Maternal Parenting Stress, Mother-Child Interaction Activities, Maternal Parenting Behaviors, and Preschoolers’ School Readiness in Early Childhood: Longitudinal Effects on Children’s Academic Ability at School Entry

Abstract

Objectives: The main purpose of this study was to explore the longitudinal effects of maternal parenting stress, mother-child interaction activities, maternal parenting behaviors, and preschoolers' school readiness on children's academic ability at school entry in early childhood.Methods: This study used data from the seventh (T1) and eighth (T2) wave (2014ㅡ2015) of the Panel Study on Korean Children. The participants of this study were 942 between 6 and 7-year-old children and their mothers. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling.Results: First, the relationship between maternal parenting stress and children's academic ability at school admission was sequentially mediated by mother-child interaction activities and preschoolers' school readiness. The higher the maternal parenting stress, the lower the mother-child interaction activities, and the lower the mother-child interaction activities, the lower the degree of preschoolers' school readiness. The poor degree of preschoolers' school readiness was related to the children's low academic ability at school entry. Second, the relationship between maternal parenting stress and children's academic ability at school entry was sequentially mediated by parenting behaviors and preschoolers' school readiness. The higher the maternal parenting stress, the less positive maternal parenting behaviors were, and the less positive maternal parenting behaviors were, the lower the level of preschoolers' school readiness, and the lower the children's academic performance at school entry.Conclusion: This study indicated that maternal parenting stress, mother-child interaction activities, maternal parenting behaviors, and preschoolers' school readiness in early childhood influenced firstgrade children's academic performance.