Enhancing the Academic Development of Shy Children: A Test of the Efficacy of INSIGHTS

Abstract.

This study investigated the efficacy of the INSIGHTS into Children's Temperament intervention in supporting the academic development of shy kindergarten and first-grade children. INSIGHTS is a temperament-based intervention with teacher, parent, and classroom programs. The participants included 345 children from 22 low-income, urban elementary schools who were randomly assigned to INSIGHTS or a supplemental after-school reading program. Growth-curve modeling showed that shy children in INSIGHTS evidenced more rapid growth in critical thinking and math than their shy peers in the attention-control condition during kindergarten and the transition to first grade. The effects of INSIGHTS were partly indirect through improved behavioral engagement. INSIGHTS enhances the academic development of early elementary school children with shy temperaments.

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Notes on contributors

Erin E. O'Connor

Erin E. O'Connor, EdD, is an associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at New York University. Dr. O'Connor's research examines the effects of teacher–child relationships on children's social–emotional and academic development, as well as the role of school-based interventions in improving relationships and student outcomes. She is one of the investigators of the Institute of Education Sciences study examining the efficacy of INSIGHTS for enhancing the academic learning context.

Elise Cappella

Elise Cappella, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University. Her scholarship focuses on understanding and enhancing classroom and school contexts as a means toward academic achievement and psychosocial development among students in urban schools. She directs the psychology and social intervention program at the New York University Steinhardt School and is one of the investigators of the Institute of Education Sciences study examining the efficacy of INSIGHTS for enhancing the academic learning context.

Meghan P. McCormick

Meghan P. McCormick is an advanced doctoral student in the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University. Ms. McCormick's research examines the role of interpersonal relationships and social norms regarding children's development in school settings. She also studies how social–emotional learning can improve children's academic achievement in high-poverty schools.

Sandee G. McClowry

Sandee G. McClowry, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University. She is the developer of the INSIGHTS into Children's Temperament intervention and was the principal investigator of the three clinical trials that tested its efficacy. Most recently, she was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of the West Indies.