The association between preschool children's socio-emotional functioning and their mathematical skills

One hundred eight preschool children and their teachers participated in a cross-sectional study of the socio-emotional correlates of mathematics skills. Children's strengths and difficulties were considered as possible correlates of skills. Initiative, self-control, and attachment were all related to better math skills. Overall behavior problems, internalizing symptoms, withdrawal, social problems, and attention problems were related to poorer skills. There were no sex differences in these relationships. Participation in an early math intervention was associated with fewer behavior problems, compared to children who did not receive the intervention. Additionally, participation in the intervention moderated the relationships between socio-emotional strengths and math skills, such that initiative, self-control, and attachment were less strongly correlated with math skills in children who received the intervention.