Tracy M. Carter’s research while affiliated with University of Miami and other places

Research has shown that early interventions are most successful when they have a comprehensive focus that is individualized to children's needs. The present study employed a person-centered approach to identify profiles, or subgroups, of children displaying early patterns of peer play behaviors in an ethnically and linguistically diverse Head Start program, and examined the academic trajectories of these children during one school year. Four profile groups were identified, and analyses revealed that these profiles were invariant across ethnicity and dual language learner status. Most children were represented in a group who engaged in behaviors that facilitated peer interactions. These children had the highest academic skills across the preschool year. Interestingly, children in a profile characterized by a combination of play interaction skills and play disruption had the second highest academic skills throughout the year compared with children in a profile characterized by below-average play interaction skills but low disruptive behavior during play. A small number of children were represented in a profile characterized by low interactive, disconnected, and high disruptive behavior with peers and had the lowest academic skills throughout the year. The mean differences in academic skills across profiles of peer play behaviors remained the same across the year. These findings have implications for future research and educational practice surrounding the role of peer play in the Head Start classroom. (PsycINFO Database Record

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Given theoretical and empirical support for the importance of peer play within the preschool classroom to early learning, the present study tested the hypothesis that associations between teacher-reported problem behavior and academic skills were mediated by difficulties in peer play (disruptive and disconnected play), for a representative sample (N = 507 children across 46 classrooms) enrolled in a large urban Head Start program. The study also tested whether mediation was moderated by child sex (e.g., whether the mechanism through which problem behavior was associated with learning differed for boys and girls) controlling for the multilevel nature of these data. Findings from structural equation models provided evidence for partial mediation, whereby associations between internalizing behavior and academic skills were partially explained through their effects on disconnected play; however, mediation was present for girls only. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed as they support low-income children's social and academic development through the context of peer play.