A Multivariate Analysis of Emotional and Behavioral Adjustment and Preschool Educational Outcomes

Abstract

The study examined the multivariate relationship between dimensions of preschool emotional and behavioral adjustment assessed at the beginning of the year by the Adjustment Scales for Preschool Intervention (ASPI) and multiple learning and social competencies at the end of the year with an urban Head Start sample. This study also examined the differential pattern of emotional and behavioral problems for children identified to receive services by Head Start staff. Results indicated that overactive dimensions at the beginning of the year predicted socially disruptive problems in the classroom at the end of the year. Underactive problem dimensions were associated with disengagement in play and poor emergent literacy and classroom learning outcomes. Findings indicated that Head Start staff underidentified children with emotional/behavioral problems as a group, with a pattern toward identifying children with overactive needs. Children with underactive needs were least likely to be detected by the staff and were most at-risk for poor school readiness outcomes. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.