Does Gender Moderate the Relations Between Externalizing Behavior and Key Emergent Literacy Abilities? Evidence From...

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Externalizing behaviors in preschool children are linked to later academic challenges.
• Emergent literacy skills are crucial predictors of later reading success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of gender on the relationship between externalizing behaviors and emergent literacy in preschoolers.
• To examine how externalizing behaviors predict changes in emergent literacy over time, considering gender differences.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study of 178 preschool children (48% boys, mean age 48.5 months).
• Assessed externalizing behaviors and emergent literacy skills over time.
• Analyzed predictive associations, examining gender-specific patterns.

Main Results:

• Externalizing behaviors significantly predicted emergent literacy development.
• Gender-specific patterns emerged: girls with higher externalizing behaviors showed less vocabulary growth.
• Vocabulary development trajectories differed between boys and girls based on behavior levels.

Conclusions:

• Early identification programs should consider gender differences when assessing externalizing behaviors and emergent literacy.
• A theoretical framework suggests girls with behavior problems may have fewer vocabulary acquisition opportunities.
• Interventions may need to be tailored to address gender-specific challenges in emergent literacy for children with externalizing behaviors.