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Peer effects on Head Start children's preschool competency

Dawn DeLay1, Laura D Hanish1, Carol Lynn Martin1

  • 1T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University.

Developmental Psychology
|October 20, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Young children in Head Start programs choose friends with similar preschool competencies. Peer influence also shapes children's competency development over time, even when controlling for other factors.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Social Psychology
  • Educational Psychology

Background:

  • Preschool competency is crucial for academic success.
  • Understanding peer dynamics in early education settings is important.
  • Head Start programs serve diverse populations of young children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if children select peers based on preschool competency.
  • To investigate if peer competency influences a child's own competency.
  • To examine these relationships within the Head Start program.

Main Methods:

  • Social network analysis was used to map peer interactions.
  • Intensive observations of children's peer interactions over one academic year.
  • Statistical controls for child (sex, language) and family (financial strain, parent education) factors.

Main Results:

  • Children selected interaction partners with similar levels of preschool competency.
  • Children's preschool competency levels were influenced by their peers' competency over time.
  • These findings remained significant after controlling for covariates.

Conclusions:

  • Peer selection and influence are significant factors in preschool competency development.
  • Findings highlight the importance of social dynamics in early learning environments.
  • Implications for interventions aimed at enhancing preschool competency in Head Start children.

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