Socioeconomic status and the adjustment to school: The role of self-regulation during early childhood

Competing theoretical interpretations posit children's capacity for self-regulation as playing a spurious role, a mediating role, and a moderating role in the relationship between children's socioeconomic status (SES) and the adjustment to school. This study empirically examined these interpretations by investigating the role of children's self-regulation in the relationship between children's SES and three school adjustment outcomes: (1) overall problems in children's interpersonal relationships in school (2) teachers' assessment of hyperactivity-attention deficiency, and (3) teachers' expectations of children's present and future scholastic ability. The results indicated that associations between self-regulation outcomes and the adjustment to school were not spurious; they persisted after children's SES background was controlled, Self-regulation served as a mediator of the association between children's SES and both interpersonal problems at school and teachers' expectations, and self-regulation served as a moderator of the relationship between children's SES and teachers' assessment of hyperactivity-attention deficiency.