This study explores the effects of direct kindness instruction on second-grade students' social and emotional well-being. Amidst the growing integration of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) into educational curricula, this research specifically focuses on the aspect of kindness, a vital yet often under-explored component of SEL. Conducted in a…

Pronounced developmental progression during the transition to formal schooling can be found in executive functions (EF) and metacognition (MC). However, it is still unclear whether and how EF and MC influence each other during this transition. Previous research with young children suggests that inhibition may be a prerequisite for monitoring…

Interventions targeting cognitive control processes, such as Executive Functions (EF) have recently been experimented to enhance early math skills. This pilot study explored the feasibility and effectiveness of an intervention integrating EF activities into the mathematical domain among second-grade students. One hundred and four…

Social skills are dynamic developmental constructs typically measured using assessments developed via cross-sectional methods. The measurement model of derivatives (MMOD), a factor analytic approach targeting individual growth trajectories, was used to evaluate the longitudinal factor structure of the Social Skills Improvement System--Rating…

At school entry, girls are rated by teachers as more competent on measures of social skills than boys. It is less clear if this higher rating is stable or grows over time. To address this question, multiple group curve of factors models investigated gender-specific growth trajectories across seven waves of measurement in a large, longitudinal…

Children appear to be faced with more stressors today than ever before, and schools are tasked with providing social and emotional support and instruction to help their students navigate life's ups and downs. The purpose of this mixed methods action research case study was to explore the effectiveness of mindfulness-based practices as a social and…

We investigate the relationship between preschoolers' self-regulation and their mathematical competence and its development over the first two years of primary school using data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). Our results imply a positive association between self-regulation and mathematical competence levels, even when…

Studies with extensive observations of real-life emotions at school are rare but might be especially useful for predicting school-related outcomes. This study evaluated observations of negative emotion expressivity in lunch and recreation settings across kindergarten, first grade, and second grade (N = 301), kindergarten teachers' reports of…

Self-regulatory efficacy (SRE) among elementary school children is of interest because pupils' self-regulation capacities and SRE influence in managing learning situations. This study investigated variations in the four sources of SRE and how these variations were related to SRE, reading skills and arithmetic skills. The participants were 1284…

This dissertation explores strengths-based approaches to literacy development with social-emotional assets. A mixed-methods study was used to conceptualize, design, and investigate the practical need for an instrument kindergarten through second-grade teachers could use to identify students' social-emotional assets for literacy independence in…

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the Zones of Regulation program, as a tier II intervention for elementary age students who were identified by their teachers as struggling with self-regulation. Minimal research has been dedicated to the Zones of Regulation program. Nonetheless, educators are using the program regularly…

This study investigated elementary school children's development of monitoring and control when learning from texts. Second (N = 138) and fourth (N = 164) graders were tested in the middle (T[subscript 1]) and end (T[subscript 2]) of the school year. The study focused on the cross-sectional and longitudinal development of monitoring and control,…

This study examined differential and mediating relations between hot and cool self-regulation (M[subscript age] = 48.2 months; N = 1,155, 48% girls), first-grade (M[subscript age] = 77.5 months) maladjustment (externalizing [EXT] and internalizing [INT] behavior), and first- and second-grade (M[subscript age] = 89.5 months) academic competence…

Several mental health programs have been developed in clinics and transported into schools, which has great potential for increasing access to intervention for students who may not be otherwise served. However, such programs may lack consideration of the complexity and constraints of schools, including the diversity of student needs and…

Research Findings: Children's readiness to handle the expectations of elementary school depends heavily on their self-regulation skills. Self-regulation includes both cognitive and behavioral elements; however, past studies have typically looked at cognitive and behavioral self-regulation in isolation or as a composite score rather than examining…