Childhood Studies: Behavioural Engagement in the Transition to School

This article evaluates the importance of classroom environment and social relationships for children's inhibitory power and behavioural engagement in learning. It analyses the positivism paradigm used in the research and the contributions of self-regulation, teacher-child relationships and classroom climate to behavioural engagement in learning.

Running head: CHILDHOOD STUDIES
CHILDHOOD STUDIES
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Introduction
The dynamic shift into formal education primarily involves when children tend to shift
from predominately communicating with parents and initiate interaction with other children as
well as educators. Children typically have been exposed to newly developed influences and
settings which modify their later events thus marking such an evolution a sensitive period for
later school achievements. Portilla et al. (2014) have noted that such intricate social settings tend
to position substantial demands on young children such as kindergarteners need to form new
relationships thus regulating their impulse and further focus and pay attention and efficiently
involve in learning material. According to Martin and Rimm-Kaufman (2015) the way young
children have been dealing with these transitions has been essentially associated to behavioural
engagement in learning. Furthermore, behavioural engagement can primarily be explained as
learners’ active engagement in the classroom assignments that entails conforming to classroom
regulations and practices and proficiently reflecting self-directed behavioural patterns. Moreover,
considering critical implication of behavioural engagement, it has been essential to distinguish
procedures which support such engagement during school transition of children. The following
paper aims to evaluate aspects related to children and schooling and understand children’s voice
and power relationship in the educational setting. Additionally, the paper will analyse the
positivism paradigm used in the chose article “QuarterlyChild engagement in the transition to
school: Contributions of self-regulation, teacher–child relationships and classroom climate” and
identify the methodology conducted by the researchers in the article by highlighting the article’s
strength and weaknesses.
Discussion

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Cadima et al. (2016) have found a general conformity that early experiences in school
have been highly critical for shaping young children’s prospective academic careers. However,
children who have the ability to acquire academically early on continue to exhibit achievement
gains and the ones who tend to face challenges with learning encounter persistent unconstructive
implications for a prolonged time. Thus, in order to develop early school experience, it has been
highly imperative to efficiently realize competencies which support learning and assertive
relationship quality with educators. According to Pears et al. (2015), two major areas of
children’s performance have been perceived to envisage school willingness along with academic
achievement identified as children’s self-regulation skills. Furthermore, expanding to the
transactional model of development to the young children’s school context, it has been theorized
that children’s behavioural patterns and classroom setting tend to interrelate bidirectional
procedures. Studies of Martin and Rimm-Kaufman (2015) have revealed that relationship
between teacher-child bond quality and children’s behavioural patterns tend to create patterns
which contribute to inputs as well as outcomes to developmental process of young children.
The article “QuarterlyChild engagement in the transition to school: Contributions ofself-
regulation, teacher–child relationships and classroom climate” primarily focusing on the reality
of child engagement in the transition to school has applied a positivism research paradigm in
order envelop a wide-range of situations in a short period of time. In addition to this, the
researchers of this article have efficiently carried a positivist approach to area of knowledge by
relying on positivist approach to knowledge. Portilla et al. (2014) have stated that by applying a
positivist approach theoretical implications of particular study can be fundamentally generalized
at a larger extent with which information for similar issues with diverse social context can be
easily collected. Cadima et al. (2015) by conducting quantitative approach on the patterns of

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behavioural engagement in education over kindergarten and first grade along with the offerings
of child inhibitory power in addition to components related to classroom context have been able
to draw potential predictions and maintained consistency, increased reliability as well as
explicability while gathering data from the sample of 145 children and their kindergarten as well
as first-grade educators (Cadima et al., 2015).
Considering the significance of behavioural engagement it has been highly crucial to
recognize processes which support such forms of involvement during radical school transition.
Moreover, according to Buhs et al. (2015), as there can be found insignificant amount of study
related to this specific subject area across kindergarten and first-grade years and factors
supporting process of behavioural engagement the paper on behavioural engagement has
evaluated the way individual child attributes such as self-regulation along with factors related
teacher–child relationship quality, classroom organization which tend to merge to envisage
behavioural engagement across kindergarten and first grade (Martin & Rimm-Kaufman, 2015).
However, realizing the offerings related to child as well as contextual antecedents to behavioural
engagement in the two years development period which can be highly critical aimed for
comprehensive consideration of child school achievements.
Cadima et al. (2015) by outlining a universal-ecological model of engagement has
essentially analysed certain cross-grade patterns regarding of behavioural engagement in learning
over kindergarten and first grade and the contributions of child inhibitory control. The Martin &
Rimm-Kaufman (2015) have primarily conducted a quantitative research paradigm with a
sampling size of 145 children with their kindergarten and first-grade teachers. Additionally in
order to perform appropriate instrumentation for suitable statistical treatments of the data,
researchers have videotaped as a functional participant observation during the initial sessions of

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their kindergarten learning. Following to the videotape participant observation session to gather
increased level of reliability, two waves of data collection have been conducted in which
researchers of this study primarily executed classroom observations at the foundation level of the
learning process for two consecutive months (Levine et al., 2014). However during the data
collection period proficient observers who did not partake during classroom observations
evaluated the levels of behavioral engagement following a number of observational periods
during the school day. Furthermore, Cadima et al. (2015) to evaluate classroom organization
have implemented the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) in order to understand
the degree to which educators have been using effectual procedures to understand, assess and
redirect any factors of misconduct by young children. Blair & Raver (2015) have noted that
potentially constructive interaction and behaviour of children during the transition period have
been captured in order to condense personal influence on the results. The statistical data gathered
through participant observation and scoring system have revealed reduced levels of child and
educator negotiation with increased levels of intimacy (Blair & Raver, 2015). Additionally, on
one hand by evaluating within level it has been revealed that behavioural engagement in
kindergarten mediated the involvement between teacher–child contact as well as elevated
application of perceived peer–teacher contradictory dealings and meanwhile assessing
behavioural engagement in first grade (Flook et al., 2015).
Meanwhile, Virtanen et al. (2014) have found the way participant observation has
facilitated the accessibility for a comprehensive description which primarily tend to signify the
behavioural patterns of informants and offers avenues for involving in unscheduled events.
Cadima et al. (2015) by conducting participant observation research method has aimed to
enhanced the quality of data collection and augment the progress of new research questions or

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hypothesis related to the behavioural engagement in education over kindergarten and first grade
along with the offerings of child inhibitory power in education over kindergarten and first grade
along with the offerings of child inhibitory influence. The participant group of around 145
children with mean age of 6 years and 2 months has been enrolled in 30 classrooms in schools in
Flanders, Belgium (Portilla et al., 2014). Cadima et al. (2016) have observed that participants
engaged in the present sample have been part of the interim longitudinal study with data waves
in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade. However, it has been essential to note few children
did not engage in the current sample because of parents resistant in participating in the study.
At this juncture, drawing relevance from social capital theory, authors have considered
whether the classroom setting tends to envisage engagement of young children. Studies of Martin
and Rimm-Kaufman (2015) have revealed that influencing children and classroom attributes,
young children constituting reasonable and interconnected peer associations have shown greater
propensity of being engaged in future academic performance. According to social capital theory
when students have been engaged in classroom activities with adequate access to peers for
educational or social sustainability, classroom intellectual activities tend to have greater
availability to them (Virtanen et al., 2014). However, Diaz et al. (2017) have stated that as
unified and inclusive settings primarily construct a safe space to connect children in the primary
activities of the setting, school intervention study has essentially acknowledged this notion.
Furthermore, interventions which support integrated or unified communities improve
behavioural engagement level of young children for kindergarten and first grade further relating
to constructive effects of child or class extensive social or intellectual connections on the
modification of children with behavioural complexities (Blair & Raver, 2015).

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Martin and Rimm-Kaufman (2015) have stated that challenges of children with self-
regulation have been perceived as a highly precipitate and inattentive behavioural pattern in early
classroom environment. According to Martin and Rimm-Kaufman (2015), such behavioural
patterns have been primarily distinguished as indicators of reduced inhibitory control specifically
factors related to response inhibition in the milieu of impulsive behaviours and intervention
reserve in the context of inattentiveness. Moreover, Cadima et al. (2015) have theorized that lack
of attention along with impulsivity tend to emerge when children encounters challenges with
emotional self-regulation and working memory. According to Portilla et al. (2014), consequently
young children who show severe lack of self-regulation tend to develop emotions of being
socially alienated thus losing ground from classroom participation. The findings of Martin and
Rimm-Kaufman (2015) have showed support for the unconstructive impacts of supposed
perceived peer–teacher conflicted associations on behavioural engagement in learning.
Moreover, it has been noted that despite levels of negotiations with a particular child, this
particular child can further be adversely affected by an elevated proportion of challenging
relationships in the classroom setting. Additionally, considering the interconnectedness between
teachers and children during this significant phase of children development Pears et al. (2015)
have examined the impact of educator child relationship quality on children’s functioning must
also consider the individual attributes that a child carries into the school surroundings and the
way these characteristics tend to modify transactions between teacher-child relationship
excellence and the child.
One of the major strengths of the articles of Cadima et al. (2015) has relied on the fact
whether the value of classroom association tends to add up to behavioural engagement while
taking into account both individual as well as relational factors. The paper through critical

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participant observation has revealed that classroom settings of kindergarten and first grade
students has been regarded as vital contributors in learning behavioural engagement in education.
Furthermore, drawing relevance from the view of social capital theory in addition to
classification theories related to social development by paying attention on peer resources as well
as structures within classroom setting has established an in-depth understanding of classroom
development which can envisage behavioural engagement of young learners (Flook et al., 2015).
However, emphasizing on the impact of teacher-student associations based on intimacy, further
query must be based on the suppositions on behavioural engagement has been highly influenced
by attributes which have its occurrences at the classroom level or by quality which function
fundamentally at individual level. On the other hand, Virtanen et al. (2014) have noted that
although alleged peer–teacher conflict evaluation scores have been calculated based on an
outsized sample, with an average of approximately 8 peers, a more consistent evaluation has
been required in order to include the scores of all children engaged in the classroom.
Conclusion
Hence to conclude, the findings of the article significantly shed light on the importance of
classroom environment along with social relationships and further focus on children’s inhibitory
power for behavioral engagement in learning. Furthermore it has been noted that young children
exhibited greater inclination in classroom settings in which educators have implemented
dynamic behavior management approaches along with recognized conventional practices
furthermore applied a productive utilization of time. Such approaches by educators have been
productive to enable young children of 6 years to 0.2 years to spend greater amount of time and
energy in playful activities.

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