Journal Article

CSRP's Impact on Low-Income Preschoolers' Preacademic Skills: Self-Regulation as a Mediating Mechanism

Bub, Kristen, Li-Grining, Christine, Pressler, Emily, Raver, C. Cybele, Jones, Stephanie M., Zhai, Fuhua

2011

Overview

Based on theoretically driven models, the Chicago School Readiness Project (CSRP) targeted low-income children's school readiness through the mediating mechanism of self-regulation. The CSRP is a multicomponent, cluster-randomized efficacy trial implemented in 35 Head Start-funded classrooms (N = 602 children). The analyses confirm that the CSRP improved low-income children's self-regulation skills (as indexed by attention/impulse control and executive function) from fall to spring of the Head Start year. Analyses also suggest significant benefits of CSRP for children's preacademic skills, as measured by vocabulary, letter-naming, and math skills. Partial support was found for improvement in children's self-regulation as a hypothesized mediator for children's gains in academic readiness. Implications for programs and policies that support young children's behavioral health and academic success are discussed.

• Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Ltd,Wiley-Blackwell,Oxford University Press
• Subject: Academic achievement / Academic readiness / Achievement / Behavior modification / Chicago school / Child Behavior Disorders - diagnosis / Child Behavior Disorders - psychology / Child Behavior Disorders - therapy / Child care / Child development / Child poverty / Child psychology / Child, Preschool / Children / Children & youth / Childrens health / Classroom environment / Classroom management / Classrooms / Control groups / Developmental psychology / Disadvantaged Youth / Early Intervention, Educational - methods / Efficacy / Emotional Intelligence / Executive control / Executive function / Falls / Family Characteristics / Head Start project / Health behavior / Humans / Illinois / Internal-External Control / Language Development / Low income / Low Income Groups / Low income people / Mathematics / Mathematics skills / Mediation / Mental health / Naming / Personality Assessment / Poverty - psychology / Pre-school education / Preschool Children / Preschool Education / Program Effectiveness / Readiness / Reading / Regulation / School Readiness / SCHOOLS AND YOUTH-SERVICE AGENCIES AS IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTAL SETTINGS / Self Control / Self regulation / Self-management / Selfregulation / Skills / Social Control, Informal / Social Environment / Socialization / Socioeconomic Factors / Teachers / Urban Population / Vocabulary