Early growth trajectories of children's approaches to learning: The contribution of parent and family characteristics

Abstract

Children's approaches to learning (AtL) has been identified in research and policy as a key domain of children's school readiness. However, relatively little is known about the child and family factors that shape early AtL, how it varies in the general population, or how it develops and changes through the early years of schooling. This exploratory study examined the growth of children's AtL over six occasions spanning kindergarten through second grade in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey (ECLS‐K) class of 2010–2011 as predicted by parenting and family characteristics. Latent classes of AtL growth were identified through growth mixture modeling and regressed onto explanatory covariates to uncover patterns and sources of variation in children's AtL. Results revealed higher and lower AtL growth classes significantly associated with demographic and parenting variables measured in kindergarten. In particular, sex (male) and poverty were associated with lower AtL trajectories, whereas the presence of both biological parents in the household and parent involvement at school and at home predicted membership in the higher AtL group. Implications of these findings for further clarification and exploration of AtL as a construct are discussed.

Parenting style and Chinese preschool children’s pre-academic skills: A moderated mediation model of approaches to learning and family socioeconomic status

“…ATL has been documented as a significant contributor to children’s academic achievement in many studies (e.g., Schmerse, 2020 ), however, empirical work examining the mediating role of ATL in the pathway from family factors to children’s academic achievement is relatively limited. Moreover, prior research suggests that children’s ATL varies across diverse socioeconomic status (SES) families ( Buek, 2019 ). However, the question remains unclear whether ATL functions similarly or differently across children of different SES families.…”

Preschoolers’ Approaches to Learning and Family-school Connections During COVID-19: An Empirical Study Based on a Wuhan Sample

“…Among preschoolers, older children had higher scores on indicators of ATL than the younger ones (Bell et al, 2013 ). Child gender might be another factor because preschool girls were found more attentive and persistent than boys (Buek, 2019 ; McWayne et al, 2004 ). In addition to child characteristics, children’s relationship with their families, parenting styles and beliefs, family income, and parental education are also important factors in children’s ATL development.…”

“…Secure-attached children who had a high-quality relationship with their families were more likely to develop curiosity, enthusiasm, and persistence (Arend et al, 1979 ). Children from low-income families were at risk of poorer ATL performance, whereas children whose parents have higher education and more progressive parenting beliefs were found to have higher ATL scores (Buek, 2019 ; Burchinal et al, 2002 ). Furthermore, the relationships between children and teachers and preschool program quality might be important school influences.…”

Approaches to Learning in Elementary Classrooms: Contribution of Mastery Motivation and Executive Functions on Academic Achievement

“…Some domain-general processes include motivation, self-regulation and persistence to support school success (e.g., Finch & Obradović, 2017). Several authors have pointed out that mastery motivation and executive functions are both critical components of approaches to learning and lay a foundation for academic achievement (Barrett et al, 2017;Buek, 2019). Here, approaches to learning refer to the attributes that help children learn, such as enthusiasm, self-regulation, persistence, motivation, interest, flexibility, initiative, reflection, attentiveness, cooperation, and independence (Li et al, 2019).…”