Examining Self-regulatory Behaviors and Attention Difficulties in Early Childhood Literacy Achievement

Authors

Obi Bryan Lawrence, Florida International UniversityFollow

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Major/Program

Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor's Name

Joyce C. Fine

First Advisor's Committee Title

Co-Committee Chair

Second Advisor's Name

Mido Chang

Second Advisor's Committee Title

Co-Committee Chair

Third Advisor's Name

Elizabeth D. Cramer

Third Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Fourth Advisor's Name

Andy V. Pham

Fourth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Keywords

Self-regulation, attention difficulties, autonomy, adaptability, persistence, literacy achievement, early childhood, structural equation modeling, hierarchical linear modeling, hierarchical regression

Date of Defense

6-9-2023

Abstract

This collected studies dissertation examined students’ self-regulatory behaviors, attention difficulties, and first-grade literacy achievement, and whether self-regulatory behaviors had a long-term effect on second and third-grade literacy. Additionally, these studies explored first-grade students’ autonomy, adaptation, and persistent behaviors in literacy achievement. The motivation for these studies was to expand national educational reforms calling for preparing K-12 students to become college and career ready based on state academic standards. Academic self-regulatory behaviors are vital factors that contribute to students’ literacy success beyond students’ sociodemographic differential effects. To understand the contributions of self-regulatory behaviors to the increasing academic complexities and expectations in today’s K-12 classrooms, these studies examined students’ characteristics and behaviors using methodologically comprehensive models that include target and background variables to explain literacy achievement using an existing national dataset. The data used for the studies came from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) collected by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The data included the second kindergarten cohort that began in 2010-2011 (ECLS-K:2011) and followed participants through fifth grade (2015-2016). While conducting analyses to reach research goals, the study created primary constructs utilizing several indicator variables. Teachers completed surveys relating to students' self-regulatory behaviors and attention in first grade. The studies considered students’ sociodemographic characteristics as the primary source for student diversity and analyzed the differential effects of constructs for the diverse population. The sociodemographic variables were collected through parent interviews when the student entered the cohort of the ECLS study. The collection of studies expands the understanding of the effects of students-self-regulatory behaviors on literacy achievement by considering students’ sociodemographic characteristics using structural equation modeling, hierarchical linear modeling, and hierarchical regression. The studies found that first-grade students’ self-regulatory behaviors and attention difficulties significantly mediate literacy achievement and noted the differential effects for various sociodemographic groups. Additionally, the study found the long-term effect of first-grade students’ self-regulatory behaviors extending to their second and third grades. Lastly, the studies showed that students’ autonomy, adaptability, and persistence accounted for the significant variance in literacy achievement.

Identifier

FIDC010983

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1178-5884

Recommended Citation

Lawrence, Obi Bryan, "Examining Self-regulatory Behaviors and Attention Difficulties in Early Childhood Literacy Achievement" (2023). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5194.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5194