What you say and how you say it: Preschoolers' growth in vocabulary and communication skills differentially predict kindergarten academic achievement and self-regulation

The idea that language skills support school readiness, predicting later self-regulation and academic success, is widely accepted. Although vocabulary is often emphasized in the developmental literature, the ability to use language appropriately in the classroom, or social communication skills, may also be critical. This paper examined longitudinal contributions of vocabulary and social communication skills, from preschool to kindergarten, to kindergarten academic achievement (reading and math) and self-regulation (executive functions and learning behaviors). Participants were 164 children (14% Latinx, 30% Black, 56% White; 57% girls) enrolled in Head Start programs. Results revealed that initial levels and growth in vocabulary and communication skills predicted better academic achievement. Social communication skills uniquely predicted self-regulation, after accounting for vocabulary. We discuss potential mechanisms for these links and recommend that strategies to build social communication skills be incorporated in preschool interventions promoting school readiness.

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Work Title What you say and how you say it: Preschoolers' growth in vocabulary and communication skills differentially predict kindergarten academic achievement and self-regulation
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Kizzann Ashana Ramsook
  2. Janet Welsh
  3. Karen Bierman
Keyword
  1. language development, self-regulation, academic achievement, vocabulary, pragmatics
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Acknowledgments
  1. This project was supported by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grant HD046064 and the Institute of Education Sciences grant R305B090007. The views expressed in this article are ours and do not necessarily represent the granting agencies. We appreciate the cooperation of our partners in this project: the parents, students, teachers, and program personnel of the Head Start programs of Huntingdon, Blair, and York counties in Pennsylvania and the many school districts that supported follow-up assessments.
Publisher
  1. Social Development
Publication Date 2021
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. 10.1111/sode.12425
Deposited March 15, 2021

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  • Created
  • Added Creator Kizzann Ashana Ramsook
  • Added Creator Janet Welsh
  • Added Creator Karen Bierman
  • Updated Acknowledgments Show Changes
    Acknowledgments
    • This project was supported by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grant HD046064 and the Institute of Education Sciences grant R305B090007. The views expressed in this article are ours and do not necessarily represent the granting agencies. We appreciate the cooperation of our partners in this project: the parents, students, teachers, and program personnel of the Head Start programs of Huntingdon, Blair, and York counties in Pennsylvania and the many school districts that supported follow-up assessments.
  • Added Ramsook Welsh Bierman 2021.docx
  • Updated Keyword, Publisher, Publisher Identifier (DOI), and 1 more Show Changes
    Keyword
    • language development, self-regulation, academic achievement, vocabulary, pragmatics
    Publisher
    • Social Development
    Publisher Identifier (DOI)
    • 10.1111/sode.12425
    License
    • https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/
  • Published
  • Updated
  • Updated