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Published on: February 11, 2017
Intra-Individual Variability in Children's Self-Regulation in Kindergarten Classrooms: An Observational Study
1Institute for Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Developmental Science
|August 11, 2026
Summary
Children's self-regulation skills fluctuate daily and across activities. This study reveals significant individual differences in this variability, highlighting the impact of classroom context and relationships on attention and inhibitory control in young children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Children's self-regulation (SR) assessment typically occurs at a single timepoint, limiting understanding of its variability.
- Intra- and inter-individual differences in SR are crucial for development but often overlooked.
- Existing research lacks a nuanced view of how SR fluctuates across different contexts and time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the intra-individual variability of children's self-regulation across multiple observations and activities.
- To examine individual differences in the degree of self-regulation variability.
- To explore factors associated with self-regulation variability, including classroom context and child characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Repeatedly observed self-regulation (attention control, inhibitory control) in 201 Swiss kindergarteners across 10 classroom sessions.
- Utilized an observational measure to capture two key dimensions of self-regulation.
- Employed multilevel location-scale models within a dynamic structural equation modeling framework to analyze variability.
Main Results:
- Substantial intra-individual variability in self-regulation was observed across the 10 classroom sessions.
- Significant differences were found in the degree of intra-individual variability among children.
- Variability in attention control linked to teacher-student relationship closeness; variability in inhibitory control differed by gender (boys more variable).
Conclusions:
- Young children's self-regulation skills exhibit considerable variability across days and activities.
- Individual differences in self-regulation variability are significant and influenced by factors like teacher relationships and gender.
- Momentary regulatory demands within classroom activities play a critical role in shaping children's self-regulation capacities.
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