Analysis of Social and Personality Variables as Predictors of Preacademic Competence among Disadvantaged Preschoolers.

This study collected data on 112 disadvantaged preschoolers in central Indiana to determine predictors of preacademic competence at the end of the Head Start year. Parents were interviewed to assess home educational environment, parenting dimensions, and daily stress factors. Teacher ratings of children's behavior, social skills, and competence in the cognitive, physical, and peer domains were also collected. Children were tested to determine cognitive ability, achievement, and perceptions of their competence. Regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors . of competence as defined by achievement on a standardized test, teacher ratings of cognitive competence, and children's self-ratings of intellectual competence. Results indicated that achievement was best predicted by parent expectations, teacher ratings of children's cognitive competence, and externalizing behavior. Significant predictors of teacher-rated student competence were children's adaptive behaviors and parent involvement. Educational activities at home and daily stress factors were predictors of children's self-rated cognitive competence. (Author/MM) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** U.S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Othce or ElluCAtrOnal Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) )(This document has beicir reproduced as wowed trorn the person or orgamtatron orrornahng 0 Mrnor changes have been made to rrnprove reproductron duality Pornts of maw or opthrOns slated rn Pus docu mon! do 1:01 necessanly represent othcrat OE RI posdron or poky 1 Preacademic competence Analysis of social and personality variables as predictors of preacademic competence among disadvantaged preschoolers Panayota Y. Mantzicopoulos Jill Braun Morelock Michelle Dupree Department of Educational Studies Purdue University -PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY -40C-To rAceild. Z) I corgitios TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC). " Paper presented at the 1993 meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development March 27, 1993 C\12 00 The authors wish to thank Linua Stephenson and Vicxi Benckenstein g:64 for their invaluable administrative support. 2 Preacademic competence Abstract Data were collected on 112 disadvantaged preschoolers in Central Indiana to determine predictors of preacademic competence at the end of the Head Start year. Parents were interviewed to assess home educational environment, parenting dimensions, and daily stressors. Teacher ratings of children's behavior, social skills, and compete-ce in the cognitive, physical and peer domains were also collected. Children were tested to determine cognitive ability,'achievement and perceptions of their competence. Regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors of competence as defined by achievement on a standardized test, teacher ratings of cognitive competence, and children's self-ratings of intellectual competence. Results indicated that achievement was best predicted by parent expectations, teacher ratings of child's cognitive competence, and externalizing behavior. Significant predictors of teacher-rated student competence were children's adaptive behaviors and parent involvement. Educational activities at home and daily hassles were predictors of children's self-rated cognitive competence. 3 Preacademic competence Analysis of social and personality variables as predictors of preacademic competence among disadvantaged preschoolers Numerous factors contribute to the classification of young children as "at risk" for failure in the school,setting. Previous research has established that social demographic variables, such as SES, are strong predictors of academic achievement (Anglum, Bell, & Roubinek, 1990; Archer & Edwards, 1982). Young children from economically impoverished backgrounds are more commonly found to be at risk for both academic and behavior problems (Morrison, Mantzicopoulos & Carte, 1989). SES, however, is a static variable that only provides a categorical index of parents' position (Dolan, 1983). It conveys information neither on the quality of the home environment, nor on the educational attitudes and activities of parents and children as they relate to school competence. Furthermore, it implies that a high degree of uniformity characterizes the educational home environments of economically disadvantaged families. Although this implication appears reasonable on the surface, there is no evidence in support of the notion that lack of variation exists in the educational attitudes and literacy practices among families who live in economic poverty. Since children's adjustment and achievement in early school years has long-term implications for children's educational progress (Alexander & Entwisle, 1988; Lazar & Darlington, 1982; Schweinhart, Weikart, & Larner, 1986), it is important to explore