Associations between preschool quality and children's social-emotional development until 2nd grade of elementary school

Abstract

The study investigates the longitudinal associations between preschool quality and children's social-emotional development from preschool until second grade of elementary school. Data stems from 554 German children (48% female, 85% German ethnic background). Children's social-emotional skills (emotional self-regulation, aggressiveness, and prosocial behavior) were assessed at age 3.7 years and again at the age of 8.3 years. Results revealed that associations between preschool quality and children's social-emotional development depended on children's gender: Higher quality was associated with better social-emotional development for boys but not for girls. Boys attending higher quality preschools caught up with girls in their social-emotional skills by 2nd grade, whereas boys attending low(er) quality preschools did not. This gendered pattern of results was robust across the two observational measures of preschool quality and across three social-emotional outcomes. Results underline the importance of considering individual child characteristics in preschool quality research.