Socio-Emotional Skills, Behavior Problems, and Spanish Competence Predict the Acquisition of English Among English Language Learners in Poverty

This article analyzes the role that individual differences in children's cognitive, Spanish competence, and socio-emotional and behavioral skills play in predicting the concurrent and longitudinal acquisition of English among a large sample of ethnically diverse, low-income, Hispanic preschool...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Developmental psychology Vol. 50; no. 9; pp. 2242 - 2254
Main Authors:	Winsler, Adam, Kim, Yoon Kyong, Richard, Erin R
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Washington, DC American Psychological Association 01-09-2014
Subjects:	Behavior Behavior Problems Biological and medical sciences Child Behavior Disorders - psychology Child clinical studies Child, Preschool Children Cognition Cognitive Ability Cognitive psychology Developmental psychology Early Childhood Assessment Instrument Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (Revised) Educational psychology Emotional Intelligence Emotional Response Emotions English (Second Language) English as Second Language English language Family Characteristics Female Florida Foreign Language Learning Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Hispanic Americans Hispanic Americans - psychology Hispanic people Human Humans Individual Differences Kindergarten Language acquisition Language Development Language proficiency Language Skills Language Tests Latinos/Latinas Learning Accomplishment Profile Longitudinal Studies Low Income Groups Male Medical sciences Multilingualism Multivariate Analysis Oral Language Proficiency Scale Parent Influence Poverty Poverty - psychology Predictor Variables Preschool Children Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry Psychology. Psychophysiology Psychopathology. Psychiatry Pupil and student. Academic achievement and failure Schools Second Language Learning Skills Social Behavior Social behavior disorders Social behaviour Social Skills Spain Spanish Speaking Statistical Analysis Florida dual language learner English language learner (ELL) English acquisition Latino/Hispanic social skills Human Preschool age Academic achievement Socioeconomic status Poverty Nursery school Cognition Latinamerican Ethnic group Behavioral disorder Learning English Acquisition process Language Sociodemographic factor Social aptitude Bilingualism Predictive factor Child
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Summary:	This article analyzes the role that individual differences in children's cognitive, Spanish competence, and socio-emotional and behavioral skills play in predicting the concurrent and longitudinal acquisition of English among a large sample of ethnically diverse, low-income, Hispanic preschool children. Participants assessed at age 4 for language, cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral skills were followed through kindergarten. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that Spanish-speaking preschoolers with greater initiative, self-control, and attachment and fewer behavior problems at age 4 were more successful in obtaining English proficiency by the end of kindergarten compared to those initially weaker in these skills, even after controlling for cognitive/language skills and demographic variables. Also, greater facility in Spanish at age 4 predicted the attainment of English proficiency. Social and behavioral skills and proficiency in Spanish are valuable resources for low-income English language learners during their transition to school.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0012-1649 1939-0599
DOI:	10.1037/a0037161