Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the association between the self-regulation skills, classroom context, and academic achievement in a sample of Spanish-English speaking Dual Language Learners (DLLs) from low-income homes. Considering the national focus on improving early education for DLL children enrolled in early childhood programs, it is important to examine the measurement of developmental skills, like self-regulation, that contribute to later success. The current study (1) examined the association between a direct assessment and an ecobehavioral observation of self-regulation skills, (2) examined which contexts of the preschool classroom were associated with children's use of self-regulated behaviors, and (3) investigated the relationship between self-regulation skills and academic achievement. The sample included 341 Spanish-English speaking DLL children from low-income homes. Results indicated that (1) there was no association between the direct assessment and the ecobehavioral observation of self-regulation skills, (2) DLL children display higher self-regulation skills in specific classroom contexts (e.g., small group, play-like instruction, when the teacher is interacting with the child), and (3) directly assessed self-regulation has some positive association with science, math, and language achievement. These findings stress the importance of the classroom contexts for DLL children's behavior and the differences in measurement tools used to assess early self-regulation skills because they have different associations with academic achievement.