Behavioural regulation and early academic skills in Hong Kong

Abstract

This present study examined the relationship among behavioural regulation, early language development and early mathematics skills. Participants were 111 children ranging in age from 4 to 5 years attending kindergarten participating in the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme in Hong Kong. Behavioural regulation was assessed directly with the Head-to-Toe task which requires the children to perform the opposite of the instructed command. Receptive and expressive language ability, and mathematics skills will be assessed by the Pre-primary and Primary Chinese Literacy Scale (PPCLS) Test A, a verbal fluency test, and a mathematics competency test respectively. There was a positive correlation between behavioural regulation ability and background variables such as age, father’s education level and prior years of early childhood education. Significant correlations between behavioural regulation and early receptive and expressive language and mathematics skills were also demonstrated.