Developmental Trajectory of Self-Control in Early Childhood: A Mixture Growth Model Approach

• In Event: Crown Plaza Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Executive Function, Emotional Development, and Learning

Abstract

The development of self-control tends to be resistant to interventions and stable in rank. However, heterogeneity of growth exists widely in psychological constructs. The present study examined (1) if multiple growth trajectories of self-control existed in early childhood by using growth mixture modeling approaches, and (2) investigate if growth trajectories were the function of child, family, and school characteristics by using a nationally representative public database (ECLS-K:2011). Results revealed (1) there were four-group growth trajectories of self-control in current US children, High Stable (51.3%), Regressed (16.2%), Improved (19.5%) and Low Stable (13.0%); (2) teacher-student relationships and the teacher expectation played an important role in alternating the relative rank of self-control over time after controlling for child and family characteristics.

Authors

• Qianqian Pan, University of Kansas

• Qingqing Zhu, The University of Kansas