Predicting Achievement in the Early Years: How Influential is Personal, Social and Emotional Development?

The personal, social and emotional development (PSED) of young children is perceived to be an important aspect of child development and is included in the statutory early-years curriculum and assessment in England. Although widely valued, how strong is the relationship between PSED and cognitive development, and does this relationship change with age? This paper analyses large data sets collected from children aged 4, 5 and 7 years. The CEM Centre at Durham University has developed computer-delivered assessments of PSED, early reading and early maths, which are used on a large scale in England with children aged 4 and 5 years. Data from these assessments, collected on an annual basis, are analysed to explore the strength of the relationship between PSED and cognitive development at these ages, and further analyses of longitudinal data investigate how important PSED is in the prediction of later achievement at age 7 years