Task persistence in kindergarten children: Disentangling age from schooling effects.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine age effects and schooling effects on task persistence. Four- and 5-year-old (N=120) kindergarten children were observed while working on a persistence task. Since children attend kindergarten for 2years in Switzerland, age and schooling effects could be examined in a cut-off research design. To examine age effects, task performance was compared between 4- and 5-year-olds, all enrolled in their first kindergarten year. To address schooling effects, performance between 5-year-olds enrolled in their first vs. 5-year-olds enrolled in their second kindergarten year was compared. Age differences were found for two different persistence measures. No effect was found for schooling. Overall, the present results suggest that 1year of formal kindergarten schooling, as a structuring environmental factor, does not affect the ability to persist. Age and inhibitory skills, however, do.