This longitudinal study examined the interactive effects of individual- and classroom-level teacher-child relationships on developing externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behaviors in kindergarten children over time. On two occasions separated by about 1 year, data were collected from 473 kindergarten children (52% boys, M[subscript age] =…

Education researchers and practitioners have been exploring for years the key factors impacting children's academic engagement. Still, relatively little is known about the role of children's social cognition in their academic engagement. Accordingly, the current study focuses on the potential indirect associations between young children's social…

This study reframes the issue of kindergarten office discipline referrals (ODRs) as an opportunity to enhance social-emotional learning (SEL) and create a supportive classroom environment rather than solely focusing on managing disruptive behaviors. Discipline issues significantly impede learning and interventions must be more consistent and…

Research Findings: Students perceived as struggling to regulate their emotions and behavior are at risk for experiencing classroom and school exclusion beginning in preschool. In this preliminary and exploratory secondary data analysis study, we examined teachers' self-reported use of classroom-based soft exclusionary discipline practices with…

In this article, we provide guidance about when planned ignoring should be considered, questions that may arise, and step-by-step procedures for implementing. A scenario of a kindergarten student is used to illustrate planned ignoring and possible questions regarding implementation in an educational setting. Forms and resources are provided to…

Students' and teachers' social-emotional learning (SEL) is the foundation upon which academic learning can thrive. A systematic implementation of SEL programs, with teachers' awareness of how they affect the implementation, is needed to understand its implications of embedding SEL in the classroom. This qualitative study aimed to examine how…

Considerable interest is directed to promoting children's success as they transition to kindergarten. It is generally proposed that children who experience lower levels of transition difficulties at kindergarten entry achieve higher academic and social-emotional gains, although this premise has seldom been explicitly evaluated in tandem with…

Urban elementary school teachers face many challenges in the classroom. Addressing challenging student behaviors is one of these challenges. Challenging student behaviors, which include disruptive behaviors such as noncompliance and verbal aggression, can impede student engagement, and if students are not engaged, their learning is stymied.…

Research Findings: The goal of this longitudinal study was to examine persistence development during the transition to school. The sample consisted of N = 88 children from Caucasian, middle-class families (51% female). Participants were recruited through advertisement in public kindergartens and were tested twice, in kindergarten (mean…

This research examined growth and co-occurrence of latent developmental patterns of classroom behavior problems among young, economically disadvantaged children. A nationally representative sample (N = 3,827) of children was assessed for overactive and underactive behavior problems through two years of prekindergarten, kindergarten and first…

While there is a strong research base that supports intervening early in mathematics, research investigating the importance of mathematics vocabulary is still emerging. Practitioners and researchers may benefit from understanding how mathematics interventions support mathematics vocabulary acquisition, particularly for students who struggle with…

Many studies have established that there are important life-long benefits of attending pre-K. At the same time, recent research suggests that pre-K attenders may enter and exit kindergarten exhibiting less optimal social and learning behaviours than their non-attending peers, and little attention has been paid to what factors may contribute to…

Although academic benefits of pre-K are well established, the associations between pre-K attendance and social and learning behaviours are less clear. Some research suggests that pre-K attenders may enter and exit kindergarten exhibiting less optimal social and learning behaviours than their non-attending peers, and little attention has been paid…

Elementary school students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are likely to experience social difficulties and challenges with peer relationships (e.g., victimization, rejection, isolation, and negative peer influence). A particularly salient influence on students' classroom-based social experiences is how they are…

This study provides an empirical investigation into the lives of kindergarten-aged left-behind children (LBC) who could not migrate with their parents in rural China. Two research questions are answered as follows: (1) What are the characteristics of the LBC in kindergarten and at home? and (2) How does family cultural capital influence the LBC's…