Behavioral self-regulation is a component of self-regulation, which manifests as the explicit behavior resulting from the collaboration of executive function, language, and movement. It integrates attention focus, working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility abilities. This ability plays a crucial role in the development of preschool children, including internalizing problems, externalizing problems, social skills, and academic achievement. Numerous intervention studies have demonstrated the high plasticity of preschool children's behavioral self-regulation and its sensitivity to the environment. According to the Family Systems Theory, various elements in the ecosystem may influence the development of behavioral self-regulation in preschool children. However, there is a lack of research examining the impact of social relationships on the growth rate of behavioral self-regulation in Chinese children. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of mother-child relationships, peer relationships, and teacher-child relationships on the initial level and growth rate of behavioral self-regulation in preschool children.
A total of 120 children from small classes (65 boys and 55 girls) participated in this study and were assessed on behavioral self-regulation annually in April when they were 4, 5, and 6 years old (T1, T2, and T3, respectively). At T1, assessments were conducted for mother-child, teacher-student, and peer relationships. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to estimate the intercept and slope of behavioral self-regulation based on data from the three time points. This analysis aimed to investigate the impact of children's social relationships on the development of behavioral self-regulation. Results indicated a negative correlation between the intercept and slope1 (slope between T1 and T2, r = -.74) as well as slope2 (slope between T2 and T3, r = -.21). Furthermore, hierarchical regression analysis revealed no gender differences in the initial status of behavioral self-regulation. But boys exhibited a faster growth rate than girls between the ages of 4 and 5, while girls showed a faster growth rate than boys between the ages of 5 and 6. Additionally, children with higher levels of maternal education had a higher initial state but a lower growth rate of behavioral self-regulation between the ages of 4 and 5. Interestingly, maternal education no longer affected their children's behavior self-regulation after the age of 5. Although mother-child relationships did not influence children's behavioral self-regulation, teacher-child and peer relationships did have an impact. Specifically, a higher level of intimacy between teachers and children at the age of 4 was associated with a higher initial status of behavioral self-regulation and a lower growth rate between the ages of 5 and 6, but it did not affect the growth rate between the ages of 4 and 5. Moreover, the higher level of peer rejection at the age of 4 were associated with the slower development of behavioral self-regulation between the ages of 4 and 5, but it did not affect the growth rate between the ages of 5 and 6. In children with low maternal education, those who experienced more peer rejection at 4 exhibited faster growth in behavioral self-regulation between the ages of 5 and 6, compared to those who experienced less rejection at 4.
These results provided insights into the developmental characteristics of behavioral self-regulation in children aged 4~6 and highlighted the impact of social relationships on children's behavior self-regulation. It confirmed the importance of environmental factors, particularly social relationships, in the development of children's behavioral self-regulation. Furthermore, the findings emphasized the significance of low peer rejection and high teacher-child relationship intimacy in promoting the development of children's behavioral self-regulation. These findings served as a reference for intervention research aimed at enhancing behavioral self-regulation and social skills in early childhood.
Key words
behavioral self-regulation /
executive function /
peer relationship /
teacher-child relationship /
latent growth modeling
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