유아기 기질의 종단적 프로파일과 학령 초기 학교 적응

Abstract

This study identifies patterns of change in temperament among infants aged 2 to 4 years old, and investigates the relationships between such patterns and school adjustments in the first grade of elementary school. Five distinct latent classes for patterns of change in children’s temperament emerged through latent profile analysis using three-year data from the Panel Study on Korean Children (N = 1,869): a) inactive & shy child (13.5%), b) decreasing activity & mild child (44.0%), c) highly emotional & unsociable child (13.4%), d) decreasing emotionality & highly sociable child (14.7%), and e) emotional & sociable child (14.4%). Significant associations with the five profiles of temperament were found for both gender and birth order of the children. Only the inactive & shy child class had more girls than boys; 47.1% of the children in the highly emotional & unsociable child class were the second child, while all other classes had more first children. Each child in the inactive & shy child class had a higher level of adjustment to school life than those in the highly emotional & unsociable child and the decreasing emotionality & highly sociable child classes when the children were seven years old. As for academic achievement, children in the decreasing activity & mild child class, in the decreasing emotionality & highly sociable child, and in the emotional & sociable child class exhibited more adjustments than those in the highly emotional & unsociable child class. Among the sub-domains of school adjustment, peer adjustment and teacher adjustment for the first grade of elementary school did not have significant associations with longitudinal profiles of temperament. The findings indicate that temperament through early childhood predicts adjustment to school life and academic achievement at an early school age.