Differences among temperament identification, racial affiliation, and gender as they relate to perceived social competence of children in kindergarten

This study investigated how temperament identification, racial affiliation, and the gender of children during their unique developmental experience in kindergarten contributed to perceived social competence. In using a quasi-experimental design, kindergarten teachers sampled from populations from two metropolitan regions in the United States completed surveys (i.e., a demographic sheet completed by the parents and the Carey Temperament Scales [CTS, 1996-1998] and the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scale, 2nd Edition [PKBS-2, 2003] completed by the kindergarten teachers) on 36 children. The three research questions examined whether significant differences would be evident among: gender differences and scores on the PKBS-2, scores on the PKBS-2 due to racial affiliation, and scores on the PKBS-2 due to temperamental identification. Data analysis supports that the scores of kindergartners on the perceived social competence scale were significantly different due to their temperamental identification. This major finding supports that perceived social competence is influenced by temperamental dispositions for children in kindergarten.