Introduction
Child development involves continuous changes psychologically, biologically and emotionally from the time of infancy up to the end of adolescence. Growth and development are always used interchangeably, but it is important to note the difference in that growth involves the physical changes in child’s body shape, size, height, weight, arms, and legs length whereas development encompasses a continuous progression in complex knowledge. A child’s growth and development are always divided into four periods; infancy, preschool years, middle childhood years and adolescence.
The study in this article is about the need to belong theory which gives the relationship between social exclusion and self-regulation. The major issue or problem that necessitated the study was to find out whether social exclusion affects the development of self-regulation of children. The theory suggests that the ability to self-regulate can be impaired by social exclusion as evident by a 2-year longitudinal panel study that included a transition from preschool to school. The theory was evaluated by examining the longitudinal relations between social exclusions, as reported by the teachers, and self-regulation, as declared by the parents, in a large community sample of young children, with both measured in preschool and two years later, in first grade. Alternative hypothesis employed the study suggested that self-regulation is affected by social functioning. The study involved both quantitative and qualitative method since a sample of 768 children were investigated in determining the relationship between social exclusion and self-regulation which was later used to gauge cognitive capacity as measured by performance on intelligence tests.
Method
After obtaining a written consent according to the procedures approved by the regional committee for medical and health research ethics, parents and 672 children were invited as participants when attending the obligatory checkup for four years old at their local well-chick clinic. Parents’ data on self-regulation were collected through interviews and questionnaires while the social exclusion reports about the children were obtained from teachers who were given questionnaires sent to day care centers at T1 and primary schools at T2. For social exclusion, three items were picked according to criteria of theoretical validity and statistical reliability. These variables were: “not liked by other children,” “Doesn’t get along with other children,” and “Gets teased a lot.” Teachers rated each item for each child using a 3 point scale ranging from 0 (not true), through 1 (sometimes true) to 2 (very true or often true). For self-regulation, children behavior questionnaire included measures of pathological deficiencies in regulation from preschool age psychiatric assessment, as well as temperamental management capacities.
Results
Among the major findings of the study were as follows. Higher levels of social exclusion and lower levels of self- regulation co-occurred at both T1 and T2. Additionally, both social exclusion and self-regulation were significantly stable across the transition to school. Furthermore, the ad hoc measurement of social exclusion and the multifaceted operationalization of self-regulation yielded a substantial statistical coherence. In addition to the above findings, it was realized that the path from self-regulation at T1 towards social exclusion at T2 was fixed to zero. It can, therefore, be concluded that the findings confirm the author’s hypothesis since the results justify a reciprocal relationship between social exclusion and self-regulation across the transition to school.
Discussion
The obtained results from the study are very significant in the field of child development because of various reasons. First, the social exclusion predicted the impaired development of dispositional self-regulation from age 4 to age 6, indicating that children socially excluded in the preschool exhibit poorer development of self-regulation capacities compared to non-excluded children. Secondly, it was also established that poor self-regulation in preschool predicted increased social exclusion two years later. Thus, preschool children who exhibited poor self-regulation were at risk of experiencing social exclusion in school compared to peers with better self-regulation.
The study, however, had some limitations that might in one way or the other compromised the authenticity of the findings. The results might have been stronger if dedicated measures of the social exclusion and self-regulation constructs were used. The broad operationalization of the self-regulation may be criticized for being over-inclusive. Another limitation is that social exclusion was only measured in preschool and at school despite the fact that many children have social experiences with peers beyond the confines of these settings. If the study were to be done again, I would recommend that more dedicated measures of self-regulation be adopted but not in an over-inclusive manner by giving a chance for diversity. Above all, to depict the actual picture, I would recommend that the study is conducted in a more diverse environment like markets, churches, homesteads and even schools. Based on the current findings, the authors have recommended the promotion of conditions in schools that encourage peer acceptance, friendliness, and pro-sociality.
Application
This article is a reflection of real picture happenings concerning “need to belong theory” which states that social exclusion is detrimental to self- regulation (Bockarova, 2016). Just like what the theory stipulates, it is evident from the study findings that social exclusion influences self-regulations among children (Rios, Fast, & Gruenfeld, 2015). The findings are also relevant to understanding the development of self-regulation as a temperamental characteristic. The study is also in accord with peer victimization and behavioral problems (Rios, Fast, & Gruenfeld, 2015). Furthermore, the results from the article may ignite related questions on putative mechanisms involves when it comes to the behavioral sequel of social exclusion.
It is imperative to say that the article is in tandem with the facts spelled out from the topic “cognitive development.” It can be ascertained by the fact that social exclusion has a direct effect on cognitive capacities since intelligent thought is recognized as the most important adaptive trait among human beings and so it seems reasonable to assume that the issues of fundamental importance are likely to be the focus of cognitive activity.
References
Bockarova, M. (2016). Does one truly need to belong?: A case for the need to meaningfully exist. Semiotica, 0(0). http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/sem-2016-0026
Rios, K., Fast, N., & Gruenfeld, D. (2015). Feeling High but Playing Low: Power, Need to Belong, and Submissive Behavior. Personality And Social Psychology Bulletin, 41(8), 1135-1146. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167215591494
