UK Mothers’ Perspectives on Their Children’s Transition to the First Year of School During COVID-19

The first year of primary school aims to be closely connected with early childhood education, yet this is often invisible in the curriculum of specific subjects. This paper sets out an approach that uses mathematical practices as a curriculum tool that reconceptualises school mathematics. Using the early childhood mathematics framework of Te Kākano, the strands of mathematical practices are important descriptors of mathematical activity for children. We describe examples of mathematical learning from both early childhood and the first year of school, and make a case for using mathematical practices as a conceptual tool for designing a mathematics curriculum in the first years of school.

IntroductionThe first years of school are critical in establishing a foundation for positive long-term academic, social and well-being outcomes. Mindfulness-based interventions may help students transition well into school, but few...

This study describes trajectories of early literacy skill development of 99 children (n = 55 boys) in their first year of primary school in New Zealand (NZ). Children were assessed twice weekly for 8 weeks on Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS; Good & Kaminski, 2011) First Sound Fluency (FSF) and AIMSweb Letter Sound Fluency (LSF; Shinn & Shinn, 2002), with other early literacy and beginning reading skills assessed before and after progress monitoring. FSF and LSF growth trajectories were modeled separately. Multilevel modeling indicated improved performance; however, growth mixture modeling indicated 3 growth trajectories (i.e., latent classes; FSF and LSF, respectively): typical (77.6% of children, 65.7%), developing (10.8%, 14.6%), and limited progress (11.6%, 19.7%). Beginning of year screening was sometimes associated with latent class membership, whereas latent class membership differentiated mid- and year-end literacy skills. Results support progress monitoring of early literacy skills within the NZ context to aid earlier identification of children at-risk for difficulties with reading acquisition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Chapter objectives To examine major issues and problems experienced by young children and their parents during the transition to school. To identify specific strategies that you, the teacher (preschool or primary), can adopt to prepare and support children and parents as they face the many changes involved in the transition process. To provide a framework for the construction of the literacy program in the first year of schooling. This chapter examines how continuity from the early childhood setting to the primary school setting can be supported. It reviews research on the discontinuities that children can experience during transition to school and the research evidence on the most effective ways to avoid major mismatches in pedagogy and expectations. The issues of transition from early childhood education to primary school are explored and recommendations for the construction of the initial reading and writing program provided. The importance of the transition to primary school The transition from early childhood education, childcare and home settings to the primary school is a significant period in a child’s life and the experience can be very exciting and, at times, daunting for the child and his or her parents. This period of transition marks an important milestone and a new phase in a child’s life. Beginning school marks an era of growing independence for the child as he or she embarks upon the journey from preschool to primary.

Can exposure to a foreign language in the first year of school enhance divergent thinking skills? Ninety-nine monolingual children from predominantly White neighbourhoods (MAge = 57.7 months, SD 1.2; 47 girls) attending bilingual schools, schools with weekly foreign language lessons, or schools without a foreign language provision (= controls) completed divergent thinking and executive function tasks at the beginning of the school year and 24 weeks later. The groups did not differ on creativity measures at the beginning of the school year. Only bilingual school children and weekly language learners improved divergent thinking at the second testing point, with the former significantly outperforming controls on creative fluency and flexibility. Improvements could not be explained by executive function development. Therefore, a considerable amount of exposure to a foreign language in early formal education appears to boost creative thinking.

Background: There has been increasing interest in assessing longer term developmental and health outcomes in IVF-conceived offspring compared with those born after natural conception. So far, the findings have been conflicting. The Australian Early Developmental Consensus (AEDC) assesses children in their first year of primary school across five domains; physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge. Aim: To compare school entry (5-7 years of age) outcomes in IVF-conceived children in Victoria with naturally conceived controls. Method: We undertook a statewide data linkage study, with perinatal data (births 2005-2014) linked to data from major IVF providers in Victoria and the AEDC. Our approach to analysis included: complete case analysis, multiple imputation of missing data, consideration of clustering (siblings) and inverse probability weighted modeling to adjust for covariates. Our primary outcome was an AEDC score indicative of developmental vulnerability in two or more domains. We adjusted for the child’s age at assessment, sex, highest level of maternal education, maternal age, parity, SEIFA (Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas) quintile, language background other than English, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) status. Results: The linked dataset comprised 163,418 children, including 4,441 IVF-conceived children. The IVF conceived population had older, more highly educated mothers who lived in more affluent areas and were less likely to be from non-English speaking backgrounds or identify as ATSI. IVF-conceived children were less likely to be developmentally vulnerable, in both unadjusted (RR 0.59, 95%CI: 0.52-0.67, p<0.001) and adjusted analyses (aRR 0.72, 95%CI: 0.58-0.88, p<0.001). Conclusion: Children conceived by IVF were less likely to be developmentally vulnerable in their first year of schooling, compared with peers conceived naturally. Further research should aim to understand if similar patterns are seen in other education and health domains and the potential mechanisms for these differences.

Background There is interest in longer term outcomes in IVF-conceived offspring compared with those conceived naturally. So far, the findings have been conflicting. The Australian Early Developmental Consensus (AEDC) assesses children in their first year of primary school across five domains. Methods To compare school entry outcomes in IVF-conceived children with naturally conceived controls, we undertook a statewide data linkage study, with perinatal data (2005-2014) linked to data from IVF providers in Victoria and the AEDC. Our approach to analysis included: complete case analysis, multiple imputation of missing data, consideration of clustering (siblings) and inverse probability weighted modeling to adjust for covariates. Our primary outcome was an AEDC score indicative of developmental vulnerability in two or more domains. We adjusted for confounders: child’s age at assessment, sex, highest level of maternal education, maternal age, parity, SEIFA (Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas) quintile, language background other than English, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) status. Results The linked dataset comprised 163,418 children, including 4,441 IVF-conceived children. The IVF-conceived population had older, more highly educated mothers who lived in more affluent areas and were less likely to be from non-English speaking backgrounds or identify as ATSI. IVF-conceived children were less likely to be developmentally vulnerable, in both unadjusted (RR 0.59, 95%CI:0.52-0.67, p < 0.001) and adjusted analyses (aRR 0.72, 95%CI:0.58-0.88, p < 0.001). Conclusions IVF-conceived were less likely to be developmentally vulnerable in their first year of schooling, compared with peers conceived naturally.

Twenty-one children aged 5-6 years (mean age: 71.2 months; S.D. = 2.7) were videotaped in 4 different kindergartens throughout the school day for a period of one week. Eighteen of these children were then followed up after the summer holidays and videotaped for one week while attending the first year of primary school. The behaviors measured for each child were yawning and general motor activity. It was found that: (1) The frequency of yawning appears to be 5 times higher in the first year of primary school than in the last year of kindergarten; (2) Throughout the school-day the percentage of yawning children is higher in the first year of primary school, with the exception of the 1400-1430 period; (3) In the first year of primary school, the percentage of yawning children and the frequency of yawning peak between 900 and 930 and 1430 and 1500; (4) In this school institution the percentage of children who get up from their chair and spontaneously move above increases from the beginning to the end of each school-day. Three cardio-vascular variables were investigated in 17 children of the sample population: heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. We found that: (1) The lowest values for heart rate in the first year of primary school are in agreement with the classical data of child development, as the children are 5-6 months older than in the last year of kindergarten. However, this is not the case at 1400 when the heart rate peaks at a higher level in the first year of primary school; (2) If the evolution in time of the blood pressure agrees in both institutions with the classical data of human chronobiology, i.e. the maximum values at 1400, the differences in mean level at all times during the school day between both institutions do not agree with what is commonly accepted, i.e. an increase in blood pressure with age; (3) The amplitude of the variations of the heart rate and blood pressure from one 30-min period to another throughout the school day is significantly higher in primary school. The comparison of the data obtained in both school institutions suggests that the observed differences are related to sharp modifications in school rhythms and constraints when the children go from the last year of kindergarten to the first year of primary school.

This article explores value of listening to and heeding student voice. By doing so, teachers learn about life experiences of students, and about how these contribute to more formal learning environment of classroom. They also learn importance of explicitly articulating and adopting a relevant learning theory that acknowledges classroom as a learning community, and so enables learning. Introduction The ability to listen to student voice is, I believe, most significant enabling factor for building of caring, empowering relationships in development of a learning community. In this article, I discuss this belief in context of emerging contemporary world view and related understandings of and contextualisation. I also discuss a theory that understands learning holistically. This is enactivism. The theory of enactivism emanates from an ecological world view. This theory is useful, because an ecosystem and a learning situation exhibit similar characteristics. Belief in importance of truly listening to student voice emerged from my research in a Year 7 classroom. Year 7 is first year of secondary school in Victoria, Australia. It usually coincides with a move by student to a school different from that in which he/she completed seven years of primary schooling (the first year of schooling is called Prep: Preparatory Year). After presenting relevant literature, I include stories of students as they communicate them--because they speak so powerfully about experience we call learning in a connected environment (for more detail see Hamilton, 2005). Relevant literature Emerging contemporary world view Until second half of twentieth century, physical world was conceived as a series of contained entities arranged in a hierarchical order (Edwards, 1999; Macy, 1983; Morwood, 1997). The emerging contemporary world view understands everything as being interconnected. This world view does not see physical life as disconnected, separate entities, but as entities that are interrelated. As Macy (1983) puts it: What had appeared before as separate entities dissolve into flows, and are seen to be patterns in these flows--patterns that sustain each other by means of their relationships and exchanges. Atoms, cells, plants, people, societies.... All are dynamic patterns, or open systems within systems. They influence each other so deeply that it is hard to decide where one leaves off and other begins. (p. 119) Macy describes all of these systems as manifesting flexibility and intelligence, as they integrate and differentiate in order to survive. This involves a process that all must embrace in order to develop (Capra, 1996, 2003; Macy, 1983). Part of this interdependent process is to engage and enhance their own and each other's capacities (Macy, 1983, p. 31). The importance of is also emphasised in complexity theory, which states that systems, while consisting of parts, are best studied as wholes, since new properties emerge that cannot be predicted by an analysis of (Capra, 1996, 2003). As whole exhibits properties that are not evident in any of parts, the nature of whole is always different from mere sum of its parts (Capra, 1996, p. 29). Each element is described in terms of its relationship to other elements. All are connected and interdependent, and terms connectedness and interdependence are further developed by psychologists and educationalists. Connectedness and contextualisation Contemporary psychologists have developed term connectedness for expressing an essential ingredient for human living (Bernard, 1997). Discussion and debate continually returns to concept, and understands its enaction as absolutely essential, if schooling is to be effective (Bernard, 1997; Hill & Russell, 1999). …

A high percentage of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show elevated challenges in learning to read. We investigated longitudinal predictors of reading skills in 41 children diagnosed with ASD. All children completed measures of precursor literacy skills at the age of 4-5 years, including phonological awareness, letter sound knowledge, rapid automatic naming, name writing, and phonological memory (digit span), along with measures of word- and passage-level reading skills in their first year of formal schooling. Nonverbal cognition and letter sound knowledge accounted for 53.4% of the variance in regular single word reading at school age, with letter sound knowledge a significant individual predictor. Overall, 18 children showed reading ability scores in the average range on a standardized test of passage-level reading ability, whereas 23 children performed below expectations. These groups differed significantly on all precursor literacy measures (at ages 4-5), except autism symptoms based on parent report. Group membership was significantly predicted by preschool receptive vocabulary, name writing, and rapid automatic naming, with high sensitivity and specificity. These results are discussed in reference to the literature describing early literacy predictors for typically developing children, highlighting key areas for future intervention and support. Autism Res 2018, 11: 1332-1344. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Children with autism are at increased risk of persistent reading difficulties. We examined whether preschool reading-related skills linked to later reading ability. Performance on the following three tasks administered at preschool predicted children who showed early reading success versus below expectations in their first year of school: vocabulary, name writing, and rapid naming of familiar objects and shapes. These results can inform future interventions.

This study investigates prospective relationships between phonemic awareness and reading performance during the first year of Finnish primary school. Pedagogical interest lay in finding out whether systematic use of phonics in reading instruction supported children’s reading performance even if children can already decode. A total of 85 children were examined three times on phonemic awareness and four times on reading performance during the first school year. At the beginning of the school year, they were also tested on initial reading skills. The results showed that the development of phonemic awareness and reading performance was reciprocal. Reading performance predicted phonemic awareness in the beginning of the first year while the development of phonemic awareness during the first year predicted reading performance at the end of the first school year. The results suggested further pedagogical tools are necessary that consider the support phonemic awareness still offers, even when children have become literate.

Longitudinal associations between parental mathematics anxiety and attitudes and young children’s mathematics attainment

As part of the Victorian Early Numeracy Research Project, over 1400 Victorian children in the first (Preparatory) year of school were assessed in mathematics by their classroom teachers. Using a task-based, one-to-one interview, administered during the first and last month of the school year, a picture emerged of the mathematical knowledge and understanding that young children bring to school, and the changes in this knowledge and understanding during the first year of school. A major feature of this research was that high quality, robust information on young children’s mathematical understanding was collected for so many children. An important finding was that much of what has traditionally formed the mathematics curriculum for the first year of school was already understood clearly by many children on arrival at school. In this article, data on children’s understanding are shared, and some implications for classroom practice are discussed.

Does Chile’s nutritional situation constitute a double burden?

The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in anthropometrical characteristics during the last year (autumn-spring) in preschool and first year (autumn-spring) in school. Changes in anthropometrical characteristics during summer months were also studied (spring-autumn). The subjects were 130 boys and 122 girls, 6 years of age at the beginning of the investigation. The body height and mass were measured and the BMI (kg/m2) was calculated. In total, eight skinfolds, 10 girths and two bone widths were measured. In boys, the body height and mass were higher than in girls, while the skinfold thicknesses were thicker in girls. There were only very few significant differences between sexes in girth parameters. The width parameters were higher in boys. Our results indicated that there were more significant changes in skinfold thickness, girths and width parameters during winter in preschool in comparison with first year in school in boys, while there were only a very few significant changes during summer months in boys. In contrast, there were more significant changes in school in girls. The Spearman correlations between baseline and after 6, 12 and 18 months of study indicated that the tracking of body height was high in boys and girls. Body mass tracking was high in girls and moderate in boys, while BMI tracking was moderate in both groups. The tracking coefficients of skinfold thicknesses were relatively stable during the two years of study and mostly at the moderate level (r = 0.3-0.6). Tracking coefficients of girths measures were at moderate level, but lower in boys in comparison with girls. It was concluded that social changes and probably changes in the physical activity during transition from preschool to school slightly influenced the measured anthropometrical parameters.