Stability and Change in Early Social Skills Development in Relation to Early School Performance: A Longitudinal Study of A Swedish Cohort

The study investigates the social skills of kindergarten children aged 3 to 5 and how these skills are developed and can play a role in early school performance. The purpose is to see if boys’ and girls’ developmental trajectories of social skills and school performance can be influenced or explained by various individual, familial, and kindergarten-related factors. The research questions are:

1. Can stability and/or change of social skills in early childhood be identified, and can gendered patterns be distinguished?
2. What individual, family and kindergarten-related factors show unique correlations with different developmental trajectories of social skills in early childhood?
3. Are the different identified developmental trajectories of social skills in early childhood associated with positive or negative early school performance, and do these potential associations remain valid when taking other kindergarten-related factors into account that may be important for early school performance?

The results show that both stability and change in social skills can be identified. Persistently low social skills increase the risk of poor school performance, while consistently high social skills increase the likelihood of good school performance in primary school. The analyses show that both individual and familial factors influence the course of development of social skills. Differences were also identified between boys and girls in terms of the factors that influence and affect the development of social skills. The study provides useful information about the measures that can help children develop high social skills, which in turn can influence their performance later in school. It also emphasises the importance of adapting the measures so that gender differences are taken into account.

The researchers have used data from the SOFIA study (Social och Fysisk utveckling, Insatser och Anpassning) which is a research project in Sweden. The study includes 2121 kindergarten children in a medium-sized Swedish municipality. The current study includes data collected when the children were 3-5 years old in 2010, as well as when they were between 5-7 years old in 2012 and between 8-10 years old in 2015. The data were collected using questionnaires that were answered by parents, kindergarten teachers and primary school teachers. Statistical analyses were conducted to investigate stability and changes in children’s social skills and how they can affect early school skills. The analyses also look at variations between sexes and take into account potential influencing factors such as behavioural problems, challenging emotional traits, positive upbringing, parental well-being, parent-teacher relationships, and the child’s connection to kindergarten.

Frogner, L., Hellfeldt, K., Ångström, A. K., Andershed, A. K., Källström, Å., Fanti, K. A., & Andershed, H. (2022). Stability and Change in Early Social Skills Development in Relation to Early School Performance: A Longitudinal Study of A Swedish Cohort. Early Education and Development, 33(1), 17–37.

Online year: 2021

Issue year: 2022

Review year: 2022