Does attending preschool in an economically advantaged or disadvantaged neighborhood moderate the effects of the preschool edition of promoting alternative thinking strategies?

Based on the intervention Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS ®), the study investigates whether the level of income in kindergartens’ neighbourhoods can affect children’s social and emotional skills, including children’s general ability to adapt positively. The study focuses on 1) the group differences in social and emotional skills and adaptation based on neighbourhood income levels, and 2) whether neighbourhood income levels moderated the effects of the PATHS intervention on children’s social and emotional skills and adjustment from pre-test to post-test.

The results show that kindergarten children in economically disadvantaged areas have poorer self-control, working memory and task orientation, and are more inattentive compared to children in more economically affluent areas. The PATHS intervention helped children from economically disadvantaged areas reduce inattention, social withdrawal and anxiety. Children from economically affluent areas who participated in the PATHS intervention improved their social behaviour. The study shows that providing the PATHS intervention in kindergarten can help reduce inequalities among children in several important areas.

The study involves a total of 275 children aged four to five years distributed across 26 kindergartens in three municipalities in the Stockholm area. 42.9% of the children attended kindergartens in economically disadvantaged areas, while 57.1% attended kindergartens in more economically advantaged areas. The children were divided into two groups where 145 children received the PATHS intervention, while 130 children participated in a control group. To assess the children’s social and emotional skills, tasks, tests and observations of the children were used, as well as reports from kindergarten teachers. The researchers also investigate how the effect of the intervention was influenced by the area in which the kindergartens were located. This was done using statistical models to analyse the relationship between the intervention and the neighbourhood’s economic status.

Kapetanovic, S., Hau, G. H., Eichas, K., Olsson, T. M., Ferrer-Wreder, L. & Eninger, L. (2022). Does attending preschool in an economically advantaged or disadvantaged neighborhood moderate the effects of the preschool edition of promoting alternative thinking strategies? Frontiers in Education, 7:978662.