This study examined the effects of young children’s effortful control, maternal parenting and
teacher-child closeness relationship on young children’s leadership. The subjects of this study were
266, 4-5 year old children and their mothers and teachers. Young children’s effortful control, maternal
parenting, teacher-child relationship and leadership were assessed by mother’s and teacher’s report.
The collected data were analyzed by means of Pearson’s correlation and pathway analysis. The
results were as follows: first, teacher-child closeness relationship was found to affect young
children’s leadership directly and indirectly through young children’s effortful control. Second,
maternal parenting was found to affect young children’s leadership indirectly through young
children’s effortful control. Third, young children’s effortful control was found to affect leadership
directly and to have a mediating effect between maternal parenting and young children’s leadership,
and between teacher-child closeness relationship and young children’s leadership. Additionally
teacher-child closeness relationship was found to be the most important variable predicting young
children’s leadership. These findings suggest that teacher-child closeness relationship could be the
most important means by which we could improve both young children’s effortful control and
leadership.