Developmentally Appropriate Practices As Predictors of Self-competence Among Preschoolers

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the use of developmentally appropriate practices in the classrooms is related to the perception of self-competence among preschoolers. Ninety-one children (females = 46, males = 45) of several ethnic origins, attending seven different preschool programs, participated in the study. Self-competence was measured using the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance; developmentally appropriate and inappropriate practices were measured using the Checklist for Rating Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Classrooms. Regression analysis to determine whether the use of developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood influenced the perception of self-competence among preschoolers indicated that teaching strategies, curriculum goals, motivation, and guidance of social-emotional development were found to be significant predictors of the peer acceptance component of self-competence, but not to other components. The results suggest that developmentally appropriate curricula promotes opportunities for social development of children.