1st Grade Children Research Articles

Development of basic motor competencies and connections with sport participation

Introduction During childhood, children develop their motor competencies. Basic motor competencies (BMC) are a central prerequisite for participation in sport activities (Herrmann et al., 2016) and form the basis for sport-specific skills (Hulteen et al., 2018). In school, children have a choice of formal (e.g. sports club) and informal (free play) settings in which they can engage in sports activities (Neuber & Golenia, 2018). Children who are active in sports clubs have a higher level of BMC (Herrmann et al., 2017). Methods As part of the longitudinal study “Development of basic motor competencies in childhood (EMOKK-study)”, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the BMC of N = 659 preschool children (51% boys) and N = 393 1st and 2nd grade children (49.4% boys) were assessed at two measurement points. In addition, parent questionnaires were used to assess the children’s sport participation. In initial analyses, the development of BMC was calculated using ANCOVA, with age as a covariate. Results Differences between girls and boys could be observed in preschool as well as in 1st and 2nd grade. Boys showed better performance in “object-movement” whereas girls were better in “self-movement”. From first to second grade, sports club participation increased (F(1, 467) = 28.546, p < .001, η2 = .058). In both measurement points, boys were more often active in sport clubs than girls. First and second graders who were active in a sports club performed significantly better in both competence areas (“object-movement”: t1: p < .001, d = .42; t2: p < .001, d = .68; “self-movement”: t1: p = .002, d = .38; t2: p = .001, d = .40) than children who were not. Discussion Children who were active in club sports show a higher level of BMC, which seems to persist in the longitudinal section. This indicates an early selection effect and the importance of BMC for club sport. In further analyses, variables on informal sport activities will also be considered.

Child Mental Health During the First and Second Wave By COVID-19 According to Sociodemographic Indicators in Peru

The purpose of the study is to analyze the state of children's mental health in the context of the first and second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. This involves describing prevalent behavioral and emotional functioning and comparing clinical and adaptive indicators according to sociodemographic variables such as gender and family type. The study was designed as a descriptive comparative cross-sectional cohort study. The sample was intentionally and non-probabilistically selected and included 485 Peruvian children aged 3 to 13 years (M = 7.52, SD = 2.37). For the analysis of children's mental health symptomatology, the sample was divided into three groups based on their school level, resulting in the following distribution: Sample 1 (P1): Included 134 children in early education, where 50.75% were female (n=68) and 58.21% came from nuclear families. Sample 2 (P2): Comprised 146 children in 1st and 2nd grade of primary school, where 54.79% were male (n=80) and 60.96% came from nuclear families. Sample 3 (S2, self-report): Consisted of 205 children in 3rd to 6th grade of primary school, where 54.63% were female (n=112) and 53.66% came from nuclear families. For the evaluation of children's mental health, the Behavioural Assessment System for Children and Adolescents (BASC) and a sociodemographic questionnaire were used. During the pandemic, a higher prevalence of adaptive indicators in children was found, including social skills, adaptability, and positive relationships with parents and peers. Clinical indicators such as attention problems and anxiety were also observed. When considering sociodemographic variables, males exhibited higher clinical indicators. Regarding family type, nuclear families showed greater adaptive indicators, while extended families exhibited more clinical indicators. In conclusion, Peruvian children aged 3 to 13 years presented higher adaptive indicators than clinical indicators during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to consider that children's mental health may vary according to sociodemographic factors, such as sex and type of family. However, it is crucial to recognize that these results are specific to the studied sample and context, and that children's mental health is influenced by various cultural and context-specific factors.

Who's the winner? Children's math learning in competitive and collaborative scenarios.

Games are frequently used to promote math learning, yet the competitive and collaborative contexts introduced by games may exacerbate gender differences. In this study, 1st and 2nd grade children in the U.S. (ages 5-8; N = 274; 70% White, 15% Asian, 2% Black, 1% Native American, 14% mixed or other race; 17% Hispanic) played either a competitive, collaborative, or solo game to learn about a challenging novel math concept: proportion. Overall, both social contexts boosted perseverance and task attitudes. However, analyses revealed the competitive condition yielded gender differences in attention to proportion in the presence of competing cues, with older boys underperforming in the competition condition. Potential explanations for these findings, as well as implications for classroom math learning, are discussed.

Development of an Implicit Association Test to Assess Healthy and Adaptive Self-Esteem for Lower-Grade Elementary School Students

IntroductionIn recent years, new concepts have been proposed to discriminate between healthy (adaptive) and unhealthy (nonadaptive) self-esteem. Among them, Yamasaki et al. (2017) proposed the concepts of “autonomous” and “heteronomous” self-esteem. As they underscored that autonomous self-esteem needs to be nonconsciously assessed, several nonconscious assessment methods have been developed using implicit association tests (IATs). However, any IAT has not been developed for younger children, even though it is necessary to measure autonomous self-esteem in early childhood because it is largely formed in early developmental stages.ObjectivesThe aim was to develop an IAT to measure autonomous and heteronomous self-esteem for 1st-grade elementary school children. In order to standardize it, the validity and reliability were examined.MethodsParticipants were 1st-grade children in a public elementary school in Japan. The final sample included 55 children (35 boys and 20 girls). Their two home-room teachers participated to evaluate the children. The IAT was administered twice, around four weeks apart. The original paper-and-pencil version of the IAT was developed based on the IAT by Yokoshima et al. (2021). In this test, the implicit association between two kinds of stimuli, category (e.g., “myself”) and attribute (face pictograms expressing high and low self-esteem), is measured in terms of accuracy and speed. The evaluation by teachers was conducted using 7-point Likert scales (“not true at all” to “very true”). The evaluation items were “this child proactively does what he or she wants to do alone or with friends for autonomous self-esteem and “this child is competitive and concerned with the consequences of other children” for heteronomous self-esteem.ResultsThe test-retest reliability was calculated using correlational analyses of the two measurements. The correlation was significantly positive, r = .70, p < .01. To examine the validity, the children were divided into high and low groups based on the cut-off scores (over 1 SD above the mean and under 1 SD below the mean). Statistical analyses showed that the evaluated scores were significantly higher in Group High than in Group Low regarding the characteristic of autonomous self-esteem, t (19) = 3.87, p < .01, d = 1.62, and that they were significantly higher in Group High than in Group Low for the characteristic of heteronomous self-esteem, t (19) = 3.14, p < .01, d = 1.32.ConclusionsThis study showed that the newly developed IAT for lower-grade children includes high reliability and validity. Hereafter, this test can be utilized at schools to assess autonomous and heteronomous self-esteem. As schools are interested in enhancing healthy and adaptive self-esteem, this tool will be an effective assessment method to ascertain how autonomous self-esteem is cultivated.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

특수교육대상 유아 가족의 초등학교 통합학급 전이 경험에 관한 근거이론접근

The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of families of young children with special needs in the transition process into inclusive classrooms of elementary schools. As for this study, in-depth interviews were conducted with five primary caregivers of 1st grade children entered into an inclusive class of elementary schools. The collected data were analyzed according to the procedures of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding using the grounded theory approach suggested by Strauss and Corbin(1990). The findings are as follows. First, as a result of open coding, it was analyzed into 171 concepts, 45 subcategories, and 20 upper categories. Second, according to the paradigm model of axis coding, the central phenomena were the decision and preparation for the transfer of elementary school and the parent's request to transfer elementary school as a decision to move into and inclusive class of the elementary school. Third, as a result of selective coding, the core category was derived as ‘trusting and supporting the independence of children in school-age'. Then, a situational model was presented by synthesizing the research results. Finally, a follow-up study related to the successful preparation and implementation for transition to the inclusive class of elementary school was suggested and discussed.

The Effect of Leisure Time Sport on Executive Functions in Danish 1st Grade Children.

Physical inactivity can influence children’s executive functions with severe impact on wellbeing and academic learning. The objective is to study the effect of leisure time sport on executive functions in Danish 1st grade children, and secondary to explore if socio-economy is a confounder for associations between leisure time sport and executive functions. This study is a sub-study nested within a cluster-randomized controlled trial with two arms (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02488460). 505 children from twelve schools, mean age 7.2 ± 0.3 years participated. Outcomes for executive function were “Modified Eriksen Flanker/Reverse Flanker Task” and “Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function” (BRIEF-P). Parents used SMS-tracking to register their children’s leisure time sport. Multivariate analyzes was performed using mixed linear regression, with adjustment for highest parental education, sex, municipality, and school-type. We found that leisure time sport seems to significantly improve working memory (WM) with nearly 20%, and furthermore it seems to be a significant predictor of ‘Initiate’ (the ability to begin an activity, to generate ideas, responses or problem-solving strategies). Socio-economy was not found to be a confounder. This study lends support to the hypothesis that leisure time sport is related to working memory capacity in children.

Parents' Views on Initial Literacy Teaching in the Distance Education Process

The aim of this study was to determine the views of parents of primary school 1st grade children regarding their experiences in primary literacy teaching in the distance education process. For this purpose, qualitative phenomenology was used as a research design. The study group of the research consists of 76 parents of students studying in the firstgrade branches of two different primary schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education. The data of the study were collected with a standardized interview form and demographic information test prepared by the researchers. The data collected with the standardized interview form were analyzed using content analysis. As a result of the analyzes, 4 themes and categories and codes were formed under these themes, based on the experiences and opinions of the parents regarding the first literacy learning in the distance education process. The themes revealed are, respectively, the theme of tools used or recommended outside of textbooks, the theme of teacher-parent communication in the distance education process, the theme of the role of parents in homework, and the theme of their views on online lessons in the distance education process.

Myopia and Myopic Astigmatism in school-children

Worldwide, there is an epidemic increase in myopia. In children, the evidence points to a lack of ex posure to natural light. In Chile, the population situation of myopia in children is unknown. Objec tive: To estimate the tendency of myopia and myopic astigmatism in 1st- and 6th-grade students from the public education system in Chile. Ecological study based on diagnostic confirmations of the JUNAEB Medical Services Program, between 2012 and 2018. Annual country prevalence of myopia and astigmatism was estimated by region and sex. The screening evaluation included visual acuity using Snellen Eye Abbreviated chart, red reflex, Hirschberg test, Titmus test, Cover test, ocular motility, and anterior segment examination. Chi2 and logistic regression were used to assess differences and linear regression to estimate average annual change. Between 2012 and 2018, myopia and myopic astigmatism had a heterogeneous geographical presentation. Myopia and myopic astigmatism ≥ 3 dioptres increased by an annual average of 0.11% (R2 0.67) and 1.21% (R2 0.90), respectively, in 1st-grade children and by 0.2% (R2 0.65) and 8.7% (R2 0.79), respectively, in 6th-grade children. Myopia < 3 dioptres decreased by 0.13% annual average (R2 0.45) in 1st-grade children and myopic astigmatism < 3 dioptres by 0.5% (R2 0.53) in 6th-grade children. High myopic astigmatism affected men more than women and myopia < 3 dioptres affected more 6th-grade females. In schoolchildren of the public education system, myopia and myopic astigmatism > 3 dioptres tend to increase. The protective effect of natural light against myopia has been demonstrated in longitudinal and experimental studies. This evidence is to be considered in promoting children's time spent outdoors.

Integrating dynamic and developmental time scales: Emotion-specific autonomic coordination predicts baseline functioning over time

Autonomic nervous system activity flexibly shifts and modulates behavior at multiple time scales, with some work suggesting that patterns of short-term reactivity contribute to long-term developmental change. However, previous work has largely considered sympathetic and parasympathetic systems independently, even though both systems contribute dynamically to the regulation of physiological arousal. Using physiological data obtained from 313 children in kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade we examined whether within-person autonomic coordination during an emotion-inducing film task in kindergarten was associated with developmental change in resting autonomic activity. On average, these kindergarteners exhibited reciprocal coordination during the approach-oriented emotion (angry, happy) condition and a lack of coordination during the avoidance-oriented emotion (fear, sad) condition. Alignment with these patterns was associated with more typical autonomic development, specifically an increase in resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and a decrease in resting skin conductance (SCR) from kindergarten to 2nd grade; while lack of coordination during the approach condition was associated with a relatively delayed increase in resting RSA and a steeper decline in SCR, and reciprocal coordination during the avoidance condition was associated with a lack of RSA increase. Findings highlight the need for additional consideration of how moment-to-moment dynamics of autonomic coordination influence longer-term development, and suggest that early patterns of atypical arousal may portend dysregulation of developing physiological systems.

BRAILLETECH: ELECTROBIOMECHANICAL DEVICE FOR INCEPTIVE BRAILLE LEARNING

The present paper displays the design process and characteristics of the BrailleTech. BrailleTech is a low-cost teaching device that encourages pre-K through 1st-grade children to learn the alphabet and acquire letter recognition skills through interactive methods that stimulate their tactile and auditory senses. It is programmed through Arduino and includes passive infrared sensors (PIR), a DF player SD, and solenoids. The solenoids act as braille dots to display letters, depending on their pattern, while the speaker informs the child of the letter that is currently shown. The device is an electrobiomechanical device programmed to coordinate the spelling of the letter with the electromechanical movement of the related audio and the appropriate braille dots solenoid representation. The device responds to the child’s motion that the sensors perceive and activates other functions that are constantly repeated each time the sensor is activated. The objective is to aid young children to progress from pre-literacy to literacy in an enjoyable and simple manner.

Relationship between ‘Language and Emergent Literacy’ before School Age and Literacy Performance Levels for First and Second Graders: Data Mining Decision Tree Model Analysis

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify factors (language and emergent literacy before school age) affecting Hangul reading and writing performance level in the first and second grades of elementary school.Methods: A decision tree analysis was conducted to examine the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC) of the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education (KICCE) on the 7th (kindergarten, 6 years old), 8th (first grade, 7 years old), and 9th data (second grade, 8 years old).Results: Reading and writing performance levels of 1st and 2nd grade children were related to reading first grade books independently with comprehension, reading most words correctly and answering questions about what was read, making predictions while reading, and retelling story after reading. Children with reading levels within the top 20 percent frequently chose reading &amp; writing-related activities, frequently looked at or read books for pleasure or to gain information, looked for books related to a personal interest or class topic, listened with interest and concentration to stories read aloud, made rhyme words, followed directions that include a series of actions, and were able to write relatively simple words such as ‘mom’ and ‘dad’.Conclusion: The findings are expected to serve as a basis for understanding what areas of literacy education should be given to children with low reading and writing performance.

“Sound” civics, heard histories: A critical case of young children mobilizing digital media to write (right) injustice

ABSTRACT Drawing on data from a multi-sited study examining making and makerspace technologies’ impact on early social studies education, this article explores how two 1st-grade children mobilized digital media to write (right) a personal issue of geo-civic injustice. Using speculative civic literacies and sound studies as conceptual tools to interrogate young children’s making as civic action, it asks: How do two young students and their teachers discursively make civic futures—speculative stories proposing preferable solutions to problems—through digital making and inquiry? How do the children use “sound” making or “make” sounds to document civic deliberation, practice participation, and take informed action across real and imagined worlds? Presented as a series of strategic sketches, the findings analyze the children’s practices and processes of digital media production. In doing so, this study suggests that sound functioned not only as a modal resource for making, but a critical literacy tool that stitched together heard histories of personal injustice with collaborative problem-solving in elementary social studies.

Caregiver worry and injury hazards in the daily lives of Ugandan children

:Background:Over 95% of unintentional injury-related childhood deaths globally occur in low- and middle-income countries, such as Uganda. Risks for injury in settings like rural Uganda are vastly understudied despite differing patterns of child injury risk. The present study investigated the prevalence and type of hazards in children’s environments in rural Uganda, as well as the relationship between hazard exposure and parent attitudes and perceptions regarding unintentional injury.Methods:Our sample included 152 primary caregivers in Eastern Rural Uganda who had children in either 1st or 6th grade. All parents/guardians completed caregiver surveys following verbal instructions. Surveys assessed demographic information, child hazard exposure, and parent beliefs regarding child injury. Results:Almost all parents (98.5%) reported daily exposure for their children to at least one of the hazards assessed. Caregiver's perceived likelihood of child injury was positively related to hazard exposure (r = .21, p less than .05). This relationship remained significant when controlling for family demographics, child grade level, and child injury history (F (7, 126) = 2.25, p less than .05).Conclusions:Our results suggest that Ugandan parents are aware of the risks of children’s exposure to hazards, but may lack the tools to address it. Development of injury prevention interventions focusing on behavioral change techniques may help reduce childhood injury and injury-related deaths in Uganda.

Long use of digital devices as a risk factor that causes myopia occurrence in schoolchildren

Use of digital devices results in much higher health risks for children caused by greater visual and static loads, low physical activity, intensified intellectual activity, and psychological discomfort. The article focuses on results obtained in examining reasons why schoolchildren from the 1st, 5th, 9th, and 11th grade use various digital devices, how frequently they do it and for how long they use mobiles, PC, pads, or laptops. All schoolchildren use digital devices, most frequently, mobile phones and PC. Almost ¾ children in the 1st grade use a mobile phone; half of them, a PC, 1/3 use a pad; and each fifth schoolchild uses a laptop. Practically all 5th grade children use a mobile phone; two thirds, a PC; half of them, a laptop or a pad. Also practically all senior schoolchildren use a mobile phone; three quarters, a PC; one third, a laptop; pads are used much less frequently. A number of used digital devices per 1 person grows with age, from 1.8 for 1st grade children to 2.6 for 5th grade children and 2.3 for senior schoolchildren. Average duration of digital devices use per day also grows from 3 hours for 1st grade children to 8.1 hours for senior schoolchildren. Most schoolchildren tended to have diseases of the eye, namely refraction and accommodation disorders; accommodation disorders prevailed among 1st grade children, and myopia was more frequent among 5th grade children and senior schoolchildren. A number of children with myopia grows by 2.1 times during school years. Relative risk calculation revealed that if digital devices are in use for 6 hours or longer, it results in 1.8 times higher risks of myopia.

Длительность использования цифровых устройств как один из факторов риска развития миопии у школьников

Use of digital devices results in much higher health risks for children caused by greater visual and static loads, low physical activity, intensified intellectual activity, and psychological discomfort. The article focuses on results obtained in examining reasons why schoolchildren from the 1st, 5th, 9th, and 11th grade use various digital devices, how frequently they do it and for how long they use mobiles, PC, pads, or laptops. All schoolchildren use digital devices, most frequently, mobile phones and PC. Almost ¾ children in the 1st grade use a mobile phone; half of them, a PC, 1/3 use a pad; and each fifth schoolchild uses a laptop. Practically all 5th grade children use a mobile phone; two thirds, a PC; half of them, a laptop or a pad. Also practically all senior schoolchildren use a mobile phone; three quarters, a PC; one third, a laptop; pads are used much less frequently. A number of used digital devices per 1 person grows with age, from 1.8 for 1st grade children to 2.6 for 5th grade children and 2.3 for senior schoolchildren. Average duration of digital devices use per day also grows from 3 hours for 1st grade children to 8.1 hours for senior schoolchildren. Most schoolchildren tended to have diseases of the eye, namely refraction and accommodation disorders; accommodation disorders prevailed among 1st grade children, and myopia was more frequent among 5th grade children and senior schoolchildren. A number of children with myopia grows by 2.1 times during school years. Relative risk calculation revealed that if digital devices are in use for 6 hours or longer, it results in 1.8 times higher risks of myopia.

Is Japan\u2019s child allowance effective for the well-being of children? A statistical evaluation using data from K-CHILD study

BackgroundChild allowance payment is one form of social security policy that aims to mitigate the child poverty gap by providing financial support to families. This study aimed to explore the impact of the child allowance on children’s physical and mental health (BMI, problem behavior, depression, and self-rated health), and parental investment in child health (children’s material goods, family events, extracurricular activities, interaction with children, and involvement in child maltreatment).MethodsWe used cross-sectional data from the 2016 Kochi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (K-CHILD) study. Participants were 1st, 5th and 8th grade children living in Kochi prefecture in Japan (N = 8207). Caregivers reported children’s child allowance status, BMI and behavior problems, while children filled out a self-assessment on depression and health condition. Propensity score matching analysis regarding potential confounders was used.ResultsWe found that children in families that received child allowance showed a smaller total difficulties score by 1.29 points (95% CI: − 2.32 to − 0.25) and a lower risk of overweight (OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.29 to 0.91) although there is no association with underweight, prosocial behavior, depressive symptoms and self-rated health. Parental investment did not differ by child allowance status (p > 0.05).ConclusionsChild allowance was found to be potentially beneficial in decreasing behavior problems and reducing child overweight. Further longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate how child allowance is used by family members and associated with children’s well-being.(230/350 words)

Physical Activity, Physical Fitness And Body Mass Index Among Elementary School Children In The Arctic Area

The World Health Organization recommends that children accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) daily. However, knowledge about the association between physical activity (PA), physical fitness and body mass index (BMI) among elementary school children in the Arctic is limited. PURPOSE: To examine the association between PA levels, physical fitness and BMI in elementary school children in Northern Norway. METHODS: Elementary school children in 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th grade were recruited to wear an accelerometer (wGT3X-BT, ActiGraph, LLC, Pensacola, United States) for seven consecutive days (n=216). PA was categorized according to intensity, and dichotomized into reaching the PA recommendations or not. Physical fitness was measured by using Test of Physical Fitness (Fjørtoft et.al. 2011) consisting of a nine-item compound motor activity score that includes various combinations of endurance, strength, agility, balance, and motor coordination, which is calculated as total physical fitness based on z-scores. BMI (kilogram/height 2) was used as body composition measure. RESULTS: In total, 94 (43%) of 216 the children reached the recommendation of 60 min MVPA per day. There was a significant difference (p<0.001) in total physical fitness score between boys (3.01) and girls (-2.35). A positive association between physical fitness score and reaching the PA recommendations was observed in 3rd, 5th and 7th grade (p<.05). BMI was inversely associated with physical fitness in 5th and 7th grade (p<0.05) but not in 1st and 3rd grade. There was no significant association between those who achieved the PA recommendations and BMI. CONCLUSION: Children in elementary school who reach the recommendations for PA seem to have a higher score on the physical fitness test, except for the first graders. BMI was not related to physical fitness or reaching PA recommendations except an inverse association between BMI and physical fitness in higher grades.

The effects of coding on children's planning and inhibition skills

Computational thinking (CT) and the coding element of it are progressively entering in the primary school curriculum worldwide. Yet, little is known about the effects of these skills on children's cognitive development. In a cluster-randomized controlled trial, we examined how 1st-grade children's gains in coding skills that follow instructional intervention transfer to two important executive functions (EFs): planning and response inhibition. One-hundred seventy-nine (179) first graders from 5 schools and 10 class groups, with no prior experience of coding, were randomly assigned to an experimental (coding, 5 classes) or control (standard STEM, 5 classes) instructional condition. The experimental intervention involved 8 h of coding activities (two weekly lessons for 4 weeks), through the Code.org platform. Children in the control group were exposed to standard STEM instruction. Four coding tasks drawn from Code.org, two standardized planning tasks (Elithorn maze test and Tower of London, ToL, test) and two standardized response inhibition tasks (NEPSY-II inhibition subtest and numerical Stroop), were used to assess children's skills at the pretest and posttest (after the instructional intervention). To measure retention, the same skills were also assessed for 44 children from the experimental group 5 weeks from the posttest (follow up). The results show that practice with coding through Code.org not only improved measurably children's ability to solve coding problems, but also their EFs, increasing the time children spent planning, their ability to solve standardized planning tasks, and to inhibit prepotent responses. Such findings add to the still limited literature on the cognitive effects of coding, deepening our understanding of the positive implications of introducing Computational Thinking early in the school curriculum.

Executive functions predict improvements in pure-tone thresholds for children with normal hearing and children with hearing loss

Detection of pure tones is known to improve in early childhood. The ability to suppress self-generated noise during detection tasks has been identified as a contributing factor to higher audiometric thresholds in children. Data from children with hearing loss indicate that children with thresholds that are above the level of self-generated noise do not show the same improvements across age as peers who can hear their self-generated noise. In an effort to examine the specific cognitive mechanisms that affect this process, audiometric thresholds and executive functions skills were measured in a group of 213 1st and 3rd grade children (84 children with normal hearing, 129 children with hearing loss). The relationship between selective attention and vigilance and thresholds were assessed for both groups. Children with stronger selective attention and vigilance skills had lower pure-tone thresholds than peers with poorer skills in these domains. The previous finding that children only showed an improvement in thresholds when they could hear their self-generated noise was also replicated. Audiometric test equipment that can monitor the sound level in the ear canal may help to increase the accuracy of clinical pure-tone detection tasks in children. Detection of pure tones is known to improve in early childhood. The ability to suppress self-generated noise during detection tasks has been identified as a contributing factor to higher audiometric thresholds in children. Data from children with hearing loss indicate that children with thresholds that are above the level of self-generated noise do not show the same improvements across age as peers who can hear their self-generated noise. In an effort to examine the specific cognitive mechanisms that affect this process, audiometric thresholds and executive functions skills were measured in a group of 213 1st and 3rd grade children (84 children with normal hearing, 129 children with hearing loss). The relationship between selective attention and vigilance and thresholds were assessed for both groups. Children with stronger selective attention and vigilance skills had lower pure-tone thresholds than peers with poorer skills in these domains. The previous finding that children only showed an improvement in ...

Disassociating the relation between parents' math anxiety and children's math achievement: Long-term effects of a math app intervention.

Although parents' fears and worries about math-termed math anxiety-are negatively associated with their children's math achievement in early elementary school, access to an educational math app that 1st-grade children and parents use together can ameliorate this relation. Here we show that children of higher-math-anxious parents learn less math during 1st-3rd grades, but this is not the case when families are given a math app (even after app use markedly decreases). Reducing the link between parents' math anxiety and their positive attitudes about math for their children helped to explain the sustained benefit of the math app. These findings indicate that interventions involving parents and children together can have powerful lasting effects on children's academic achievement and suggest that changes in parents' expectations for their children's potential for success in math, and the value they place on this success, play a role in these sustained effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).