Early development of STEM competencies: The role of social disparities, socioemotional behavior, and domain-general abilities

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) competencies are required to address everyday challenges, for individual educational and career pathways as well as for global societal and technological progress. Although various factors likely shape STEM competencies from an early age, few studies focused on the development in early childhood. This study examined the development of mathematical competence and scientific literacy using longitudinal data from 1,849 German children followed from preschool through elementary school. Latent growth curve models were used to predict initial competencies and their growth, considering various influencing factors such as child and family background characteristics, socioemotional behavior, and domain-general abilities. Results showed that children already differed in their early competencies and their competence development: Higher cognitive (βMath = .28; βScience = .11) and language abilities (βMath = .29; βScience = .42) as well as higher socioeconomic status (βMath = .10; βScience = .12) and a higher number of books (βMath = .13; βScience = .16) predicted higher initial competencies. Being a boy (βMath = −.28; βScience = −.16) and spending more time in preschool (βMath = .09; βScience = .14) was associated with higher growth in both competencies. Furthermore, children showing more hyperactive behavior had lower initial mathematical competence (βMath = −.17), those with more conduct problems showed slower growth in mathematical competence (βMath = −.31), and those with more peer problems reached stronger growth in scientific literacy (βScience = .16). Overall, this study extends previous research by highlighting the role of socioemotional behavior and preschool experience in shaping early STEM trajectories. Findings underscore the importance of supporting socioemotional development and domain-general abilities to foster mathematical and scientific learning from an early age, while broader efforts are needed to address persistent social inequalities.