Task-related and social behaviors of teacher-identified preschool children at risk for behavior problems were examined in two school settings, a structured instructional context and an unstructured free play context. Participating as study subjects were 42 preschoolers from low-income, minority families attending local Head Start programs, 21 from a teacher-identified problem behavior group and 21 from a nonidentified comparison group. The problem behavior group was composed of approximately equal numbers of children at risk for externalizing and internalizing behavioral problems. Results demonstrated that on-task behavior was significantly higher in the instructional context in the free play context, and group differences in on-task, aggressive, and prosocial behavior depended on context.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AbikoffH., Gittelman-KleinR., & KleinD. F. (1977). Validation of a classroom observation code for hyperactive children.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 45, 772–783.
2.
AndersonD. (1983). Prevalence of behavioral and emotional disturbance and specific problem types in a sample of disadvantaged preschool-aged children.Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 12(2), 130–136.
3.
BattleE. S., & LaceyB. (1972). A context for hyperactivity in children over time.Child Development, 43, 757–773.
4.
BeckoffA. G., & BenderW. N. (1989). Programming for mainstream kindergarten success in preschool: Teachers’ perceptions of necessary prerequisite skills.Journal of Early Intervention, 13, 269–280.
5.
CampbellS. B. (1990). Behavior problems in preschool children.New York: Guilford Press.
6.
CampbellS. B., BreauxA. M., EwingL. J., & SzumowskiE. K. (1986). Correlates and predictors of hyperactivity and aggression: A longitudinal study of parent-referred problem preschoolers.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 14, 217–234.
7.
CampbellS. B., & ClussP. (1982). Peer relationships of young children with behavior problems. In RubinK. H., & RossH. S. (Eds.), Peer relationships and social skills in childhood.New York: Springer-Verlag.
8.
CampbellS. B., EwingL. J., BreauxA. M., & SzumowskiE. K. (1986). Parent-referred problem three-year-olds: Follow-up at school entry.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 27, 473–488.
9.
CohenN. J., & MindeK. (1983). The ‘hyperactivity syndrome’ in kindergarten children: Comparison of children with pervasive and situational symptoms.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24, 443–455.
10.
ConoverW. J., & ImanR. L. (1981). Rank transformations as a bridge between parametric and non-parametric statistics.American Statistician, 35, 124–129.
11.
CronbachL. J., GlaserG. C., NadaH., & RajaratnamN. (1972). The dependability of behavioral measurements: Theory of generalizability for scores and profiles.New York: Wiley.
12.
CrowtherJ. H., BondL. A., & RolfJ. E. (1981). The incidence, prevalence, and severity of behavior disorders among preschool-aged children in day care.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 9, 23–42.
13.
EarlsF. (1980). The prevalence of behavior problems in 3-year-old children.Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 19, 439–452.
14.
FeldbaumC. L., ChristensonT. E., & O'NealE. C. (1980). An observational study of the assimilation of the newcomer to the preschool.Child Development, 51, 497–507.
15.
FischerM., RolfJ. E., HasaziJ. E., & CummingsL. (1984). Follow-up of a preschool epidemiological sample: Cross-age continuities and predictions of later adjustment with internalizing and externalizing dimensions of behavior.Child Development, 55, 137–150.
16.
FornessS. R. (1983). Classroom observation: A procedures manual for gathering research or clinical data on children in ongoing classroom situations.Culver City, CA: Bradley.
17.
FornessS. R., & FinnD. (1993). Screening children in Head Start for emotional or behavioral disorders. In RutherfordR. B.Jr., & MathurS. R. (Eds.), Severe behavior disorders of children and youth (Vol. 16, pp. 6–14). Reston, VA: Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders.
18.
GreenwoodC. R., WalkerH. M., & HopsH. (1977). Issues in social interaction/withdrawal assessment.Exceptional Children, 43, 490–499.
19.
HalversonC. F., & WaldropM. F. (1973). The relations of mechanically recorded activity level to varieties of preschool play behavior.Child Development, 44, 678–681.
20.
HendricksonJ. M., StrainP. S., ShoresR. E., & TremblayA. (1982). Functional effects of peer social initiations on the interactions of behaviorally handicapped children.Behavior Modification, 6, 323–353.
21.
HendricksonJ. M., StrainP. S., TremblayA., & ShoresR. E. (1982). Relationship between toy and material use and the occurrence of social interactive behaviors by normally developing preschool children.Psychology in the Schools, 19, 212–220.
22.
HindeR. A., EastonD. F., & MelierR. E. (1984). Teacher questionnaire compared with observational data on effects of sex and sibling status on preschool behavior.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 25, 285–303.
23.
HinshawS. P., HanS. S., ErhardtD., & Huber-DresslerA. (1992). Internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in preschool children: Correspondence among parent and teacher ratings and behavior observations.Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 21(2), 143–150.
24.
JacobR. G., O'LearyK. D., & RosenbladC. (1978). Formal and informal classroom settings: Effects on hyperactivity.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology6, 47–59.
25.
KohlerF. W., StrainP. S., MaretskyS., & DeCesareL. (1990). Promoting positive and supportive interactions between preschoolers: An analysis of group-oriented contingencies.Journal of Early Intervention, 14, 327–341.
26.
KohnM., & ParnesB. (1974). Social interaction in the classroom — A comparison of apathetic-withdrawn and angry-defiant children.Journal of Genetic Psychology, 125, 165–175.
27.
LernerJ. A., InuiT. S., TrupinE. W., & DouglasE. (1985). Preschool behavior can predict future psychiatric disorders.Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 24(1), 42–48.
28.
LoeberR. (1982). The stability of antisocial and delinquent child behavior: A review.Child Development, 53, 1431–1446.
29.
McGeeR., & SilvaP. A. (1982). A thousand New Zealand children: Their health and development from birth to seven (Special Report Series No. 8). Auckland: Medical Council of New Zealand.
30.
McGeeR., SilvaP. A., & WilliamsS. (1984). Perinatal, neurological, environmental, and developmental characteristics of seven-year-old children with stable behavior problems.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 25, 573–586.
31.
PaterniteC. E., LoneyJ., & LanghorneJ. E. (1976). Relationships between symptomatology and SES-related factors in hyperkinetic/MBD boys.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 46(2), 291–301.
32.
RichmanN., StevensonJ., & GrahamP. (1982). Preschool to school: A behavioural study.London: Academic Press.
33.
RobertsM. A. (1990). A behavioral observation method for differentiating hyperactive and aggressive boys.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 18(2), 131–142.
34.
RobertsM. A., RayR. S., & RobertsR. J. (1984). A playroom observational procedure for assessing hyperactive boys.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 9(2), 177–191.
35.
RubinK. H. (1982). Social and social-cognitive developmental characteristics of young isolate, normal, and sociable children. In RubinK. H., & RossH. S. (Eds.), Peer relationships and social skills in childhood.New York: Springer-Verlag.
36.
RubinK. H., & ClarkM. L. (1983). Preschool teachers’ ratings of behavioral problems: Observational, sociometric, social-cognitive correlates.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 11, 273–286.
37.
RubinK. H., HymelS., & MillsR. S. L. (1989). Sociability and social withdrawal in childhood: Stability and outcomes.Journal of Personality, 57, 237–255.
38.
SchleiferM., WeissG., CohenN., ElmanM., CvejicH., & KrugerE. (1975). Hyperactivity in preschoolers and the effect of methylphenidate.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 45(1), 38–50.
39.
SerbinL., LyonsJ., MarchessaultK., & MorinD. (1983). Naturalistic observations of peer-identified aggressive, withdrawn, aggressive-withdrawn, and comparison children. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Detroit, Michigan.
40.
WalkerH. M., & SeversonH. H. (1990). Systematic screening for behavior disorders: A validated project of the national diffusion network.Longmont, CO: Sopris West.
41.
WalkerH. M., SeversonH., StillerB., WilliamsG., HaringN., ShinnM., & TodisB. (1988). Systematic screening of pupils in the elementary age range at risk for behavior disorders: Development and trial testing of a multiple gating model.Remedial and Special Education, 9(3), 8–14.
42.
WernerE., & SmithS. (1977). Kauai's children come of age.Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
43.
WhalenC. K., CollinsB. E., HenkerB., AlkusS. R., AdamsD., & StrappJ. (1978). Behavior observations of hyperactive children and methylphenidate (Ritalin) effects in systematically structured classroom environments: Now you see them, now you don't.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 3, 177–187.
