Bridging the gap: A longitudinal study on the relation between preschool children’s moral self-concept, normative stances, and sharing behavior

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is significant for providing children with adequate skills so that they can shape a supportive society. Even though children’s moral self-concept (MSC) and their prosocial behavior are critical components of SEL, research on their association and development is comparatively novel. In a longitudinal study, we investigated the associations between children’s MSC, their normative stances, and their sharing behavior. Data of N = 500 preschoolers with an average age of 61 months at t1 (SD = 4.61) were analyzed in a mixed-method design across the period of one year (t1–t3) with structural equation models. Findings revealed sharing behavior as a stable predictor for subsequent MSC across time. As children got older, their normative stances predicted sharing behavior. This connection was further moderated by their MSC. Our findings are the first to depict stable longitudinal predictive effects of prior sharing behavior on subsequent MSC, highlighting preschool age as a critical stage in the formation of MSC. Overall, they demonstrate how in the course of the preschool years, the MSC and normative stances developmentally interact in their relation to prosocial behavior.