Exploring the relationship between young children’s self-concept and prosocial behaviour in the Greek Early Childhood Education and Care setting: A study on soft skills assessment

The aim of this study was to investigate young children’s perspectives of their self-concept and to examine its association with their prosocial behaviour. The psychometric properties of the Adaptive Social Behaviour Inventory (ASBI) in the Greek Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) context were also investigated. The study guided by the Social-Emotional Learning Framework that highlights the importance of the development of the soft skills in early years. The sample comprised 102 young children (Mage= 3.79 years, SDage= .20 years) and their teachers from nine ECEC settings. The measures used were the Adaptive Social Behaviour Inventory (ASBI) and the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance (PSPCSA). Results from factor analysis supported the four-factor structure of the ASBI and its high reliability: prosocial behaviour, co-operation/conformity, antisocial behaviour, and confidence. Findings showed that young children’s self-concept beliefs associated positively with the children’s prosocial behaviour. Collectively, the findings highlight the importance of supporting young children’s self-concept beliefs and their impact on children’s behaviour.