ABSTRACT

Research Findings: Preschoolers’ vocabulary skills and inhibitory control have been demonstrated critical for later school success; however, the ways in which the individual classroom experiences dynamically interchange with these skills is still unclear. In this paper, we examine the role of children’s individual engagement with teachers, peers, and tasks in facilitating children’s skill development across the school year. Using a sample of 895 preschoolers across 223 classrooms drawn from the Professional Development Study, the current study examined engagement as both outcomes of children’s vocabulary and inhibitory control in the fall of the preschool year and as mediators of linkages between them across the preschool year. Results suggested that vocabulary skills and inhibitory control each shape different aspects of classroom engagement. Children’s vocabulary was associated with positive engagement with teachers and peers, whereas inhibitory control was associated with positive task engagement and negative engagement. We also found that negative engagement as composited by conflicts with teachers and peers and off-task behaviors mediated the association between fall inhibitory control with spring vocabulary and inhibitory control. Practice or Policy: Together, these findings suggest the critical role of individual classroom experiences in explaining children’s vocabulary and inhibitory control development.

摘要

研究成果：事实证明，学龄前儿童的词汇技能和抑制控制能力对于以后在学校取得成功至关重要。然而，个体课堂体验与这些技能动态交换的方式仍不清楚。在本文中，我们研究了儿童与老师、同伴和任务的个人互动在促进儿童整个学年技能发展方面的作用。当前的研究使用专业发展研究中 223 个教室的 895 名学前儿童作为样本，检验了参与度既是学前学年秋季儿童词汇量和抑制控制的结果，也是学前学年中两者之间联系的中介因素。结果表明，词汇技能和抑制控制分别影响课堂参与的不同方面。儿童的词汇量与与老师和同龄人的积极参与相关，而抑制控制则与积极的任务参与和消极的参与相关。我们还发现，由与老师和同伴的冲突以及偏离任务行为组成的消极参与介导了跌倒抑制控制与春季词汇和抑制控制之间的关联。实践或政策：总而言之，这些发现表明个人课堂经验在解释儿童词汇和抑制控制发展方面的关键作用。