• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.24 no.5 s.83
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• pp.239-249
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• 2006

The main purpose of this study was to examine the relations of children's shyness and maternal involvement in children's peer relations to children's social competence, and the relative influence of children's shyness and maternal involvement in children's peer relations on children's social competence. 195 mothers of 3-year-olds and their 13 teachers in Seoul and Gyeonggi province participated in the study. The data were obtained using three kinds of questionnaires regarding shyness, parental involvement, and social competence. Findings revealed that shy children showed less popularity leadership and social participation for both boys and girls. The more orchestrations mothers exerted, the more popularity leadership boys showed. And the more advice and support mothers provided, the more interpersonal adjustment girls showed. For boys, shyness was more influential on popularity leadership than maternal orchestrations were. Findings are discussed in terms of the role of shyness in children's early social competence for both boys and girls.