Causal search algorithms have been effectively applied in different fields including biology, genetics, climate science, medicine, and neuroscience. However, there have been scant applications of these methods in social and behavioral sciences. This article provides an illustrative example of how causal search algorithms can shed light on…

Early onset of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems is associated with persistent and more severe academic, social, and mental health challenges later in life. Understanding the factors that increase children's risk of developing these behavior problems prior to the start of formal school is important for preventing their emergence…

Using the data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011), this paper proposes to theoretically redefine and empirically capture the concept of emotional capital as it applies to students, employing five components (engagement, school belonging, grit, peer social support, and life satisfaction). The…

This study examines the association between class size, teacher characteristics and five non-cognitive student outcomes (i.e., self-control, interpersonal skills, approaches to learning, externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors) in grades K-3. Individual fixed-effects, that control for observed and unobserved time-invariant factors,…

Background: Research highlights the value of coaching to support elementary school teachers' use of effective classroom practices (Cappella et al., 2012; Owens et al., 2017). Coaching is particularly useful when teachers implement new or complex strategies, which can include culturally-responsive and equity-centered practices (i.e. strategies that…

Background: Both transactional and common etiological models have been proposed as explanations of why externalizing behavior problems (EBP) and internalizing behavior problems (IBP) co-occur in children. Yet little research has empirically evaluated these competing theoretical explanations. We examined whether EBP and IBP are transactionally…

Research has consistently shown that difficulties in facial emotion recognition (FER) are associated with peer problems and internalizing symptoms during middle childhood. However, no longitudinal research has investigated the direction of effects, that is, how these constructs influence each other across time. In this preregistered three-wave…

Background: The Student Assistance Program (SAP) is mandated kindergarten to 12th grade in Pennsylvania schools to address barriers to student academic success. Following student referral, SAP teams use a systematic process to inform recommendations for school or community-based services. To evaluate program outcomes, a review of student SAP…

The present study investigated the relationship between two major components of executive functioning (EF) and externalizing behavior problems (EBP) during the early elementary years. More specifically, Working Memory (WM) and Cognitive Flexibility (CF) measured in kindergarten through second grade were used to predict teacher ratings of EBP in…

Guided by models of family unpredictability, this study was designed to identify the distinctive sequelae of disorganized interparental conflict, a dimension of interparental conflict characterized by abrupt, inexplicable changes in parental emotional lability, conflict tactics, and verbalizations. Participants included 208 kindergarten children…

This study compared the relative contribution of earliest assessment of preschool children's context-specific problem behaviors with subsequent observations of those behaviors for the prediction of later academic and sociobehavioral performance in first grade. Using a nationally representative sample of low-income children from the Head Start…

This manuscript reports the results of two pilot studies that investigated the views of international cohorts of teacher educators regarding the efficacy of the flipped classroom paradigm in K-12 schools. A void in the literature addressed by each pilot study was the relevance of flipped classrooms to student subgroups requiring specialized…

The aim of the study is to determine experiences of children attending a preschool class and their teacher about class rules, desirable and undesirable behaviors and strategies followed by the teacher concerning these behaviors. The study is a case study, which is one of the qualitative research methods. The participants were 14 children attending…

School moves are common during elementary school in the United States. The authors address whether changing schools and residences affects the academic and behavioral development of young students. Utilizing data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, the regression analyses show that, after controlling for prior achievement and behavior,…

Income disparities in children's academic and behavioral skills have grown larger over the past 50 years. At the same time, economic segregation across communities has increased, raising questions regarding the role of community factors in explaining income gaps in children's functioning. Combining geospatial data with longitudinal survey data…