ERIC Number: EJ1469365
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-May
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-3920
EISSN: EISSN-1467-8624
Available Date: 2025-01-16
Connecting Language Abilities and Social Competence in Children: A Meta-Analytic Review
Child Development, v96 n3 p930-946 2025
Research examining relations between language skills and social competence has yielded mixed findings. Three meta-analyses investigated links between language skills (overall, receptive, and expressive) and social competence in 2- to 12-year-old children. Data from 130 studies representing 62,120 children (M age at language assessment = 4.70 years; 52% male), predominantly from North America and Europe, and identifying as White (33%), Black (17%), Hispanic (14%), Asian (2%), Mixed (4%), Indigenous (1%), and Other/Unspecified (29%) were analyzed. Analyses indicated significant medium-sized associations between social competence and: overall language (r = 0.27), receptive language (r = 0.23), and expressive language (r = 0.20). Exploratory analyses indicated significant moderating effects of study design, publication status, social type, and geographic region. Results and implications are discussed.
Descriptors: Language Skills, Interpersonal Competence, Children, Receptive Language, Expressive Language, Research Design, Publications, Geographic Regions
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Data File: URL: https://osf.io/9zr28/?view_only=b398a94734cf41e6bd12d9d1f84eb80c
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; 2Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada; 3Libraries and Cultural Resources, University of Calgary, Canada; 4Owerko Centre, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Canada