The Effect of INSIGHTS on Developmental Trajectories of Children’s Self- Regulation

Abstract The development of self-regulation is critical for children’s positive interactions with others and successful adjustment to school. Using their self-regulation skills, children can adapt their temperamental, emotional, and behavioral reactions to environmental stimuli. Greater self-regulation is advantageous in the classroom, as more regulated children have an easier time with basic behavioral expectations, and are more likely to persist with difficult tasks, work efficiently, and pay attention to instructions. INSIGHTS into Children’s Temperament (INSIGHTS) is a temperament-based intervention that improves kindergarten and first-grade children’s social-emotional development and academic learning. In the current study, we examined the effects of INSIGHTS on rural Midwestern children’s self-regulation development (i.e., attention, inhibitory control), compared to control classrooms. In addition, we explored the effects of children’s baseline self-regulation and the effects of the intervention on children’s developmental trajectories. Students ( N = 147) from 61 classrooms were randomly assigned to INSIGHTS or control conditions by school. Children’s self-regulation skills whereas examined at four different times. Multiple regression models were fit, and results suggest that INSIGHTS participants exhibited greater self-regulation at Time 4 as compared to the control group. Additionally, latent growth curve models were used to model linear growth. Results suggest that INSIGHTS participants experienced increased growth rates for attention, inhibitory control, and sustained attention compared to the control group. Our study provides evidence for the positive effects of a social-emotional classroom intervention on the developmental trajectory of children’s self-regulation.