Examining the link between preschool social-emotional competence and first grade academic achievement: The role of attention skills

Recently, research has begun to identify cognitive and social-emotional predictors of early academic success. Yet few studies have examined the mechanisms by which children's social-emotional skills are associated with later academic success. The present study examines the associations between preschool emotion knowledge, kindergarten attention skills, and first grade academic competence in a sample of mostly disadvantaged children. Results indicate that attention during kindergarten is a significant mediator of this association, even after accounting for the effects of maternal education, family income, and children's age, sex, and receptive vocabulary skills. The findings provide further support for the implementation of preventive curricula that focus on both social and emotional development as well as attentional development as one strategy for improving future academic success in young children.     

Paraprofessionals in early childhood classrooms: an examination of duties and expectations

Millions of dollars are expended, in the USA and elsewhere, to provide paraprofessionals or ‘teaching assistants’ for regular early childhood classrooms. However, little consistent information exists related to best practice in the use of paraprofessionals in these early childhood settings. This article describes a study employing the use of 159 teacher and 161 paraprofessional surveys and classroom observations in 23 randomly selected kindergarten and four-year-old classrooms. Paraprofessionals delivered large amounts of group instruction and frequently managed student behavior. Furthermore, it was found that a lack of understanding of specific duties and expectations related to the roles of paraprofessionals was characteristic of both teachers and the paraprofessionals themselves.     

Impacts of a Comprehensive School Readiness Curriculum for Preschool Children at Risk for Educational Difficulties

This article reports findings from a cluster‐randomized study of an integrated literacy‐ and math‐focused preschool curriculum, comparing versions with and without an explicit socioemotional lesson component to a business‐as‐usual condition. Participants included 110 classroom teachers from randomized classrooms and approximately eight students from each classroom (N = 760) who averaged 4.48 (SD = 0.44) years of age at the start of the school year. There were positive impacts of the two versions of the curriculum on language, phonological awareness, math, and socioemotional outcomes, but there were no added benefits to academic or socioemotional outcomes for the children receiving explicit socioemotional instruction. Results are discussed with relevance to early childhood theory, policy, and goals of closing the school readiness gap.     

Early Behavioral Inhibition and Emotion Regulation: Pathways Toward Social Competence in Middle Childhood

This study examined emotion regulation (ER) as a mediator in the relation between early behavioral inhibition (BI) and later social competence (N = 257), and whether this mediation varied depending on BI levels. Maternal report and observational measures were used to assess BI (ages 2 and 3). Children's ER strategies (age 5) and social competence with an unfamiliar peer (age 7) were measured using observational measures. Results showed that BI predicted less engaged ER strategies during a disappointment task, and engaged ER predicted higher social competence. Engaged ER mediated the effect of BI on social competence, but only for highly inhibited children. Findings elucidate developmental trajectories of risk and resilience, and suggest targeting regulatory strategies in early prevention efforts with highly inhibited children.     

Enacting Social Change Along the Cultural Identity Spectrum: Intercultural Identity Construction in Faith-Based Community Organizations

This study employs Cultural Identity Spectrum Theory to analyze identity construction and positioning of faith-based nonprofit organizations (FBOs). Intercultural communication studies have not adequately analyzed religion and identity, particularly as they intersect with socio-economic class and racial marginalization. Because religion is one of the most conflict-ridden social divides, the study situates FBOs as important (inter)cultural sites, and traces an FBO's Secular–Religious location on the Cultural Identity Spectrum to critically engage cultural discourses surrounding the organization, to shift its identity to serve historically marginalized groups. Building on the dialectical approach the study interrogates challenges of creating partnerships with diverse community stakeholders to promote enduring and far-reaching social change.     

Reading and spelling acquisition in Thai children

Thai, a tonal language, has its own distinctive alphabetic orthography. The study investigates reading and spelling development in Thai children, with an aim of examining the grain size that is predominantly used when reading and spelling. Furthermore, word and nonword lists were developed to examine the acquisition of the complex system of vowels and tone rules in Thai. Reading and spelling of words and nonwords were assessed in 60 Thai children ranging in age from 7 to 9 years 8 months from Grade(s) 1, 2, and 3. A lexicality effect was found for both reading and spelling. Spelling lagged behind reading in the Grade 1 children. Development rapidly increased between the youngest Grade 1 children and the older Grade 2 and 3 children. For word reading there were significantly more lexical errors than phonological errors. Beginning readers appear to predominantly use a larger lexico-syllabic grain size to read Thai.     

Behavioral Approaches to Obesity Treatment

Obesity is at the forefront of the public health agenda. Why, with all the emphasis on the health risks of obesity and the availability of multiple treatment options, is it so difficult for people to successfully lose and maintain weight? The answer is simple: Most obesity treatment plans tell people what to do but not how to change their behavior. Furthermore, many people attempting weight loss focus on narrow aspects of weight loss behaviors (e.g., specific eating or exercise plans, over-the-counter weight loss products, medication, and in growing numbers, gastric surgery). However, weight gain is ultimately a consequence of multiple environmental and biologic factors that encourage behaviors that result in positive energy balance. It is unlikely that most obesity treatments will be successful unless people learn to address the environmental, biologic, and behavioral barriers that influence their ability to make eating and physical activity choices that promote long-term weight management. Behavioral approaches to obesity treatment help people develop the skills they need to successfully manage their weight in a way that is consistent with their individual barriers, goals, and lifestyles.