Poster #76 - Exploring Key Factors of Emotion Regulation in Prekindergarten

• In Event: 2-163 - Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Section - Education, Schooling

Integrative Statement

Purpose: This study explored the effects of Early Head Start program participation in cultivating emotion regulation of Pre-K children and the relations of cognitive competence, parent-child interaction and children’s emotion regulation ability.

Methods: Secondary data analysis was conducted in this study. The sets were collected from Head Start Family Information System (HSFIS), Enrollment Forms, and MPR Tracking System. This dataset was collected from July 1996 to September 1998 and only for low-income families with children whose birth from 1995 to 1998. Children should be up to 12 months old at the time of recruitment. Total 3,001 families from 17 Head Start programs were retrieved in this study. This yielded 1132 samples including 594 treatment group samples and 538 control group samples.

Analysis: Multi linear regression with sequential predictor entry was conducted in this study. Two blocks composed the sequential entry with predictors of program implementation, child gender, poverty level, and mother age in first block and Bayley, NCAST Parent and NCAST Child score in the second block as focal predictors.

Results: Neither program intervention nor poverty level had significant impacts on the Leiter-R Emotion Regulation Standard Score. Child gender was correlated with the outcome, with r = 0.23, p < 0.01, indicating that scores from male children were significantly lower than the scores of female children. A direct relationship was shown between Bayley Score and the outcome (r = 0.24, p < 0.01), as well as a correlation between NCAST Parents Score and the outcome (r = 0.12, p < 0.01).

Discussion: These results emphasize the importance of cultivating children’s cognitive competencies as a strong predictor of their emotional regulation ability and skill.

Authors

• Anran Ouyang, University of Washington
  Presenting Author

• Gail E Joseph, University of Washington
  Non-Presenting Author