Task-Oriented Kindergarten Behavior Pays Off in Later Childhood

Objective: Research has traditionally neglected child-learning skills as important when entering kindergarten. In this article, we consider a novel dimension of school readiness by examining prospective associations between early classroom engagement skills, reflecting self-regulation and the ability to remain on task, and later academic adjustment in emerging adolescence. Methods: Kindergarten teachers rated classroom engagement skills of 960 children from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. Outcomes measured at 10-years-old children include a direct assessment of achievement in mathematics and fourth-grade teacher ratings of academic achievement, teacher-child conflict, inattention, victimization, proactive and indirect aggression, and antisocial behavior in the classroom. Results: Multiple regression analyses revealed that kindergarten classroom engagement skills were associated with better fourth-grade math test scores and teacher-rated academic success. Early classroom engagement also predicted less teacher-child conflict, inattention, victimization by peers, proactive and indirect aggression, and antisocial behavior in fourth grade. Conclusion: Easily measurable, context-based assessments of task orientation and focus represent robust components of children's readiness to learn at school entry.