Classroom supports for academic achievement: Testing the mediating effect of social competence using latent growth modeling

Social and behavioral problems can interfere with a child's acquisition of age-appropriate skills, which may lead to later academic failure as well as to antisocial behavior in adolescence and adulthood. Evidence suggests that high-quality early learning experiences as well as immersion in stable learning environments between prekindergarten and third grade can help children with social and behavioral problems succeed in school and beyond. Thus, researchers, policymakers and practitioners are not only being encouraged to take a broader view of the skills necessary for later academic and life success, but also to consider carefully the experiences needed to support positive developmental outcomes. Using longitudinal data on a sub-sample of 503 children who participated in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), I tested a set of hypotheses about the simultaneous effects of classroom experiences at pre-kindergarten, first and third grade on children's social skills and problem behavior across this developmental period, as well as on their subsequent fifth-grade achievement, using latent growth modeling.;Several findings are noteworthy. First, consistent immersion in classrooms that are more emotionally supportive resulted in better social skills and fewer problem behaviors at pre-kindergarten and third grade, as well as better fifth-grade achievement, even after correcting for observed family, child and neighborhood selection factors; this effect did not exist for classrooms that were more academically focused. Second, positive social and behavioral skills in third grade resulted in higher teacher ratings of fifth-grade reading and mathematics skills. Third, the effects of classroom emotional support on children's reading and mathematics skills were mediated by children's true initial and final level of social skills and problem behavior. Finally, the effects of social and behavioral skills and classroom experiences on achievement were not explained by observed family, child and neighborhood selection factors. Effect sizes were small to modest. Researchers and practitioners must consider that academic achievement derives from a combination of behaviors and experiences that work synergistically to produce positive developmental outcomes.