Early Primary School Research Articles

Mental health problems identified in early school age and later mental health problems and disorders

Abstract Background Poor mental health in childhood and adolescence youth is an important public health challenge. We aimed to examine the prospective association between mental health problems among primary school children and later diagnosed mental disorders and mental health problems in youth. Methods A prospective cohort study of children participating in school health nurse examination during first years of primary school (approx. 6 years) in 17 municipalities in the capital region of Copenhagen, Denmark, with follow-up until their 16th birthday. Baseline data included information from national population registers and school health nurse records. Outcome variables: mental disorders diagnosed at hospital from approx. age 6 until 16 years (N = 6,930) and school health nurse records of mental health problems at approx. age 16 (N = 11,250). Results Problematic relations to peers in early primary school was associated with later neurodevelopmental disorders, including intellectual disability, autism-spectrum disorder and disorders of hyperactivity and inattention (AOR=4.14, 95% CI 2.15-7.97), and poor home related well-being in youth (AOR=1.67, 95% CI 1.02-2.74). Poor school well-being in early primary school was associated with poor school well-being ten years later (AOR=1.67, 95% CI 1.19-2.34) as well as problematic relations to peers (AOR=1.83, 95% CI 1.08-3.10). Further poor general well-being in early primary school was associated with problematic relations to peers in youth (AOR=2.21, 95% CI 1.17-4.18). Conclusions School health nurses identify a group of children in the early years of primary school with mental health problems and an increased risk of later mental health problems and disorders, and therefore they play an important role in the early identification of children at risk. Key messages • Children with problematic relations to peers have up to a fourfold increased risk of later mental disorders. • The school health nurses play an important role in the early identification of children at risk of later mental health problems.

Process and practice in New Zealand Enviroschool implementation

This qualitative study explores the practices and processes associated with implementing the Enviroschools approach. Enviroschools aim to nurture healthy and sustainable communities through learning and taking action collaboratively. The approach is implemented in over 1600 early childhood centres, primary, intermediate and secondary schools in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 26 participating teachers, school leaders and Enviroschool facilitators and co-ordinators across 6 regions nationwide. Transcripts were analysed through thematic analysis. Two themes were developed to situate and describe participants’ experiences of implementing the approach: forming relationships through attunement and sustaining relationships through critical reflection. Both of these themes speak to the value of applying a relational lens to understand the implementation of systems approaches, particularly in school settings. Our findings also suggest that there is a need for and an appreciation of systems approaches to nurturing wellbeing and sustainability in school communities and that extending systems thinking to the implementation of these approaches can help to bring the interconnections between health and sustainability to life in meaningful ways. The participants valued viewing and approaching implementation as a journey that develops proximal and more distant currents of change over time. Further research to explore the mechansisms of change and how these lead to outcomes may help to translate the practices and processes of implementation.

Collaboration as foundational in the transition from preschool to primary school: a shared action research project between educational settings

ABSTRACT This paper presents a collaborative action research project developed from the experiences of teachers at a preschool and a primary school during, and in the aftermath, of the Covid-19 pandemic. By adopting a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, there is a considered awareness of the life-world of the children, their families, as well as the educators at both settings. Through reflexive engagement in the action research process, this paper identifies key messages to inform a child-centred pedagogy to support transitions as well as outlining some practical strategies for early years and primary school settings.

Inclusive education in action: Singapore teachers’ efficacy in early childhood and primary school education

ABSTRACT Despite the increasing number of students with special educational and developmental needs in Singapore, in-service teachers’ efficacy in inclusive practices remained underexplored within this teacher population. This study examined the efficacy of 584 in-service preschools and primary school teachers in inclusive practices. Results showed that while teachers demonstrated moderately high efficacy, preschool teachers’ overall efficacy was significantly higher than that of primary school teachers. Conversely, no significant difference found in efficacy in managing behaviour, indicating that both groups find it equally challenging. The study explored possible reasons for these differences in teacher efficacy across educational levels in Singapore.

Rising authoritarianism and changing education policies of 21st century Turkey

This paper conceptualises rising authoritarianism in Turkey under the conservative ruling party, AKP, and its Sunni-Islamist educational policies. It scrutinises the Islamisation of early childhood and primary-secondary school education during the recent authoritarian turn. The discourse of ‘raising a religious generation’ entails reframing the Turkish secular education system into a Sunni Islam model. The article first situates early childhood, primary, and secondary school policies and discusses five major policy alterations during the contemporary authoritarianism of the AKP: restructured Preacher’s Schools (Imam-Hatip Schools), the 4+4+4 system, cooperation with Islamic sects, implementation of values education, and public Islamic kindergartens.

Spanish validation perceived ease of ICT among future early childhood education and primary school teachers

AbstractThe use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has been increasing in education. Despite its benefits, not everyone perceives its use with the same ease. This raises the need to observe the perceived ease of use (PEOU) of ICT among future teachers, which requires a valid and reliable instrument to measure this variable for the Spanish population. The aim of this study is to validate PEOU among trainee early childhood education and primary education teachers studying at Spanish universities and observe the factorial invariance across gender. Two studies were conducted: the first study consisted of an Exploratory Factor Analysis with 474 students (Mage = 21.17; SD = 4.03), while the second study tested the scale based on 796 students (Mage = 21.25; SD = 3.99). The results found that PEOU is a valid and reliable measurement scale consisting of two factors (FI. Difficulty [α = 0.89] and FII. Ease [α = 0.81], and that there are no gender differences. In conclusion, it provides a scale to assess PEOU of ICT among the Spanish adult population.

Health literacy pedagogies and assessment embedded in a school-based health education program

AbstractStudies have focused on the development of teachers’ Health Literacy (HL) pedagogies but have yet to focus on building teachers’ assessment capacity. The aims of this research study were three-fold: 1) professionally develop teachers to enhance the HL planned in a Health and Physical Education (HPE) program and assessment task; 2) validate a previously developed curricular model of HL assessment (rubric) using student work samples; 3) measure students HL learning using an adaptation of the validated rubric. Researchers used a descriptive single school case study, using a mixed methods approach in an Independent, coeducational early learning, primary and secondary day school in Sydney, Australia to work closely with participants to review the pedagogical knowledge, learning activities and assessment within a HPE program using Nutbeam’s three level HL hierarchy. Using Messick’s six aspects of construct validity testing of the rubric was completed using 20 sample assessment tasks, as well as receiving feedback on the adaptability and feasibility of the rubric. The validated rubric was then adapted to the assessment task to measure students’ HL. Results demonstrated that professional development had a positive impact on the development of planned HL pedagogies as shown by a 17% increase in planned critical HL learning activities. Findings suggest that the validated rubric is a feasible and adaptable tool that teachers can use to measure students’ HL. This is the first study to validate a curricular model of measuring HL. Future research needs to develop teachers’ HL capabilities and assessment literacy.

Different Eating Habits Are Observed in Overweight and Obese Children Than in Normal-Weight Peers.

Obesity is diagnosed in 13.6% of early primary school children in Poland. Its presence at this age increases the risk of obesity occurrence in adulthood. Therefore, it is important to properly shape eating behaviors at the stage of childhood and identify incorrect eating styles. This study aimed to investigate whether overweight and obese children differ significantly from children with normal body weights in terms of their eating styles. For the materials and methods, 43 mothers of overweight or obese children aged 3-10 years and 88 mothers of normal-weight children aged 3-10 years completed a questionnaire related to sociodemographic factors and the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. The overweight and obese children, compared with normal-weight children, scored higher on the food responsiveness (p = 0.009) and emotional overeating (p = 0.013) scales and lower on the satiety responsiveness (p = 0.025) and slowness in eating scales (p < 0.0001). No significant difference was found for other subscales between the studied groups. In the group of overweight and obese children, the child's age correlated negatively with enjoyment of food, as did the mother's BMI with slowness in eating. The results indicate the presence of significant differences in eating styles between normal-weight children and overweight or obese children. Identifying families at high risk of inappropriate eating behaviors and educating them appropriately can reduce the risk of children becoming overweight or obese.

Scaling Deep the Child to Child Approach to Ease Transition From Pre-primary to Lower Primary in Uganda, Ethiopia and Malawi

Background: Children benefit more from education if they are helped to transit from one level to another. Different strategies are always suggested and sometimes implemented to novel ideas that can promote transition, but with limited effort at scaling. The Child to Child Approach is one such approach that has been used to support the transition of children from pre-primary to early grade primary school. However, limited efforts have been made to support deep scaling, as most focus on just the interventions.Aim: This paper highlights strategies that were used to scale deep the Child to Child approach to support the transition of children from pre-primary to lower primary in selected districts in Uganda, Malawi and Ethiopia.Setting: This paper is based on the current situation where many interventions are being implemented in specific areas but are never scaled in marginalized communities to leverage impact.Methods: A reflective approach, field reports and a desk review were used to collect data.Results: Different strategies are highlighted including identifying and dealing with scaling deep concerns, engagement of relevant stakeholders at community, district and national levels and working with authorities in the area to endorse the approach worked best to settle the deep cultural uncertainties about scaling.Conclusion: Implementers need to identify scaling deep bottlenecks early and work to solve them before embarking on scaling approach.Contribution: This paper contributes to knowledge on what stakeholders who need to scale child to child programmes have to take into consideration for sustainability of their initiatives.

Practice and Exploration of Language Education Activities in Rural Kindergartens in Zhanjiang from the Perspective of Early Childhood and Primary School Connection

Through the questionnaire method, the interview method and observation method, To understand the current situation of the language education activities in Zhanjiang rural kindergartens, It is found that kindergarten teachers lack the scientific cognition of language education activities between kindergarten and kindergarten, and some kindergartens cater to the unscientific needs of parents, Primary school is disconnected from kindergarten, Lack of awareness and behavior to connect with the kindergarten, Family problems as lack of scientific educational concepts, therefore, The author proposed that the kindergarten aspect, Teachers set up scientific language education activities young and young cognition, do a good job of parents work, To form a home-based cooperation, In the pre-reading, pre-writing and pre-literacy in language education activities, Primary schools practice the Notice of Zhanjiang Education Bureau on the Scientific Connection between Kindergarten and Primary School , Families actively cooperate with the kindergarten to do a good job of language activities of kindergarten connection strategies, To comprehensively promote the practice of scientific connection of language education activities in Zhanjiang rural kindergarten.

Towards an advanced mathematical language task for the early primary school years: preliminary results on reliability and validity

Towards an advanced mathematical language task for the early primary school years: preliminary results on reliability and validity

Pathways to Early Science Literacy: Investigating the Different Role of Language and Reading Skills in Science Literacy Among Early Primary School Children

The purpose of this study is to examine the distinct roles of language and reading skills in science literacy among primary school students through a qualitative approach. Science literacy, defined as an understanding of scientific concepts and processes, and the capacity to apply them in everyday life, is a crucial competency for students in the modern era. This research employed a case study method, with data collection techniques comprising in-depth interviews, classroom observations and document analysis. The findings indicate that language skills play a pivotal role in assisting students in comprehending and communicating scientific concepts in an effective manner. The aforementioned skills encompass an individual's capacity to comprehend and employ scientific terminology, construct sentences with correct grammatical structures, and convey ideas in a clear and logical manner. In contrast, reading abilities are pivotal for students to obtain, comprehend and integrate information from diverse sources, including scientific texts. Well-developed reading abilities facilitate students to understand intricate scientific texts, construct arguments supported by evidence and draw inferences from available data. This research offers insights into the development of language and reading skills holistically, with the aim of improving science literacy among primary school students. It also emphasises the importance of an integrated and comprehensive teaching approach in science education.

The Outcomes of Competency-Based Program About Language for Communication for Early Primary School Students

This study aims to achieve three primary objectives: firstly, to develop a competency-based program tailored for communication purposes; secondly, to examine developmental strides in language proficiency for effective communication; and thirdly, to compare the language proficiency among early primary school students, both pre-and post-implementation of the program. The sample consisted of third-grade students from Anuban Chantarat School, Sahatsakhan District, Kalasin Province, Thailand, who were enrolled in the second semester of the academic year 2022. The total number of participants was 20 by cluster random sampling. The data collection instruments used in this study were: 1) a program usage manual, 2) a lesson plan, and 3) a language communication competence assessment test. Data analysis involved basic statistical measures, including frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and hypothesis testing using the t-test (Dependent Samples). The study findings revealed that: 1. Competency-based program for early primary school students&amp;rsquo; language communication, comprising six components: 1) Principles, 2) Objectives, 3) Content, 4) Development Processes, 5) Teaching and Learning Materials, and 6) Assessment, underwent quality assessment by seven experts. The results indicated a high level of conformity and appropriateness. 2. Students who participated in the language competency-based program demonstrated enhanced language communication competence across all learning units. 3. The language communication competence of students after using the program was statistically significantly higher than before using the program at a significance level of .05. The language competence was found to be at a developing level of A2 proficiency.

The relationship between parental attitudes and the assessment of the benefits and risks of screen devices use among children in early primary school years

Nowadays, children increasingly choose screen devices as a form of communication and spending free time, which raises concerns about the potential harmfulness of excessive use of them. Therefore, it seems important to look at the issue of using screen devices from the perspective of parents and their attitudes towards children themselves, as well as in relation to the use of screen devices in everyday life. The aim of the presented study was to demonstrate the relationship between parental attitudes, parent’s gender and the assessment of the benefits and risks associated with children’s screen devices use. The research tools used in the study included The Parental Attitudes Scale (SPR) by Mieczyslaw Plopa (2008), covering six parental attitudes, and original The Screen Usage Questionnaire (KKE) to measure the attitude towards screen use by children. The article discusses theoretical aspects of parental attitudes towards children and screen use, as well as the benefits and risks of children’s screen devices use in the early primary school years. The operationalization of variables in research tools was presented. The study involved 173 participants aged 29-44 years (M = 36.56; SD = 3.16; Me = 37), including 127 mothers and 47 fathers of children aged 7-10 from the Podkarpackie. No correlation was found between parental attitudes and their assessment of the benefits and risks associated with screen devices use. However, the differences were observed between mothers and fathers in the assessment of benefits and risks. The research results indicate the need for education on digital parenting. Mothers assessed the use of screens neutrally or negatively, while fathers assessed it neutrally or positively, hence the conclusion regarding preventive activities is to direct various educational interventions towards fathers and mothers. These findings indicate the need to support parents introducing children to the digital world in effective education regarding the use of screen devices.

Perceptions of height and weight screening and associations with body image: a cross-sectional study in early primary school children

BackgroundDespite parental concern, few studies have investigated children’s experiences with school-based screening of growth deviations. This study aimed to explore perceptions of height and weight screening and associations with body...

A Screening Instrument for Trauma-Related Behavior Among Young Primary School Students: Development and Validation of the RaPTOSS

This article reports on the development and psychometric evaluation of a new teacher observation instrument to systematically assess young primary school students’ well-being and detect potential indicators of psychological trauma, the RaPTOSS: Risk and Protective factors Trauma Observation School Situations. The RaPTOSS is developed specifically for preschool and early primary school teachers, because of the limited abilities their young students have to verbally reflect and report on their well-being and stressful experiences. We examined the factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity and criterion validity of the RaPTOSS in a sample of 406 4- to 8-year-old regular education students. Exploratory factor analyses yielded a four-factor structure for the risk items with the following factors: Withdrawn, Dysphoria, Destructive and Inattentive. The protective factor items revealed a four-factor structure closely aligning the theoretical factor structure: Safety and Relations, Self-Image, Everyday Life and Self-Regulation. All factors exhibited good to excellent internal consistency. Correlations between the RaPTOSS and existing measures of psychosocial well-being without a specific focus on trauma-related behavior demonstrated good convergent validity. Criterion validity was supported, as indicated by moderate to large positive correlations between teacher worries about a student and RaPTOSS risk factors, and moderate to large negative correlations between teacher worries and RAPTOSS protective factors. We conclude that the RaPTOSS is a promising measure for trauma-informed teaching and research, although future research is needed to establish its psychometric qualities in specific samples such as children diagnosed with PTSD and refugee children.

Factors Related to Electrical Burn Injuries in Occupational and Nonoccupational Settings From 2010 to 2021 in Colombia: Cross-Sectional Design.

Burns affect 11 million people worldwide annually. Electrical burns (EBs) are renowned for inflicting extensive harm and long-term consequences that can lead to severe illnesses and fatalities. People in both occupational and nonoccupational settings may be exposed to EBs, leading to functional or anatomical consequences. We identified sociodemographic features related to EBs in both settings. A cross-sectional design, using an open dataset of electrical shock injuries that occurred in Colombia during the 2010-2021 period, was carried out. Sociodemographic features of people injured in occupational and nonoccupational settings were described in counts (%), incidence per 100 000 people (I0; 95% CI). To identify related factors (age-sex adjusted) with injuries in occupational and nonoccupational settings, we applied a binary logistic regression. Over the 12-year period, there were 1.274 EBs (I0: 2.47; 2.34-2.61), 287 in the occupational setting (I0: 1.35; 1.20-1.51), and 987 in the nonoccupational setting (I0: 3.25; 3.05-3.46). Age median was 31 years, and most cases were distributed in middle adulthood (52.8%), males (88.1%), high school/technician (42.8%), urban location (73.7%), weekdays (95.3%), and daytime hours (85.5%). Factors related to EBs in the occupational setting were males, middle adulthood, high school/technician, Thursday, and daytime hours. Other factors related to EBs in the nonoccupational setting were early childhood, primary school, urban location, and weekends. Both settings pose a risk of injuries to individuals. We have identified sociodemographic factors related to these injuries in both occupational and nonoccupational settings, which could aid in preventing damages and long-term complications, especially among vulnerable subgroups such as those determined above.

Comparative experiment of the effects of unplugged and plugged-in programming on computational thinking in primary school students: A perspective of multiple influential factors

Recently, the development of computational thinking (CT) skills has become widespread in the whole world. There is a consensus to develop students’ CT skills through unplugged and plugged-in programming. However, the choice of programming approaches taught in schools is arbitrary and few studies have compared the effectiveness differences between unplugged and plugged-in programming. This study aimed to explore the differences between unplugged and plugged-in programming in developing CT skills of students in Grades 1-2 students. It also explored the joint effects of students’ gender, programming experience, programming interest, and programming confidence with different programming approaches on CT skills. The quasi-experimental research approach was used to conduct 10 weeks of unplugged, plugged-in, and regular programming activities with 124 Grades 1-2 students. The results found that unplugged programming promoted CT skills more in the early primary grades than plugged-in programming. We found that boys and students with programming experience in unplugged group performed significantly better in CT skills than in plugged-in group. Moreover, the improvement of CT skills of students in unplugged group was positively correlated with the level of their programming interest and programming confidence. However, these were not observed in plugged-in group. The results of this study can provide precise guidance for teaching CT skills to early primary school students and provide references for CT education.

Investigation of Early Childhood and Primary School Education Teacher Candidates' Attitudes to Gender Roles in Terms of Gender, Grade, Mother’s and Father’s Education Levels

Gender inequality indeed persists as a pervasive issue worldwide, infiltrating numerous facets of society and impeding progress toward a more equitable and just world. Schools play a crucial role as essential institutions where children embark on their initial journey into social life, contributing to the formation of values, norms, and social relationships. During these early years, children observe, imitate, and internalize the words, behaviors, and attitudes of teachers, shaping their understanding of the world around them. Therefore, children's perceptions of gender and attitudes toward gender can be significantly influenced by the attitudes and behaviors of their teachers. This research aims to examine whether there are differences in the gender-role attitudes among pre-service early childhood and primary school teachers based on gender, grade level, mother's and father's education level. The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey model, and data were collected from 1st and 4th-grade students enrolled in Early Childhood and Primary School Education Programs at a university in Turkey. The data were collected using a Personal Information Form and the Gender Role Attitude Scale (GRAS). The data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests in SPSS 22.0, and effect sizes were calculated. Analysis indicated that there were statistically significant differences in gender role attitudes between genders, grade level, and mother’s education level. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the scores based on the father's education level. Female teacher candidates were found to have more egalitarian gender role attitudes compared to male teacher candidates, and 4th-grade students exhibited more egalitarian attitudes than 1st-grade students. Additionally, it was observed that teacher candidates whose mothers were illiterate tended to have more traditional gender role attitudes compared to those whose mothers had primary school, middle school, high school, or college degrees.

Pathways to early science literacy: investigating the different role of language and reading skills in science literacy among early primary school children

ABSTRACT The initiation of formal science education provides an opportunity to investigate how age-related language and reading skills respond to the challenge of science literacy (SL) performance. SL in early primary schools refers to the understanding and application of scientific core ideas and practices for informed decision-making. Studies revealed that high levels of singular reading or language skills correlate with better SL performance in school settings. However, it is essential to explore how nuanced words and textual reading skills relate to SL performance for early primary learners. One hundred ninety-three Hong Kong second graders were assessed on word reading, reading comprehension, vocabulary, nonverbal reasoning, and SL. The hierarchical regression model shows that word reading and reading comprehension are significant predictors of SL, controlling for nonverbal reasoning and vocabulary. Further, mediation analysis reveals that reading comprehension significantly mediates the effect of word reading on SL at grade 2, suggesting a shared reading-SL cognitive process. A tailored early elementary school literacy instruction is a promising way to enhance SL development among young learners.