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Bidirectional associations between vocabulary and self-regulation in preschool and their interplay with teacher–child closeness and autonomy support

2018; Elsevier BV; Volume: 46; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.04.004

1873-7706

Joana Cadima, Sílvia Barros, Tiago Ferreira, Marina Serra-Lemos, Teresa Leal, Karine Verschueren,

Parental Involvement in Education

In the present study, we examine the bidirectional associations between child vocabulary and self-regulation and their interplay with two relational dimensions, teacher–child closeness and autonomy support in preschool. Participants were 208 young children (50% boys; M = 4 years and 11 months, SD = 0.71) from socially disadvantaged areas in Portugal. Self-regulation and vocabulary were assessed at the beginning and end of the year. Teachers reported on levels of teacher–child closeness and autonomy support. A series of path analyses were conducted and tests of direct and indirect effects were included in the models. Results showed bidirectional effects between self-regulation and vocabulary, such that self-regulation at the beginning of preschool was a significant predictor of expressive vocabulary at the end of preschool year, and receptive vocabulary skills at the beginning of preschool year predicted self-regulation at the end of preschool year, controlling for earlier receptive vocabulary and self-regulation skills. In addition, teacher–child closeness uniquely predicted expressive vocabulary, whereas teacher autonomy support uniquely predicted self-regulation.