Elements of Children's Social Functioning
October 2005
The most consistent predictor of children's social development through the early school years turns out to be the sensitivity of maternal behavior across the infant, toddler, and preschool years. Recent research by UW-Madison education professor Deborah Lowe Vandell and colleagues in the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network shows that early family and child care factors predict a child's social adaptation in school.
Children's social and behavioral competencies—and problems—in the early grades are important indicators of both early and later school success. But half of the nation's kindergarten teachers reported that most of the children in their class lacked competencies in working independently, following directions, and peer relations, according to data from a recent survey.
Vandell and colleagues found that children are most likely to benefit from the resources provided to them in the early grades, and to succeed in later grades, if they demonstrate a cluster of social skills: communicating effectively, following directions, and cooperating; being attentive, enthusiastic, and actively involved in classroom activities; asking for and receiving help when needed; and getting along with other children.
Longitudinal studies show that children with problems in social functioning are at risk for failure in school. These problems include inattention, poor impulse control, difficulties following directions and conforming to classroom rules and routines, disruptive behavior, and aggression toward peers. There is growing evidence that early-emerging problems can interfere with developmental progress in social and academic settings. About 10% of young children may have adjustment problems serious enough to impair their functioning.
The study of early child care and youth development was designed to advance understanding of the relative role(s) of family, child care, and school experiences in predicting social functioning in the early grades. Good quality child care can enrich and promote academic development. At the same time, early and extensive child care is sometimes associated with increased problem behavior, particularly externalizing behavior, and was found in one study to be associated with lower than expected cognitive skill in the preschool years.
Vandell was particularly interested in how the first-grade classroom environment related to changes in children's social functioning from the time of school entry to the end of first grade. She studied family demographics, maternal characteristics (depression symptoms, sensitivity), and three dimensions of child care experience (quantity, quality, and attendance in center-based care)—in relation to children's social functioning at the end of first grade.
Family factors predict social functioning
When attempting to nurture children's social development, Vandell says, it's important to target resources before preschool. Academic and achievement skills in preschool appear to affect some aspects of social performance in school (primarily the child's self-reliant functioning in the classroom). Yet children's academic achievement is not a primary determinant of social functioning. This study found that family factors, as well as child care experiences before the transition to school, predict children's social functioning in first grade. For example, children whose mothers provided more sensitive care were rated as showing fewer externalizing problems and greater social skills as first graders. They were also rated as displaying greater self-reliance and being more engaged in the classroom.
These findings provide continued support for the fundamental role of mothers' sensitive interaction with children in shaping social and self-regulatory skills in early childhood. These results are consistent with other work from other NICHD studies demonstrating that child care quality is a stronger predictor of academic functioning than social functioning, and that time in nonmaternal care is the aspect of child care experience that is related to social functioning.
This study provides support for the role of early social development in predicting subsequent social functioning as children move from family and child care settings into school, and for the role of family and child care settings in shaping early social development. In addition, the results provide evidence for significant but fairly limited effects of schooling on social functioning—both in terms of the support to social development provided by emotionally warm and responsive classrooms and the potential stress associated with highly structured classroom settings.
Funding for this research was provided by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Some material in this article originally appeared in different form in the journal Child Development, November/December 2003, vol. 74, No. 6, pp. 1639-1662.
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