Evaluating Positive Social Competence in Preschool Populations.

Literature ReviewDeveloping social competence is seen as critical to an individual's overall adjustment (Chen, Zhang, Chen, & Li, 2012; Merrell, Streeter, Boelter, Caldarella, & Gentry, 2001). Social competence is influential in a person's feeling of success in several aspects of life including school, relationships, and social interactions. For example, Walker, Garber, and Greene (1994) found social competence to act as a buffer against health problems commonly associated with negative life events. Specifically, children who experienced negative life events and had low social competence demonstrated high levels of somatic complaints, whereas, for children who had high levels of social competence, negative experiences were not related to somatic complaints. One study even showed increased social competence resulting in decreased cardiovascular risk (Boyer & Nelson, 2015). Social competence can also influence school success (Chen et al., 2012; Wentzel, 1991) and self-esteem (Houck & Spegman, 1999; Mota & Matos, 2013), thus providing a strong foundation for positive long-term effects. For instance, one longitudinal study found children seen as socially competent at 16 months continued to be viewed as socially competent through 15 years of age (Campbell, Lamb, & Hwang, 2000). Conversely, low levels of social competence can contribute to lowered selfesteem (Egan & Perry, 1998), which in turn can contribute to victimization. Egan and Perry (1998) suggested that children who are isolated often end up anxious and submissive in conflicts with others and, therefore, become a main target for bullies. Healy, Sanders, and Iyer (2015) found bullied children had lesser relationships with their peers. Other risks related to deficits in social competence include conduct problems, substance abuse, poor school adjustment, violence, juvenile delinquency, and antisocial behavior (Merrell et al., 2001). Consequently, children with low levels of social competence may be atrisk for long-term negative consequences.Currently, several barriers hinder the application of truly comprehensive programs to support young children's social and emotional growth. Initially, one major concern was no consensus on the definition of social competence had been reached among researchers (Arsenio & Lemerise, 2001; McConnell & Odom, 1999). Therefore, although social competence is identified as the variable of interest in several studies, few have actually studied the same construct. While current research generally recognizes social competence as a more multifaceted construct (Gagnon et al., 2014), many times the operational inclusion is still minimized because only one measure is used in the assessment process. This results in often reducing the complexity of the construct to a set of social skills or a lack of problem behaviors. Researchers have warned that this minimized construct will not likely translate to social competence (Erdley & Asher, 1999; Pianta & Walsh, 1998). Therefore, investigations are needed that employ social competence as an entirely positive construct. Finally, research on social competence is often limited by methodological factors, such as incorporating only portions of the relevant variables into a study. This parceling does not allow for a more complex understanding of the interrelationship among all of the variables. Furthermore, interactions between the various variables could potentially have a great effect on the conclusions.The importance of children's emotional and social stability as a prerequisite for entering school has been emphasized frequently by researchers and teachers (Bierman et al., 2008; Blair, 2002; Chang, Shelleby, Cheong, & Shaw, 2012; Pianta & La Paro, 2003). Specifically, a survey completed by the National Center for Early Development and Learning (NCEDL) demonstrated teachers' concerns about how social deficits will impact learning in kindergarten classrooms (Rimm-Kaufman, Pianta, & Cox, 2000). …