Investigating children's emotion regulation in socio-emotionally challenging classroom situations

Abstract

Decades of research have associated effective emotion and behaviour regulation with learning and social competence among young children. However, further studies on children's use of emotion regulation in their everyday lives are required. This study focuses on investigating six- to nine-year-old children's (N = 24) use of emotion regulation strategies in various socio-emotionally challenging classroom situations. Data consist of video recordings of different classroom situations, which were analysed using interaction analysis and theory-oriented content analysis in connection with the Multisource Assessment of Social Competence Scale questionnaire results on social competence. The results of this study indicate the differences in children's abilities to use emotion regulation strategies appropriately in socio-emotionally challenging classroom situations. Qualitative features of children's strategies in different situations also vary. These findings, along with those of previous studies, suggest a need for teachers to scaffold children's developing skills of emotion regulation in school contexts.

Keywords:

• self-regulation
• emotion regulation
• socio-emotional challenge
• classroom interaction
• video observation

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support received from the Academy of Finland ScidiKids programme for the AGENT project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Kristiina Kurki is a graduate student in the University of Oulu, Learning and Educational Technology Research Unit. Her research interests include young children's emotion regulation and teachers' support in young children's emotion regulation in educational settings.

Sanna Järvelä is a professor in Educational Sciences in the University of Oulu, Learning and Educational Technology Research Unit. Her research interests include learning processes in technology-enhanced learning, self-regulated learning and computer supported collaborative learning.

Arttu Mykkänen is a graduate student in the University of Oulu, Learning and Educational Technology Research Unit. His research interests include support for self-regulated learning in elementary school and young children's beliefs of academic competence.

Elina Määttä is a graduate student in the University of Oulu, Learning and Educational Technology Research Unit. Her research interests include the development of self-regulated learning in primary grade children and developing research tools to support children's self-regulated learning and their experiences of success.