Linking Self-Regulation Scaffolding to Early Math Achievement: Evidence from Chilean Preschools

Self-regulation is widely theorized as a foundation for early mathematics achievement, yet little is known about how specific forms of teacher scaffolding advance this process in preschool classroom contexts. Drawing on sociocultural and self-regulation theories, this study conceptualizes scaffolding as a mechanism through which teachers support children’s attention, working memory, and behavioral regulation during mathematics instruction. We extend theory by distinguishing three domains of scaffolding—Instructional Strategies, Management Organization, and Warmth Responsivity—and examining how each uniquely relates to children’s math outcomes. Participants were 416 preschoolers (M age = 59.7 months) and 18 head teachers in Santiago, Chile. Teachers’ scaffolding behaviors were video recorded and coded at the beginning and end of the school year, and children’s math achievement was assessed with the Woodcock-Muñoz III. Multilevel models controlling for prior achievement, age, income, and gender revealed that Management Organization was positively associated with math achievement, while Warmth Responsivity was negatively associated, and Instructional Strategies showed no significant effect. These findings refine theoretical models by showing that organizational scaffolding plays a particularly important role in supporting math learning, whereas warmth responsivity may function as compensatory scaffolding in response to children’s difficulties. The study advances understanding of how the quality and type of scaffolding shape the developmental pathway from self-regulation to mathematics achievement.