Framed by a systemic-ecological model of engagement, this study examined cross-grade patterns of
behavioral engagement in learning over kindergarten and first grade and the contributions of child
inhibitory control and facets of the classroom context (i.e., teacher–child relationship quality, perceived
peer–teacher conflict, and classroom organization) to behavioral engagement over this period. Participants
were 145 children. Behavioral engagement was rated by teachers in kindergarten, and it was both
observed by independent observers and rated by teachers in first grade. At the beginning of kindergarten,
inhibitory control was observed and kindergarten teachers reported on teacher–child relationship quality.
In first grade, observers rated the quality of classroom organization. Multilevel analyses indicated
that inhibitory control, closer teacher–child relationships and lower levels of perceived peer–teacher
conflict contributed to higher levels of behavioral engagement in kindergarten, which in turn combined
with the quality of classroom organization in first grade to predict both observed and teacher-reported
engagement in first grade. The results suggest that multiple contributors at the individual, dyadic, and
classroom-level are relevantfor behavioral engagement over the important period oftransition to school.