Developmental pathways of noncognitive competence among Korean preschoolers: Findings from Latent Space Rasch Model

• In Event: Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: PS 14 Topic - School Readiness/Childcare

Abstract

Non-cognitive competence (NCC), defined as learners' personal traits related to academic performance or socioemotional adjustment in school (Sheridan et al, 2010), is a core school readiness skill during the transition to school. Evidence has suggested that parenting engagement (PE), consisting of (a) warmth and sensitivity, (b) support for the child’s emerging autonomy, and (c) active participation in learning, is a key factor for young children's NCC development (Edwards et al., 2008). Identifying contextual factors embedded within larger systems that may exert an influence on maternal PE can provide an opportunity to gain more nuanced understandings of processes involved in the development of NCC in children during the transition to school. This study sought to examine longitudinal effects of contextual factors on parenting behaviors and subsequently on the development of NCC among preschoolers in Korea. Additionally, drawn from an item response theory perspective, especially the Latent Space Rasch Model (LSRM), we investigated Korean preschooler's NCC characteristics drawn from mothers’ PE and contextual factors by analyzing response patterns in all measures. This effort would allow us to delineate cultural commonality and specificity in parenting behaviors related to the development of NCC in preschoolers.
Using the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC), an ongoing longitudinal study since 2008 (N=961), we first examined developmental pathways to children's NCC development using path analysis in Mplus. Two factors from the child's exosystem level were included as independent variables: mother’s perceived social support and community resources for mothers (age 5). For the children's microsystem level mediator, we examined maternal PE: mothers' 1) warmth and sensitivity, 2) controlling and authoritarian behavior, and 3) active participation in learning (age 6). For the outcome variable, we used the children's NCC, measured with mothers' reports on the children's 1) communication skills, 2) learning attitudes, and 3) social-emotional development (Murphy & Burn, 2002) (age 7). Second, we examined characteristics of children's NCC from mothers’ PE and environmental factors using LSRM in R.
Path analysis revealed that at the macrolevel mother’s social support at age 5 significantly increased PE at age 6, which increased children’s NCC at age 7. Further LSRM analysis showed that at the microlevel only controlling and authoritarian parenting behavior produced response patterns that were identical to all items measuring children’s NCC, indicating the more Korean mothers respond positively toward items for controlling and authoritarian parenting behavior in PE, the more Korean mothers perceive their children having well-developed NCC.
Findings indicate the need to strengthen mothers’ social support during children’s early years to enhance the quality of PE and subsequently children’s NCC, highlighting the importance of promoting paternal involvement and other support systems for mothers in Korea. Further, Korean mothers’ response patterns may reflect Korea’s strong emphasis on children’s academic achievement; Korean mothers with controlling and authoritarian parenting style, rather than more positive parenting styles, are more likely to view their children’s NCC well developed. Further implications for cultural specificity in parenting styles will be discussed.

Authors

• Youn Sil Hur, Yonsei University
  Presenting Author

• Jieun Choi, Yonsei University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Eunho Jo, Yonsei University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Dabin Jeong, Yonsei University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Emily Pierschbacher, Yonsei University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Hyoun K. Kim, Yonsei University
  Non-Presenting Author