American Elementary School Children Research Articles

Testing What You’re Told: Young Children’s Empirical Investigation of a Surprising Claim

ABSTRACT We examined differences among children in their endorsement of an adult’s claim, their subsequent empirical investigation of that claim, and their resolution of any potential conflict between the claim and their empirical investigation. American and Chinese preschool (N = 171, M = 4.71 years) and elementary school (N = 128, M = 7.59 years) children were presented with five, different-sized, Russian dolls and asked to indicate the heaviest doll. Children typically selected the biggest doll. Children then heard either a false, counter-intuitive claim (i.e., smallest doll = heaviest) or a claim confirming their initial intuition (i.e., biggest doll = heaviest). Children frequently endorsed the experimenter’s claim even when it was counter-intuitive. The experimenter then left the room. During the experimenter’s absence, older children who had heard the counter-intuitive as opposed to the confirming claim explored the dolls more than younger children, especially when subtly prompted to explore. Moreover, only older children who heard the counter-intuitive claim simultaneously picked up the smallest and biggest doll, a more deliberate test of the experimenter’s claim. By implication, children engage in selective exploration following a surprising claim. Older children’s more systematic explorations of what they have been told may reflect improvements in their ability to test such claims and in their greater sensitivity to the fact that unexpected claims can and should be empirically investigated.

Culturally congruent mentorship can reduce disruptive behavior among elementary school students: results from a pilot study

BackgroundOur study objective was to examine the feasibility of implementing a culturally congruent mentorship pilot program, Youth-First (YF), that targets behavior modification among elementary school-aged children with disruptive behavior and a history of school suspension. We hypothesize that it is feasible to implement the YF program to reduce disruptive behaviors and recidivism of level III/IV infractions in school settings among at-risk African American students.MethodsWe assessed program feasibility based on the success of program acceptance by parents/guardians, study enrollment, and intervention compliance by students. A pre/posttest study design was used to examine whether the YF program reduced recidivism of disruptive behavior among enrolled at-risk African American elementary school children between September 2016 and January 2017. Generalized linear mixed models examined whether student behavioral scores improved over time and varied by program mentor. A McNemar test examined the reduction in cumulative incidence of level III/IV infractions pre-post YF program intervention.ResultsIntervention acceptance, enrollment, and compliance were 100% (95% confidence interval [CI] 86 to 100%), 100% (95% CI 86 to 100%), and 67% (95% CI 45 to 84%), respectively (N = 24). Overall, student behavioral scores improved and plateaued over time (Time2 effect: b = − 0.01, 95% CI − 0.02, < 0.01); a two-week period was associated with a seven-point improvement (effect size: Cohen’s d = 0.47, 95% CI 0.03, 0.94) in behavioral scores. Behavioral score improvements were class-specific, based on respectfulness behavior (b = 0.11, 95% CI < 0.01, 0.26). No recidivism of level III/IV infractions was reported during and post YF intervention.ConclusionThe integration of culturally congruent mentorship in elementary school-settings is feasible and can reduce risk of disruptive behaviors among at-risk African American students. Future studies should use randomized clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of culturally congruent mentorship interventions (void of potential selection and confounding biases) in reducing disruptive behavior, level III/IV infractions, and school suspensions among at-risk children.

Influence of Race, Ethnicity, and Behavioral Factors on Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a public health concern resulting from a variety of reasons. In the United States, approximately 12.7 million children and adolescents are classified as obese. 23.8% of African American children are obese compared with 13.1% of whites between ages 6 to 11 years. In Alabama, 35.5% children are overweight and obese; it is 6th highest ranked in United States. The most common causes of childhood obesity are behavioral, genetic factors, or a combination of both. In this study we investigated the differences in some of the behavioral factors such as sleeping time, dinner time and television watching time in racial ethnic groups. 24 white/European American (EA) and 30 black/African American (AA) elementary school children aged between 6 to 10 years participated in this study. Height and weight were measured, without shoes and wearing only light clothing. Body mass index (BMI) percentile was calculated using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth reference. Parents reported child’s typical weekday bedtime, dinner time and television watching time of their children. 35% of EA children slept later than 8:30 pm during school days compared to 68% of AA children. Only 4% of EA children had late dinner (after 7 pm), whereas 50% of AA children had late dinner during week days. 21% of EA children watched television for more than 1 hour in comparison to 79% of AA children every day. Our findings suggest that insufficient sleep, late dinner schedule, and longer television exposure are some of the behavioral factors that contribute to greater percentage of childhood obesity in AA than EA children. Disclosure P. Ayine: None. E.P. Parra: None. R.B. Jeganathan: None. G. Thangiah: None.

Validly web-based dietary assessment questionnaire adapted to evaluate eating patterns in American elementary school children

Web-Based Dietary Assessment Questionnaire was developed as a surveillance instrument to measure dietary and physical activity behaviors in children and adolescents. This study was developed to evaluate the validity of food eating pattern from the elementary school version of the Web-Based Dietary Assessment Questionnaire. Validity was assessed by comparing food items selected on the questionnaire with food items reported from a single 24-hour recall covering the same reference period. To Identify and describe the major dietary eating patterns in the WT Cheney Elementary School and South Wood Elementary of the 4 th

Beyond Community Violence: Loss and Traumatic Grief in African American Elementary School Children

The current study examined loss and childhood traumatic grief (CTG) in a sample of 403 African American school children in grades 6–8. Three out of four of these children reported the death of a close family member or friend, with deaths more than twice as likely to occur from illness and disease as from violence. Almost one-quarter of the children reporting a loss from any source scored in the severe traumatic grief range. After statistically controlling for witnessing violence, victimization and family violence, CTG was a significant contributor to PTSD, internalizing behavior problems, depression and poor academic achievement for girls, and particularly so for boys for whom it also predicted acting out. These data indicate that loss and traumatic grief are pervasive in the lives of these inner-city children who appear to be more affected by these events than the often-studied exposure to community violence.

Understanding “Agency” in the Translation of a Health Promotion Program

Health promotion interventions conducted under "ideal conditions" to prove their efficacy are often difficult to translate and disseminate for utilization in "real-world" settings. This article retrospectively integrates and analyzes the experience of three related projects. We investigate how the development and dissemination of a school-based nutrition and physical activity curriculum for American Indian elementary school children inspired the implementation of an across-the-lifespan train-the-trainer program that has trained more than 600 trainers in American Indian communities nationwide. This process provides an opportunity to explore how individuals in the community and the context in which the research was conducted affected project outcomes in ways which were not anticipated. Results challenge the use of "internal validity" as the primary measure of success in translation-dissemination-utilization research.

American elementary school children's attitudes about immigrants, immigration, and being an American

The current study examined 5 to 11-year-old European American children's ( N = 90) attitudes regarding immigrants, immigration policy, and what it means to be an American. The majority of children in the sample (from a predominantly European American community) held strong American identities and had distinct ideas about what it means to be an American (namely, one must love America, live by its rules, and be White). Children were in favor of legal immigration as a policy, and although they believed in allowing illegal immigrants to stay if employed, many younger children believed they should go to jail. Many children in the sample were aware of Americans' anti-immigration sentiments, largely attributing it to ethnic/cultural discrimination. Finally, children held negative attitudes about immigrants, particularly Mexican immigrants. These negative attitudes were most evident among children who held a strong, prototypical national in-group identity. In contrast, children did not hold differential attitudes about White and Black Americans.

The long term effects of early acquired skills and behaviors on young children’s achievement in literacy and mathematics

Using the recently available wave of a large nationally representative sample of American elementary school children (ECLS-K data), this study examined the relationship between 6-7 year old students’ behaviors exhibited in the 1st grade (approaches to learning, interpersonal skills, externalizing and internalizing behavior) and their reading and mathematics achievement at the end of the 5th grade (pupils aged 10 - 11 years), controlling for their achievement in the 1st grade. Findings include the single behavioral dimension that has a substantial association with later achievement is students’ approaches to learning. The analysis of the interaction effects showed that students from families of low socioeconomic status, girls (in case of math) and minority students were more likely to have higher test scores given their improved approaches to learning. Further, the results demonstrated that basic skills (math and reading in the 1st grade) are substantial predictors of the 5th-grade approaches to learning. The findings reveal the complexity of the intertwined relationship between cognitive and behavior outcomes among young students and the long-term effects of early acquired skills and behaviors.

Self-concepts in Japanese and American Elementary School Children: Psychometric Analysis of the Self-Description Questionnaire I (SDQ-I)

日本とアメリカの自己概念を尺度の因子構造・信頼性・妥当性の観点から検討することを目的として，小学3，4，5年生の児童計1,357名に対してSDQ-I（自己記述質問票）を実施した。確認的因子分析では日米ともに「身体的能力」「身体的外見」「友人との関係」「両親との関係」「一般的自己」「国語」「算数」「教科全般」の8因子構造が確認され，多母集団同時分析においても日米間のデータに等質性があることが検証された。内的整合性に関しても十分な信頼性があると認められた。日米両国を通じての傾向性としては身体的能力・数学の項目では男子が高く，国語に関しては女子が高かった。学年の主効果は日本に見られたがアメリカには見られなかった。国の主効果は全項目に対して見られ，アメリカの自己概念が日本に比べて有意に高かった。考察では日米の自己概念の特徴や相違点について文化的自己観や学校風土の観点から検討し，SDQの応用可能性について言及した。

The teacher-student relationship as a developmental context for children with internalizing or externalizing behavior problems.

Children with significant behavior problems are at risk for poor school adaptation and a host of deleterious school outcomes. Given the time children spend in school, there is a need to better understand the normative contexts and processes within schools that may enhance the positive adaptation of children with significant behavior problems. This study evaluated one such context, the teacher-student relationship, specifically, the degree of closeness and conflict in the relationship, between urban, American elementary schoolchildren with significant externalizing or internalizing behavior problems and their teachers. The results suggest that the qualities of the teacher-student relationship predict children's successful school adjustment. Having a relationship with a teacher characterized by warmth, trust, and low degrees of conflict was associated with positive school outcomes. Some moderation effects were noted, including differential effects for warmth on the reading achievement of children with externalizing distress, and conflict on the school adaptation of children with internalizing problems. Results are discussed in light of theory and school-based intervention and prevention efforts.

The Effects of Marginal Deviations on Behavioral Development

This investigation was conceptually framed within the theory of marginal deviations (Caprara & Zimbardo, 1996) and sought evidence for the general hypothesis that some children who initially show marginal behavioral problems may, over time, develop more serious problems depending partly on other personal and behavioral characteristics. To this end, the findings of two studies conducted, respectively, with American elementary school children and Italian middle school students are reviewed. These two studies show that hyperactivity, cognitive difficulties, low special preference, and lack of prosocial behavior increase a child's risk for growth in aggressive behavior over several school years. More importantly, they also show that equivalent levels of these risk factors have a greater impact on the development of children who, early on, were marginally aggressive.

A systematic review of the effectiveness of antimicrobial rinse-free hand sanitizers for prevention of illness-related absenteeism in elementary school children

BackgroundAbsenteeism due to communicable illness is a major problem encountered by North American elementary school children. Although handwashing is a proven infection control measure, barriers exist in the school environment, which hinder compliance to this routine. Currently, alternative hand hygiene techniques are being considered, and one such technique is the use of antimicrobial rinse-free hand sanitizers.MethodsA systematic review was conducted to examine the effectiveness of antimicrobial rinse-free hand sanitizer interventions in the elementary school setting. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Biological , CINAHL, HealthSTAR and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register were searched for both randomized and non-randomized controlled trials. Absenteeism due to communicable illness was the primary outcome variable.ResultsSix eligible studies, two of which were randomized, were identified (5 published studies, 1 published abstract). The quality of reporting was low. Due to a large amount of heterogeneity and low quality of reporting, no pooled estimates were calculated. There was a significant difference reported in favor of the intervention in all 5 published studies.ConclusionsThe available evidence for the effectiveness of antimicrobial rinse-free hand sanitizer in the school environment is of low quality. The results suggest that the strength of the benefit should be interpreted with caution. Given the potential to reduce student absenteeism, teacher absenteeism, school operating costs, healthcare costs and parental absenteeism, a well-designed and analyzed trial is needed to optimize this hand hygiene technique.

Assessing Anxiety Sensitivity in Inner-City African American Children: Psychometric Properties of the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI; Silverman et al., 1991) in a sample of urban African American elementary school children. One hundred forty-four 4th- and 5th-grade children completed the CASI as part of a larger project. In contrast to prior research with community samples, CASI total scores were higher and means did not differ by sex. Internal consistency (α = .82), 2-week test–retest reliability (r = .80), and convergent and divergent validity were good and consistent with prior research. The factor structure of the CASI differed from the structure found with White children. Results of exploratory factor analyses suggest two factors: physical concerns and mental incapacitation concerns. Implications for assessing anxiety and anxiety sensitivity among African American children are discussed.

Early modeling of drinking behavior by Native American elementary school children playing drunk.

A report of games played by elementary school children on a Native American reservation in the United States illustrates how intoxicated adult behavior is perceived as funny. Only later does one develop an awareness that the consequences of misuse can be injury, illness, and death. Prevention messages targeted at elementary school children need to provide positive alternatives to the humor in drunkenness and may need to be culturally adapted. Examples of some culturally specific approaches are discussed.

Mathematics Achievement of Chinese, Japanese, and American Children: Ten Years Later

A decade of heightened emphasis in the United States on mathematics and science education has had little influence on academic achievement or parental attitudes. American elementary school children in 1990 lagged behind their Chinese and Japanese peers to as great a degree as they did in 1980. Comparison of the performance of elementary and secondary school students between 1980 and 1990 reveals a decline from first to eleventh grade in the relative position of American students in mathematics. Parental satisfaction with American students' achievement and education remains high and standards remain low. Innate ability continues to be emphasized by Americans as a basis for achievement. American eleventh graders report more indications of stress than do their Chinese and Japanese counterparts.

Strategy acquisition and transfer among American and German children: Environmental influences on metacognitive development.

This study explored the differential effects of strategy training on German and American elementaryschool children and assessed the role of parents in the development of their children's strategic behavior and metacognition. 184 German and 161 American children were pretested on memory and metamemory tasks. Children were then assigned to either an organizational strategy training condition or a control condition. All children were tested on the maintenance and far-transfer of the strategy and task-related metamemory 1 week following training. Parents completed questionnaires about strategy instruction in the home. Strategy maintenance and metacognition were reassessed 6 months following training. German children were more strategic than American children. Instructed children performed better than control children. German parents reported more instruction of strategies in the home. These data suggest that formal education is responsible for aspects of cognitive development that have sometimes been viewed as a function of age.

Low and high mathematics achievement in Japanese, Chinese, and American elementary-school children.

Low and high mathematics achievement in Japanese, Chinese, and American elementary-school children.

Low and high mathematics achievement in Japanese, Chinese, and American elementary-school children.

Low and high mathematics achievement in Japanese, Chinese, and American elementary-school children.

The Self-Perception of Competence by Chinese Children

STIGLER, JAMES W.; SMITH, SHEILA; and MAO, LIAN-WEN. The Self-Perception of Competence by Chinese Children. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1985, 56, 1259-1270. This study explores cultural differences in self-perceptions of competence between Chinese and American elementary school children. Harter's Perceived Competence Scale for Children was administered to 714 fifth-grade children in Taiwan, and results were compared with American studies that have employed the same scale. Most striking is the nearly perfect replication of the factorial validity of the 4 subscales in the Chinese sample. Also similar across the 2 groups is a high correlation between perceived cognitive competence and actual achievement in school. However, interesting cultural differences are also found. Chinese children tend to underrate their competence compared to American children, except in the social domain where higher ratings are judged to reflect a different social reality. Judging oneself as important to one's peers loaded on the cognitive subscale in the Chinese sample, but on the social subscale for the Americans. Chinese children also differentiated satisfaction with oneself from the desire to change for the better.

Model Implementation and Classroom Achievement in the Northern Cheyenne Behavior Analysis Follow Through Project

The effects of implementation of the Behavior Analysis Model of Follow Through on the achievement of Native American elementary school children were examined. Model implementation was determined from auditor and consuItant reports. Outcome data were taken from the Wide Range Achievement Test with both cohort and non-cohort children. The data were aggregated by grade level (Kg-3rd) and by classroom (N = 16). The overall results revealed that at or above grade level achievement in reading, arithmetic, and spelling was associated with model implementation. This effect was significant (p .01) except for cohort spelling. Nonmodel implementation was related to below grade level classroom achievement a majority of the time. Implications of the findings to Native American education and previous evaluations of FoIlow Through were made.