Children's Academic Competence Research Articles

Effectiveness and mechanisms of change of a mindfulness-based intervention on elementary school children: A cluster-randomized control trial

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in the school context are increasingly widespread worldwide. The present study evaluates the effectiveness of a school-MBI (GrowingUp Breathing program) on children's socio-emotional and academic development. Three hundred thirteen elementary students from 7 to 12 years old from two schools in Madrid (Spain) participated. A cluster-randomized control trial was designed, assigning eight classrooms to the MBI-group (N = 155) and eight classrooms to the waiting-list control group (N = 158). Measures were evaluated at pre- and post-intervention in both groups and a 3-month follow-up was collected in the MBI-group. Children self-reported their mindfulness skills (i.e., dispositional mindfulness and psychological inflexibility) and well-being (i.e., anxiety and life satisfaction) and teachers evaluated children's social-emotional competence (i.e., emotion regulation, peer-relationship problems, and prosociality), well-being (i.e., emotional symptoms), and academic competence (i.e., student engagement and academic achievement). Mindfulness skills and emotional regulation were examined as potential mediators. Results revealed that children who received the MBI, compared to children in the WLC-group, improved their mindfulness skills, emotion regulation, prosociality, and emotional and behavioral engagement and decreased anxiety and peer-relationship problems. Positive changes in dispositional mindfulness led to reductions in children's anxiety and psychological inflexibility. Positive changes in emotional regulation led to improvements in prosociality and student engagement and decreased peer-relationships problems and emotional symptoms. Therefore, the results showed that a brief-MBI integrated in the Spanish regular school curriculum enhanced children's socio-emotional and academic development. Dispositional mindfulness and emotion regulation work as processes of change that underlie the intervention's impact.

Domain-specific and cross-domain effects of the home literacy and numeracy environment at 3 years on children's academic competencies at 5 and 9 years.

This study examined whether children's formal and informal home literacy (HLE) and home numeracy (HNE) environments at 3 years old demonstrated domain-specific, and cross-domain effects on children's academic performance at 5 and 9 years old. Participants were 7,110 children (49.4% male; 84.4% Irish), recruited between 2007 and 2008 in Ireland. Structural equation modeling revealed that only the informal HLE and HNE demonstrated both domain-specific and cross-domain positive effects on children's language and numeracy outcomes but not on socioemotional outcomes, at 5 and 9 years old. Effect sizes ranged from small (β = 0.020) to moderate (β = 0.209). These results suggest that even casual cognitively stimulating activities that do not directly focus on active teaching may benefit children's educational outcomes. Findings bear implications for cost-effective interventions with far-reaching, and enduring, effects across multiple child outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Enhanced Academic Support for children in child welfare services: Results and lessons learned from a pragmatic randomized controlled trial

AbstractEnhanced Academic Support (EAS) is an intervention designed to improve academic achievement among children who receive support from the child welfare services (CWSs) in the home. We investigated the effects of EAS in a randomized controlled trial in Norway. In total, 82 families who received support from the CWS were included in the study (37 in the intervention group, 45 in the comparison group). Both groups were invited to a pretest, posttest, and follow‐up measure of the children's math and reading skills, their teachers' evaluation of their academic competence, and of parental involvement in children's education. CWS workers, parents, and children reported the dosage of academic support received. In the intervention group, 48% of families received the threshold dosage of EAS needed for the intervention to be considered as delivered. There were no statistically significant differences between the intervention and comparison group on the children's math and reading skills, or their teachers' evaluation of the children's academic competence. Given the variation in intervention delivery and the limited statistical power, limited conclusions about the effect of EAS can be made. Important lessons from implementation in CWS and on conducting a pragmatic randomized trial are discussed.

Supplemental Material for Domain-Specific and Cross-Domain Effects of the Home Literacy and Numeracy Environment at 3 Years on Children's Academic Competencies at 5 and 9 Years

Supplemental Material for Domain-Specific and Cross-Domain Effects of the Home Literacy and Numeracy Environment at 3 Years on Children's Academic Competencies at 5 and 9 Years

Quality of family environment predicts child perceptions of competence 12 months after pediatric traumatic brain injury.

Demographic and environmental factors can affect child recovery after traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, little is known about their role in predicting child perceptions of competence (i.e., subjective judgments of ability or a sense of adequacy). This prospective, cohort study examined the contribution of participant sex, age at assessment, socioeconomic status, parent-reported change in academic performance post-injury, and the quality of a child's relationship with their family (i.e., family affective involvement, intimacy, integration, and the nature of family roles) to child perceptions of global and academic competence 12 months after pediatric TBI. Participants included 127 children, 84 with a TBI (53 mild, 31 moderate-severe TBI; injury age: 5-15 years) and 43 age-matched typically developing (TD) controls. Children rated their perceptions of global and academic competence and degree of family intimacy and integration. Parents completed questionnaires measuring socioeconomic status, family affective involvement, and the nature of family roles. Parents also indicated whether they perceived a change in their child's post-injury academic performance. Child perceptions of academic competence were significantly lower for children with moderate-severe TBI relative to TD children. In contrast, child perceptions of global competence were comparable between TBI and TD control groups. Socioeconomic status, age at assessment, parent-reported relative change in academic performance post-TBI, and family roles were associated with child perceptions of academic competence. Degree of family integration was the sole predictor of child perceptions of global competence. Child perceptions of academic competence are vulnerable to the effects of moderate-severe TBI, particularly among older children and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Well-defined family roles and greater integration of family units might enhance perceptions of global and academic competence in children with TBI.

Examination of Language, Behavioral, Academic, and Social Skills of Cochlear Implant Users in Early Primary Education.

Cochlear implants (CIs) improve spoken language skills as well as social and academic performance in children with severe and profound sensorineural hearing loss. We compare the social skills, academic competence, and problem behaviors in children with CIs and their typical-hearing peers and investigate the relationship between language skills and social skills, academic competence, and problem behaviors in children with CIs. Thirty-two children with CIs were divided into two groups according to implantation age: early (n = 17) and late-implanted group (n = 15). The control group was formed by the inclusion of five same-sex classmates of each implanted child selected by the teachers of the children with CIs. Thus, 160 typical-hearing children were included in the control group. Thirty-two children with CIs and 160 typical-hearing children participated in this study. Primary school teachers rated the children's social skills, academic competence, and problem behaviors using the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS). The language skills of the children with CIs were assessed with the Turkish Expressive and Receptive Language Test (TIFALDI). A statistically significant difference was found between the SSRS scores of the study and control groups, which was mostly due to lower social skills, and academic competence, and higher problem behavior ratings in the late-implanted group. In the study group, there was a statistically significant correlation between TIFALDI and SSRS scores. Early cochlear implantation provides advantages in social skills and vocabulary for children with profound congenital hearing loss. Late-implanted children need special support in different developmental areas despite attending mainstream education.

The role of self-perceived academic competence in children with childhood-onset fluency disorder

The aim of the present study was to investigate the five different components of self-perception (academic competence, social acceptance, athletic competence, physical appearance and school behavior), and to identify the dimensions that affect self-esteem in children with Childhood onset Fluency Disorder (CoFD). The study sample consisted of thirty children with CoFD and, as controls, thirty children without CoFD, aged from 9 to 11;7 years old. The following instruments were used: (1) the Greek version of Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC), (2) the “Children's Phonetic and Phonological development assessment” and, (3) a demographic characteristics form. Results revealed that while children with CoFD did report lower perceived academic competence than did those of the control group, and their academic competence self-perception shaped both their self-esteem and their school behavior self-perception. Moreover, academic competence self-perception was found to mediate in the relationship between CoFD, self-esteem and school behavior self-perception. Perceived academic competence in children with CoFD is linked to self-esteem and perceived school behavior, and this may impact on their relationships, emotional health and overall well-being. Health professionals should become able to estimate coexisting psychological difficulties and negative behaviors of parents or teachers that may affect the children's self-esteem. Furthermore, they should be able to suggest targeted psychological interventions for children and parents, while in the same frame teachers need to be properly trained about the management of stuttering in the classroom. The role of the speech therapist in the school context for in-service provision of information is therefore considered to be of paramount importance.

Effectiveness of Positive Discipline Parenting Program on Parenting Style, and Child Adaptive Behavior

In this study, a community sample of parents attending free 7-week Positive Discipline parenting workshops were recruited, as well as a non-randomized community control. Both samples consisted of primarily Hispanic parents with similar demographic information and attrition rates (initial N = 91), as well as children of similar age (mean age 6.89 and 6.95 years) and gender. Parenting stress, parenting style, and parent-reported child adaptive behavior were assessed at baseline and after three months. Longitudinal analysis was performed using mixed-effects regression modeling. Results indicate that attendance in Positive Discipline parenting workshops was related to a decrease in authoritarian parenting style, a decrease in permissive parenting style, and a decrease in parental stress. It was also related to an increase in child academic competence, and a decrease in externalizing-hyperactive behavior (both parent-report). These results suggest that positive discipline parenting workshops may alter parenting style and may positively impact children of parents who attend.

Inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and academic competence: Findings from three cohorts.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a risk for learning. Because ADHD commonly includes behaviours of inattention and behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity, how the two types of behaviours independently affect children's academic competence remains poorly understood. To investigate the impact of behaviours of inattention and behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity on Chinese students' academic competence. Parents of 167 preschoolers (Cohort 1), parents of 313 first graders (Cohort 2), and 1,003 high school students (Cohort 3). The ADHD-RS-IV Preschool version (Cohort 1), ADHD-RS-IV Home version (Cohort 2), and BASC-SRP (Cohort 3) were used to measure behaviours of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Academic competence was operationalized as school readiness (Cohort 1), math and language arts scores at two time points provided by school (Cohort 2), and self-reported academic performance (Cohort 3). Multiple regressions were performed to investigate the relationship between academic performance and behaviours of inattention alone (Step 1), and behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity alone (Step 2), and behaviours of inattention together with behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity (Step 3). For each cohort, both types of behaviours were negatively correlated with academic competence. However, regression analyses showed that in Step 3, behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity either failed to predict academic competence or predicted better academic competence. Overall, behaviours of inattention alone accounted for a similar amount of variance in academic competence as did behaviours of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity combined. Behaviours of inattention presented a risk for academic competence but the effect of behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity varied. Implications for instructional strategies for behaviours of inattention were discussed.

Kindergarteners’ spatial skills and their reading and math achievement in second grade

Children's early cognitive skills are believed to be associated with their later academic achievement and even lifelong success. Among various cognitive skills, spatial skills are considered a strong predictor of children's future math and reading performance. This study examined the relations between Chinese kindergarteners’ spatial skills and their subsequent math and reading achievement in second grade. Spatial skills (spatial perception, spatial visualization, and mental rotation), vocabulary, working memory, self-regulation ability, and academic competencies of 182 Chinese children were assessed in their last year of kindergarten. Follow up tests were then conducted on the children's academic competencies in math and reading in second grade. After controlling for demographics and a range of early domain-general and academic skill variables in a multilevel model, the unique associations between the children's early spatial skills and their academic achievement in second grade were assessed. The results showed that the children's spatial visualization ability in kindergarten was positively related to their math and reading performance in second grade. The children's spatial perception ability was also positively associated with their math performance in second grade. No association was found between early mental rotation and academic performance in second grade. Overall, the findings suggest that early spatial skills may have long-term effects on children's academic achievement in primary school. The effects need to be understood in the Chinese sociocultural context. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Obesity and Hunger Threaten the Foundations of Child Health

Obesity and Hunger Threaten the Foundations of Child Health

The Maternal Role On Emotional Competence Development of Early Childhood

Abstract Emotional competence is a multi-dimensional construct, consists of the skills to recognize and understand emotions, express emotions appropriately, and regulate emotions. Emotional competence develops very rapidly during preschool age and helps the child's success in fulfilling the developmental task of that age, such as building a positive relationship with the social environment, regulating emotion in social interaction, as well as learning skills such as concentrating and following the teacher's direction. A number of studies also proved emotional competence as the predictor of social competence and academic competence of children. This article aims to discuss the theoretical review and research review on the maternal role in the development of children's emotional competence. It was found that mother has a protective factor through attachment and emotional socialization. Secure attachment helps the child to regulate negative emotions. Conversely, insecure attachment results in inadequate emotional regulation skills. Through the socialization of emotions by the mother, children learn to recognize emotions, express emotions, and regulate emotions. The maternal role is also related with cultural frames. Suggestions are given for further research on conceptual definition, instruments, and interventions to optimize the emotional competence of early childhood. Keywords: attachment, emotional socialization, emotional competence, early childhood

Child, Mother, Father, and Teacher Beliefs About Child Academic Competence: Predicting Math and Reading Performance in European American Adolescents.

Beliefs about child competence in math and reading have important implications for academic performance in adolescence. However, it is unclear whether children's own beliefs are the most important predictor of their academic performance or whether parents' and teachers' beliefs about child competence influence child academic performance. We assessed mothers', fathers', teachers', and children's beliefs about European American children's (N=189) competence in math and reading at age 10 and children's math and language performance at ages 10, 13, and 18years. Confirmatory factor models demonstrated that children's and teachers' beliefs had lower loadings on a latent variable of child competence in math and reading than mothers' beliefs. Children's self-competence beliefs in math and reading were not significantly correlated, suggesting children may use dimensional comparisons when assessing their own competence. Mothers', fathers', and teachers' assessments of child competence in math were strongly correlated with their assessments of child competence in reading. Controlling for stability in academic performance, family socioeconomic status, and other reporters, mothers and fathers who rated their children's math competence higher had adolescents who performed better in math, and fathers who rated their children's reading competence higher had adolescents who performed better in language tasks. However, children who rated their own competence higher in math and reading had lower math and language (for girls only) performance in adolescence. European American children may use dimensional comparisons that render them poorer judges of their math and reading competence than parents.

Transitional Dynamics of Household Food Insecurity Impact Children's Developmental Outcomes.

To determine how transitions into and out of varying degrees of food insecurity impact children's academic competencies, executive functioning, and social skills (i.e., self-control, interpersonal skills, externalizing behaviors, and internalizing behaviors). Data come from the nationally representative kindergarten and first-grade waves of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (2010-2011); 11,958 children attending 1289 schools are included. Statistical analyses involve using a novel framework for measuring the transitional dynamics and depth of food insecurity to predict children's developmental outcomes using hierarchal linear models, which adjust for child- and school-level confounders. Deepening food insecurity (DeepenFIS) was detrimental to children's self-control (-0.208, p < 0.01), math (-0.153, p < 0.01), and working memory (-5.202, p < 0.05) scores. Remitting marginal food insecurity was associated with negative effects on children's self-control (-0.082, p < 0.05) and interpersonal skills (-0.098, p < 0.01) but not on math or working memory. Persisting marginal food insecurity (PersistMFIS) negatively impacted children's self-control (-0.106, p < 0.05) and interpersonal skills (-0.115, p < 0.05). Emerging food insecurity (0.146, p < 0.01) and persisting food insecurity (0.071, p < 0.05) had detrimental effects on children's externalizing behaviors. Based on a novel food insecurity transitions framework and examination of multiple developmental outcomes, this study highlights the importance of examining both depth and transitional dynamics of food insecurity. Findings indicate that DeepenFIS and PersistMFIS may have potentially the most harmful effects on children's developmental outcomes. Clinically, findings support the need for addressing food insecurity in early childhood, even if the food insecurity challenges are marginal and just emerging.

Cross-ethnic friendship and prosocial behavior's potential significance to elementary children's academic competence

ABSTRACTThe authors, with Swedish elementary school students (N = 201), 9–12 years old, examined the potential significance to self-perceived academic competence of students' cross-ethnic friendship ties and prosocial behavior to better understand education's minority achievement gap. A crossed-lagged panel model was tested to investigate potential relationships between these variables over time, while controlling for temporal associations. The results revealed that higher levels of prosocial behavior were related to more positive academic performance six months later. However, higher levels of cross-ethnic friendship did not. The findings further establish the predictive influence of prosocial behavior on academic competence, indicating that this over-time relation is applicable also in the North European context, with its increasingly diverse ethnicity.

Using the factor of curves model to evaluate associations among multiple family constructs over time.

Research in family psychology often focuses on understanding how multiple familial constructs develop over time. To examine these developmental processes, researchers frequently use a multivariate latent growth model (LGM) in which univariate LGMs are specified for each individual construct and then correlations are examined between the slopes and intercepts of different pairs of constructs. However, if the developmental associations among the constructs are hypothesized to derive from a higher-order common "cause" or factor, then a more appropriate model is the factor of curves (FOCUS) model. In this paper, we describe the FOCUS model for assessing the covariation among multiple developmental measures over time. We use empirical data to illustrate the benefits of the FOCUS model for testing whether a common factor, family academic orientation, is responsible for the interrelations among parental school perception, parental educational involvement, and children's academic competence from elementary school to high school. Results support that a higher-order family academic orientation construct can be used to characterize the developmental associations among parental school perception, parental educational involvement, and children's academic competence over time. We emphasize the importance of selecting a statistical model that matches one's theory of developmental change. (PsycINFO Database Record

CHILDRENS PERPECTIVES ON INVOLVEMENT IN HOUSEWORK AND ITS EFFECT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD AT CITY PRIMARY SCHOOL, NAIROBI, KENYA

Research in early childhood emphasizes the interplay between the home and the school in enhancing quality holistic experiences n children in the early years. However the rise in industrialization and technological advancements in modern day society have had tremendous effects on childhood experiences that have all along bn significant to the development of children including the participation oc children in housework. This was a descriptive study whose purpose was to find out whether or not school children in urban households are being involved in housework and how this relates to ther academic performance. Qualitative methods of data collection and analysis were used and purposive sampling techniques ere employed. Target population ere 6-8 year old children, parents and teachers Cit Primary school, Nairobi County, Kenya. Findings showed that most children in urban areas did not participate in housework, few who did had positive views but opportunities ere limited. School work and house helps ere a major competing force to children’s participation in housework. Recommendation is that parents, teachers and policy makers should be enlightened on the role of housework in developing academic competence in children.

Emerging psychopathology moderates upward social mobility: The intergenerational (dis)continuity of socioeconomic status

Socioeconomic status (SES) is relatively stable across generations, but social policies may create opportunities for upward social mobility among disadvantaged populations during periods of economic growth. With respect to expanded educational opportunities that occurred in Québec (Canada) during the 1960s, we hypothesized that children's social and academic competence would promote upward mobility, whereas aggression and social withdrawal would have the opposite effect. Out of 4,109 children attending low-SES schools in 1976-1978, a representative subsample of 503 participants were followed until midadulthood. Path analyses revealed that parents' SES predicted offspring's SES through associations with offspring's likeability, academic competence, and educational attainment. Interaction effects revealed individual risk factors that moderated children's ability to take advantage of intrafamilial or extrafamilial opportunities that could enhance their educational attainment. Highly aggressive participants and those presenting low academic achievement were unable to gain advantage from having highly educated parents. They reached lower educational attainment than their less aggressive or higher achieving peers who came from a similarly advantaged family background. Growing up with parents occupying low-prestige jobs put withdrawn boys and outgoing girls at risk for low educational attainment. In conclusion, social policies can raise SES across generations, with great benefits for the most disadvantaged segments of the population. However, children presenting with emerging psychopathology or academic weaknesses do not benefit from these policies as much as others, and should receive additional, targeted services.

Immigration and the interplay of parenting, preschool enrollment, and young children's academic skills.

This study tested a conceptual model of the reciprocal relations among parents' support for early learning and children's academic skills and preschool enrollment. Structural equation modeling of data from 6,250 children (Ages 2 to 5) and parents in the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort revealed that parental support for early learning was associated with gains in children's academic skills, which, in turn, were associated with their likelihood of preschool attendance. Preschool experience then was associated with further gains in children's early academic competencies, which were then associated with increased parental support. These patterns varied by parents' nativity status. Specifically, foreign-born parents' support for early learning was directly linked with preschool enrollment, and the association between the academic skills of children and parental support was also stronger for foreign-born parents. These immigration-related patterns were primarily driven by immigrant families who originated from Latin America, rather than Asia, and did not vary by immigrants' socioeconomic circumstances. Together, these results underscore the value of considering the synergistic relations between the home and school systems, as well as "child effects" and population diversity, in developmental research.

Habilidades sociais, competência acadêmica e problemas de comportamento em crianças com diferentes níveis de plumbemia

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between varying levels of lead poisoning and social skills repertoire, frequency of behavior problems and academic competence in children and adolescents. Participants were 155 children and adolescents, with an average age of 13.10 years, who belonged to three groups: high blood lead levels (over 10μg/dl), low blood lead levels (less 5μg/dl) and children who lived in a similar, but lead-free environment (comparison group). We used the Social Skills Rating System - Brazilian version (SSRS-BR) and the Social Skills Inventory for Adolescents (IHSA-Del-Prette) which were answered by the children and their teachers. Impairment in children's behavioral, academic and social repertoire was associated with blood lead levels. These results show the risks associated to lead exposure. Explanations are discussed for some contradictory results, rising hypotheses and questions for further studies.