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Ecological Instability and Children’s Classroom Behavior in Kindergarten

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  • Paula Fomby

    (University of Michigan)

  • Stefanie Mollborn

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

Abstract

We engage the concept of ecological instability to assess whether children’s exposure to frequent change in multiple contexts is associated with teacher reports of students’ overall behavior, externalizing behavior, and approach to learning during kindergarten. We operationalize multiple dimensions of children’s exposure to repeated change—including the frequency, concurrency, chronicity, timing, and types of changes children experience—in a nationally representative longitudinal cohort of U.S.-born children (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, N ~ 4,750). We focus on early childhood, a period of substantial flux in children’s family and neighborhood contexts. Predicted behavior scores differ by approximately one-fifth of a standard deviation for children who experienced high or chronic exposure to ecological change compared with those who experienced little or no change. These findings emphasize the distinctiveness of multidomain ecological instability as a risk factor for healthy development that should be conceptualized differently from the broader concept of normative levels of change in early childhood environments.

Suggested Citation

  • Paula Fomby & Stefanie Mollborn, 2017. "Ecological Instability and Children’s Classroom Behavior in Kindergarten," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(5), pages 1627-1651, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:54:y:2017:i:5:d:10.1007_s13524-017-0602-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-017-0602-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert Crosnoe & Kate Prickett & Chelsea Smith & Shannon Cavanagh, 2014. "Changes in Young Children’s Family Structures and Child Care Arrangements," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(2), pages 459-483, April.
    2. Kamp Dush, Claire M. & Schmeer, Kammi K. & Taylor, Miles, 2013. "Chaos as a social determinant of child health: Reciprocal associations?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 69-76.
    3. Rucker Johnson & Ariel Kalil & Rachel Dunifon, 2012. "Employment Patterns of Less-Skilled Workers: Links to Children’s Behavior and Academic Progress," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(2), pages 747-772, May.
    4. Mari Rege & Kjetil Telle & Mark Votruba, 2011. "Parental Job Loss and Children's School Performance," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 78(4), pages 1462-1489.
    5. Cynthia Osborne & Sara McLanahan, 2007. "Partnership Instability and Child Well-being," Working Papers 946, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    6. Paula Fomby, 2013. "Family Instability and College Enrollment and Completion," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 32(4), pages 469-494, August.
    7. repec:pri:crcwel:wp04-16-ff-osborne is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Stefanie Mollborn, 2016. "Young Children’s Developmental Ecologies and Kindergarten Readiness," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(6), pages 1853-1882, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Stefanie Mollborn & Elizabeth Lawrence & Elisabeth Dowling Root, 2018. "Residential Mobility Across Early Childhood and Children’s Kindergarten Readiness," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(2), pages 485-510, April.
    2. R. Kelly Raley & Inbar Weiss & Robert Reynolds & Shannon E. Cavanagh, 2019. "Estimating Children’s Household Instability Between Birth and Age 18 Using Longitudinal Household Roster Data," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(5), pages 1957-1973, October.
    3. Rodríguez Sánchez, Alejandra, 2019. "Family structure effects on U.S. children’s well-being? Re-examining the family instability hypothesis," OSF Preprints 84q56, Center for Open Science.

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