A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Children’s Temperament and Parenting Behavior on Vocabulary Development in Children: Mediation Effect of Parenting Behavior

This study aimed to help the understanding of children’s temperament and parenting behavior by examining how the temperament and parenting of 3-year-olds affect the vocabulary development of 7-year-old children entering school age. Methods: The study group consisted of a total of four groups based on the scores of the Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test (REVT; Kim et al., 2009). The dataset was obtained through the Panel Study on Korean Children. Results: 1) There was no statistically significant difference between the four groups in the distribution pattern of children’s temperament type, however there was a statistically significant difference between the four groups in the distribution pattern by parenting behavior type. 2) In Group 1, there was a significant positive correlation between vocabulary at 7 years of age and parenting behavior of 3 years olds. In addition, Group 2 and 4, which showed a delay in vocabulary at the age of 7 years, showed that the emotional temperament of 3-year-old children was correlated with their 7-year-old vocabulary. 3) In Group 1, It was found that the emotional (negative) and sociality of children at the age of 3 significantly explained the vocabulary ability at the age of 7 by mediating the parent’s didactic parenting behavior. Conclusion: This study confirmed that the vocabulary prediction model of Group 1, which showed normal vocabulary development in both 3-year-olds and 7-year-olds, was statistically significant.