Abstract

This short-term longitudinal study examined the structural relationship between children’s pragmatic language, self-esteem, externalizing problem behavior, and school adaptation. Data on 1,148 children and their mothers from 11th and 12th Panel Study on Korean Children were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 23.0 with the application of Pearson’s correlation, structural equation modelling, bootstrapping and the AMOS user-defined estimand function. The main results were as follows. Firstly, children’s pragmatic language was positively correlated with self-esteem and school adaptation but negatively correlated with externalizing problem behavior. Secondly, children’s pragmatic language was found to exert an influence upon self-esteem, externalizing problem behavior, and school adjustment. Thirdly, the relationship between children’s pragmatic language and school adjustment was mediated by their self-esteem and externalizing problem behavior. Results are discussed in terms of the protective factor and risk factors for children’s school adjustment.