Poster #211 - Under-Controlled, Over-Controlled, and Resilient Children: Later Adjustment to First Grade

• In Event: 3-206 - Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Two groups of children with temperamental characteristics who may have difficulty adjusting to school during early childhood are under-controlled and over-controlled children (Zentner & Bates, 2008). Under-controlled children have high approach/anticipation, anger/frustration, and activity; and low attention and inhibitory control. Over-controlled children have low approach/anticipation, and high fear, shyness, and sadness. The present study identified these 2 groups of children (and a group of resilient children) at age 4 ½. Under-controlled children were hypothesized in first grade to have more conflict with teachers, be less engaged and more disruptive in the classroom, have poorer achievement, and more negative peer interactions and lower peer status. Over-controlled children were hypothesized in first grade to have lower peer status and less-skilled peer interactions during recess.

This study used data collected on 1364 children from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. When the children were 4 ½ years old, mothers completed the CBQ temperament questionnaire, (Rothbart), assessing approach/anticipation, anger/frustration, attention focusing, activity level, inhibitory control, fear, shyness, and sadness. In 1st grade, teachers completed the STRS (Pianta) and scores of child-teacher closeness and conflict were created. Child positive peer status was assessed using teacher ratings of peer status. Child-peer interactions at recess were observed and coded for child prosocial behavior, assertive behavior, and positive and negative interactions with peers. Children’s behavior in the classroom was observed and coded for engagement, positive/neutral interactions with the teacher, and negative/disruptive behavior. Children’s academic achievement was assessed using the Woodcock-Johnson letter/word identification, word attack, and applied math problem-solving achievement tests.

K-means cluster analyses created the 3 hypothesized groups using the temperament subscale scores. Under-controlled children, n = 242, had higher approach/anticipation, anger/frustration, and activity and lower attention and inhibitory control than resilient and over-controlled children. Over-controlled children, n = 240, had higher fear and shyness than resilient and under-controlled children. Resilient children, n = 233, had higher attention and inhibitory control and lower approach/anticipation, fear, shyness, anger/frustration, and sadness than over-controlled and under-controlled children. Planned comparisons, controlling for income, tested differences between the 3 groups of children for first-grade child outcomes (see Table 1).

The hypotheses for under-controlled children were supported. Under-controlled children had more conflict with their teachers and less positive peer status than over-controlled or resilient children. During recess, under-controlled children were less prosocial than resilient children. In class, under-controlled children were less engaged and more disruptive than over-controlled and resilient children. There were no differences between the groups for teacher-child positive/neutral interactions. Under-controlled children had lower achievement than resilient children. Some of the hypotheses for over-controlled children were supported. Although, over-controlled children did not have lower peer status than resilient children, during recess, over-controlled children were less assertive and prosocial than resilient children. However, over-controlled children also were less likely to engage in negative peer interactions than resilient or under-controlled children. In summary, this longitudinal, large sample, study found evidence that under-controlled children do have more problems than resilient children in first grade. In contrast, over-controlled children had good adjustment.

Authors

• Anne Dopkins Stright, Indiana University - Bloomington
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rachel A. Gross, Indiana University - Bloomington
  Presenting Author