SELF-REGULATION, EMOTION EXPRESSION & CLASSROOM ...

2007). In fact, these findings seem to suggest that interactive classroom experiences and
adjustment to those experiences cannot be separated from children’s individual selfregulation
skills (Halberstadt et al., 2001; Saarni, 1990).
Self-regulatory abilities do not develop in a vacuum; instead, these abilities are
impacted by a variety of environmental factors. A child’s socio-economic status is one
environmental factor that has been found to have a particularly significant impact on
children’s social, emotional and academic success. As a result, any investigation of
children’s self-regulation must be considered within the context of the environment
they are in. Previous research has clearly shown us that children facing early adversity,
and experience early psychosocial stress, such as living in low-income environments
with poor care and support structures in place, are at increased risk for social and
academic difficulty. Moreover, children living in impoverished environments have
repeatedly been found to be at increased risk for developing a variety of social,
emotional and behavioral difficulties, while at the same time having limited access to
counseling and psychological services (Fantuzzo et al., 1999). Self-regulatory abilities
may be particularly diminished for these children in comparison to their more fortunate
peers, as a result of increased vulnerability to negative environmental effects. These
diminished abilities put this child at increased risk for problems with adjustment to
school, and putting them at increased risk for early school failure (Gilliam & De
Mesquita, 2000; Raver, 2004; Raver et al., 2009; Welsh, Nix, Blair, Bierman, & Nelson,
2010). For example, Conger and colleagues (2002) suggest that early, low-quality
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