Bidirectionality in behavioral regulation, emotional competence, and expressive vocabulary skills: Moderation by preschool social-emotional programs

Abstract

This study sought to explore the bidirectional associations between children's behavioral regulation (BR), emotional competence (EC), and expressive vocabulary (EV) skills. We examined the bidirectional relations between children's BR, EC, and EV within the context of an impact study of three social-emotional learning (SEL) programs and whether the bidirectional relations are moderated by the SEL program implemented. The findings revealed bidirectionality between these developmental skills across the full sample (n = 2114). The moderation analysis suggests that Preschool PATHS and Incredible Years' programs had similar cross-lagged paths between EC and EV skills. No bidirectional relations were found among children in Tools of the Mind classrooms. The SEL programs' moderating effect speaks to the unique role that these programs can play in directly improving children's skills and supporting the dynamic nature of skills development. Therefore, preschool programs can consider implementing SEL programs to support children's language and social and emotional needs.