s academic progress. We asked if social integration and persistence of effort mediate effects of preschool academic skills, peer problems, and disruptive behavior on Grade 4 achievement. Results based on a German sample of children from preschool to Grade 4 (N = 526) indicated that persistence of effort in Grade 1 but not social integration predicted later achievement. Preschool disruptive behaviors were associated with lower levels of persistence. Peer problems negatively predicted social integration. Results showed further that students who entered school with stronger math skills were more likely to persist in academic tasks and to be socially well-integrated. Persistence mediated the total effect of preschool math skills on both Grade 4 math (22%) and reading (54%) achievement. The findings substantiate the mediating role of persistence on academic trajectories over the elementary years.     

Developing Preschoolers’ Social Skills: The Effectiveness of Two Educational Methods

This study tested whether and how methods called ‘Play Time/Social Time’ and ‘I Can Problem Solve’ contribute to the improvement of social skills and the development of theory of mind (ToM) in children. The participants in the experiment were nearly 200 (N = 196) preschool children with low social functioning, with and without disabilities. The study showed that social skills and the level of ToM in children attending the lessons improved more than those of children from the control group. Both methods turned out to be effective in the case of social skills and ToM development among children with and without disabilities. It is worthwhile to popularise these methods among preschool teachers.     

Helping or hindering: the role of secondary educators in facilitating friendship opportunities among students with and without autism or developmental disability

This is an interpretivist qualitative study that explores the contexts and dynamics of friendships between three groups of young adults; each group includes an individual with autism or severe disability and nondisabled high school students. The most prominent finding identified in the data was that educators affected opportunities for social interactions between students with and without autism or severe disability. Educator influence on social participation included factors that decreased interactions, such as missed opportunities for social interactions and social consequences of academic supports. Educator influence also included factors that increased interactions, specifically four strategies to increase social interactions and facilitate possible friendships or maintain existing friendships between students with and without autism or severe disability.     

Integration of a social skills training: a case study of children with low social skills

This study explores changes in children's social skills after a cognitive-social skills model intervention. The intervention was conducted over a period of 12 weeks within a regular preschool setting. Sixteen children including four considered to have low social skills participated in the study. Data analysis revealed that the four children with low social skills demonstrated changes in social skills through positive play behaviours such as asking positive questions, offering suggestions, initiating play episodes, and sharing play materials, although they had limited ability to maintain play episodes.     

The Relation of Teachers’ Emotional Intelligence and Students’ Social Skills to Students’ Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties: A Study of Preschool Teachers’ Perceptions

The present study used hierarchical linear modeling to examine predictors of students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties in preschool classrooms. Specifically, the study examined (a) the link between teachers’ perceptions of their own emotional intelligence and students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties, (b) the link between teachers’ perceptions of students’ social skills and emotional and behavioral difficulties, and (c) how teachers’ perceptions of their own emotional intelligence were related differentially to their perceptions of students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties based on students’ social skills. Participants were 92 preschool teachers and 238 students from 52 state schools in central Greece. Research Findings: Results indicated that higher scores for teachers’ perceptions of emotional intelligence and students’ social skills were related to lower scores for teachers’ perceptions of students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties. Teachers’ perceptions of emotional intelligence were important in predicting students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties, especially in the case of students’ lack of social skills. Practice or Policy: This study provides empirical support for the predictors of students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties by taking into consideration both teachers’ perceptions of emotional intelligence and students’ social skills, thus suggesting new insights into the interpretation of emotional and behavioral difficulties in preschool.