A child's ability to control his behaviors and impulses affect his reading, mathematics and vocabulary scores, according to new research from Oregon State University.
Michaella Sektnan and her colleagues studied 1298 children from birth to first grade. Many of these children had factors such as poverty and low parental educational levels that put them at risk for poor academic performance. Sektnan took out these factors so that the study was only about the child's ability to self-regulate, defined as paying attention, listening, following directions, and staying on task.
Children with these abilities scored about ten points higher in math, vocabulary and reading on tests during kindergarten.
"What we wanted to know is, controlling for factors such as poverty, ethnic status, and maternal education, does self-regulation make a difference? ... We know now that we can help children become successful by teaching them how to self-regulate," Sektnan said.
This study appears in the journal Early Childhood Research Quarterly.
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