Teachers' School Readiness Views and Kindergarteners' Academic Gains: Structural Equation Modeling With the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten 2011 (Poster 42)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Two
  In Poster Session: Applications of Structural Equation Modeling in Education

Abstract

Given the various definitions for school readiness, examining the latent components of teachers’ views of readiness is important for understanding its influence on kindergarteners’ learning outcomes. Using a confirmatory factor analysis with the ECLS-K 2011 data, this study reframes teachers’ readiness beliefs as a three-component construct: academic readiness, socioemotional readiness, and executive functioning (EF) readiness. Subsequently, structural equation models were built, and the results revealed that although teachers’ views on EF readiness were not directly associated with children’s academic gains, children’s approaches to learning – which included behavioral manifestations of EF skills – mediated the relationship positively and significantly. This study thus sheds light on the bidirectional interactions between teachers’ beliefs and children’s early skill development, especially those focusing on EF skills.

Author

• Xinyi Zoe Mao, University of Virginia
  Presenting Author