The "first-grade problem" of the lack of concentration, listening, and following of instruction has been widely identified among Japanese kindergarten students. To promote their executive functioning and self-regulation to prevent this issue, we developed the Social Thinking and Academic Readiness Training (START) program. The…

This analysis examined key protective factors among preschool children in low-income, rural areas. Teacher-reported Devereux Early Childhood Assessments for Preschoolers were completed for 182 Head Start children (54% female, 46% male) from seven rural, midwestern communities. The majority of children were in the typical range for each protective…

This paper provides a comprehensive review of the role of self-regulation for academic achievement and behavior in the early childhood education classroom. It discusses neurocognitive processes involved in self-regulation including response inhibition, voluntary attention, and working memory. Response inhibition creates a delay in responding which…

Physical activity--including outdoor motor play--has been associated with learning and brain-related functions and abilities in elementary school children and adolescence. Few studies have been conducted on the relationships between active play and these cognitive processes in preschool aged children. Several investigations have revealed that…

The current study is an examination of the teacher--child relationships (closeness and conflict) as a predictor of children's self-regulation in preschool, with a focus on child gender as moderator of associations between teacher--child relationships and children's self-regulation. Participants were 291 low-income children (159 males; 37-70 months…

Teachers report that teaching young children who exhibit defiant and challenging behavior is the most difficult component of their work. This article explores four decades of textbook and research literature recommendations and 4 years of teacher reflections. Common themes of control, power, and anger were identified. A significant finding was…