First Year Of Formal Schooling Research Articles

Cultural semiotic resources in young children’s science drawings

AbstractThis study aims to explore the meanings communicated by young children with visual cultural semiotic resources available in the science classroom. It is a case study in an Early Childhood Education classroom of 23 children (3–4 years old) and their teacher, all engaged in a long-term science project about snails. We focus on the analysis of two series of drawings of snails made by children a month apart, examined through two complementary lenses: comparative content and social semiotics. The findings show that, during their first year of formal schooling, children acquired a range of semiotic resources to communicate to others, which are part of their classroom culture, rather than explicitly taught. Children used these resources to construct sophisticated meanings through their science drawings, highlighting what they considered important and accounting for different modalities and categories. These results point to the importance of supporting drawing tasks in early years, as well as providing opportunities for discussing and interpreting representations. A methodological contribution of this research regards the combination of two complementary foci in the analysis of children’s drawings that allows for a nuanced examination of their learning and abilities for meaning making.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Impressions and Experiences of Virtual Practicum Teaching in the United Arab Emirates

The COVID-19 global pandemic forced some teacher training institutions to implement unprecedented pedagogical strategies, which include conducting virtual practicum teaching. It was a challenge for pre-service teachers as they did not have experience in online teaching and learning, let alone conducting virtual field experiences. The objectives of the study were to explore pre-service teachers' initial pedagogic impressions and experiences of their first week of virtual practicum teaching in kindergarten classrooms with children aged 4-5 years old, which is the first year of formal schooling in the UAE. The study was conducted using a qualitative case study within an interpretive paradigm. Guided by Gibb’s reflective cycle as a theoretical framework, 20 pre-service teachers were purposively selected in the study to complete an open-ended questionnaire. The results showed that pre-service teachers achieved more than they anticipated as they made enlightening observations and had successful hands-on pedagogical activities. The study concludes that the reinforcement of problem-solving skills is inevitable among pre-service teachers, enabling them to use their higher-order thinking skills to adjust and adapt to any teaching and learning approach.

Which domain-specific skills at the beginning of formal schooling predict later mathematical achievement? A systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review examines which domain-specific numeracy skills in the first year of formal schooling most reliably predict achievement in mathematics during primary school. Longitudinal studies that assessed domain-specific skills in the first year of formal schooling and mathematical outcomes at a later grade in primary school were included. Databases were searched in July 2020. Fifty-four studies were included, representing 13,453 participants. We investigated the strength of the associations between different types of domain-specific skills and mathematical outcomes through correlated effects models and random effects univariate meta-analyses. Results showed small to large significant positive correlations. The strength of the evidence is limited by the small number of studies and the variability found in measures. The findings are analyzed in light of theoretical models of numerical cognition. Implications for future research are discussed.

Are family-teacher communication quality and child and family characteristics associated with head start children's classroom engagement? It's complicated

Children's classroom engagement during the first years of formal schooling is foundational to their academic success. Previous research has found that the quality of communication between parents and teachers as well as child and family characteristics are associated with children's engagement scores in the classroom. However, research remains limited, and most has been conducted among middle and high school students. Even less is known about the role of communication quality between parents and teachers on children's classroom engagement during preschool, when children are encountering the formal education system for the first time and the foundation for their school trajectories are being laid. This study explores the association between parent-teacher communication quality and child and family characteristics on the classroom engagement scores of 326 low-income, ethnoracially and linguistically diverse children attending Head Start, using a teacher and observer-rated measure of child engagement. Results showed that when teachers perceived having a high-quality communication with the child's parent, the child was rated to be more engaged in the classroom by both their teachers and independent observers. However, parent and child characteristics (i.e., parent race/ethnicity, children's English language skills, child gender, and child age) were only significantly associated with children's classroom engagement when rated by their teachers but not by independent observers. These findings suggest that building relationships with families early on might be a promising way that schools can support the wellbeing of minoritized children.

Treating sleep problems in young children: A randomised controlled trial of a group-based, parent-focused behavioural sleep intervention

This study tested the efficacy of a 5 × 1.5 h/session, group-based, parent-focused, behavioural intervention (BI) targeting sleep problems in preschool children. Parents were randomised to either the BI (N = 62) or care as usual (CAU; N = 66) conditions. Outcomes included sleep, anxiety, behavioural problems, internalising and externalising symptoms, transition to school and academic achievement. Assessments were conducted at pre- and post-BI intervention (in the year prior to formal schooling), and then at follow-ups 1 and 2 in the first year of formal schooling. Relative to the CAU, the BI condition demonstrated significantly greater improvements in sleep, anxiety, behaviour problems and internalising and externalising symptoms from pre-to post-intervention. Improvements in sleep, anxiety, and internalising symptoms were maintained, while behaviour and externalising symptoms were further improved upon at school follow-up 2. For the BI group, improvements in sleep at post-intervention were found to mediate improvements in anxiety, internalising, and externalising symptoms, but not behaviour problems, at school follow-ups 1 and 2. There were no significant effects of condition on school transition or academic outcome measures. The results suggest that the BI is effective for sleep, anxiety, behaviour, internalising and externalising symptoms, but not for school transition or academic outcomes. ANZCTR numberACTRN12618001161213.

Examining links between affective empathy, cognitive empathy, and peer relationships at the transition to school

AbstractThe current study aimed to (i) examine associations across features of affective and cognitive empathy, and (ii) explore their independent role for children's peer relationships at the transition to school. Affective empathy was measured using both observations of children's facial affect during an empathy‐eliciting event and dispositional affective empathy to peer distress via teacher report. Cognitive empathy was measured using an index of children's proclivity to engage in perspective taking when witnessing the distress of another. Children's theory of mind was also assessed given close links with cognitive empathy. Participants were 114 Australian children (Mage = 67 months, SD = 5 months) assessed across two sessions during their first year of formal schooling. Findings showed that features of children's affective and cognitive empathy were unrelated, but both showed independent associations with children's positive peer relationships (assessed via peer‐reported social preference and teacher‐rated peer social maturity). The current study provides support for the delineation between features of affective and cognitive empathy in early school‐age children, and the importance of understanding both affective and cognitive empathy for children's peer relationships at the transition to school. These findings have implications how we understand both the nature of empathy in childhood and the role it plays in supporting children's positive peer relationships.

The relationship between numerical mapping abilities, maths achievement and socioeconomic status in 4- and 5-year-old children.

Early numeracy skills are associated with academic and life-long outcomes. Children from low-income backgrounds typically have poorer maths outcomes, and their learning can already be disadvantaged before they begin formal schooling. Understanding the relationship between the skills that support the acquisition of early maths skills could scaffold maths learning and improve life chances. The present study aimed to examine how the ability of children from different SES backgrounds to map between symbolic (Arabic numerals) and non-symbolic (dot arrays) at two difficulty ratios related to their math performance. Participants were 398 children in their first year of formal schooling (Mean age=60 months), and 75% were from low SES backgrounds. The children completed symbolic to non-symbolic and non-symbolic to symbolic mapping tasks at two difficulty ratios (1:2; 2:3) plus standardized maths tasks. The results showed that all the children performed better for symbolic to non-symbolic mapping and when the ratio was 1:2. Mapping task performance was significantly related to maths task achievement, but low-SES children showed significantly lower performance on all tasks. The results suggest that mapping tasks could be a useful way to identify children at risk of low maths attainment.

Teacher expectations in the early primary grades: A scoping review

AbstractTeachers are the single most important in‐school factor affecting student learning outcomes. As a result, researchers and policy makers are particularly interested in the ways that teacher‐level factors influence the learning opportunities that teachers provide in their classrooms. A growing body of research suggests that the expectations a teacher sets for individuals and groups of students can significantly affect the learning opportunities that are provided to them. This is highly problematic, especially since teacher expectations can be inaccurate evaluations of student abilities and teacher expectations differentially affect the learning outcomes of racialised students as well as children living in poverty. Much of the research base regarding teacher expectations has focused on upper elementary and secondary grades with little research focus on the ways that teacher expectations are formed and impact children in the first years of formal schooling. Given the potential impact of sustained teacher expectation effects, an in‐depth review of teacher expectation research in the early primary grades is warranted. This study uses a scoping review methodology (H. Arksey and L. O’Malley, ‘Scoping Studies: Towards a Methodological Framework, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 2005, 8(1), 19–32) to analyse research on teacher expectations in the early primary grades. Five themes encapsulate the scope of research published from 2000–2021: (1) teacher expectations of school readiness skills, (2) factors that influence the formation of teacher expectations, (3) teacher expectation effects, (4) stability of teacher expectations, and (5) intervention studies. This paper presents the current state of knowledge surrounding expectations in the early primary grades, as well as highlights challenges in need of further research.

Transition to school: children’s perspectives of the literacy experiences on offer as they move from pre-school to the first year of formal schooling

The importance of children experiencing a successful transition to school is well established in research literature. Central to this is including the children themselves in the conversation about their learning and ensuring they develop a sense of fit and belonging to their new school environment. The findings shared in this paper sit within a larger study of examining children’s perspectives of their literacy experiences at the time of transition to school. This paper reports the perspectives of two children, firstly in their pre-school (prior-to-school) setting and then again in their Kindergarten setting (the first year of formal primary schooling in New South Wales). The study draws on the theories of literacy as a social practice and describes literacy as events and practices. Digital storytelling was used as the main data collection method to capture the children’s voices as they annotate images, describing their chosen literacy events in each educational setting. Findings revealed that whilst some children have a confident and successful initiation into the literacy events and practices of school, others may not. Herein are substantial messages, firstly, that we need to listen to children so we can support their transition to formal school and secondly that teachers need to better understand the literacy practices of children in pre-school to more effectively support them as they transition to Kindergarten.

Common and distinct predictors of non-symbolic and symbolic ordinal number processing across the early primary school years.

What are the cognitive mechanisms supporting non-symbolic and symbolic order processing? Preliminary evidence suggests that non-symbolic and symbolic order processing are partly distinct constructs. The precise mechanisms supporting these skills, however, are still unclear. Moreover, predictive patterns may undergo dynamic developmental changes during the first years of formal schooling. This study investigates the contribution of theoretically relevant constructs (non-symbolic and symbolic magnitude comparison, counting and storage and manipulation components of verbal and visuo-spatial working memory) to performance and developmental change in non-symbolic and symbolic numerical order processing. We followed 157 children longitudinally from Grade 1 to 3. In the order judgement tasks, children decided whether or not triplets of dots or digits were arranged in numerically ascending order. Non-symbolic magnitude comparison and visuo-spatial manipulation were significant predictors of initial performance in both non-symbolic and symbolic ordering. In line with our expectations, counting skills contributed additional variance to the prediction of symbolic, but not of non-symbolic ordering. Developmental change in ordering performance from Grade 1 to 2 was predicted by symbolic comparison skills and visuo-spatial manipulation. None of the predictors explained variance in developmental change from Grade 2 to 3. Taken together, the present results provide robust evidence for a general involvement of pair-wise magnitude comparison and visuo-spatial manipulation in numerical ordering, irrespective of the number format. Importantly, counting-based mechanisms appear to be a unique predictor of symbolic ordering. We thus conclude that there is only a partial overlap of the cognitive mechanisms underlying non-symbolic and symbolic order processing.

Impact of A Co-taught Handwriting Intervention for Kindergarten Children in A School Setting: A Pilot, Single Cohort Study

ABSTRACT Write Start is a co-taught, whole of class approach to handwriting instruction developed for students in grade one and delivered collaboratively by teachers and occupational therapists. Write Start emphasizes the development of handwriting fluency utilizing evidence-based cognitive and perceptual motor strategies within a station-based teaching approach. This pilot study assessed the impact of a modified Write Start on handwriting fluency in Australian kindergarten students (first year of formal schooling), and investigated the effects of early literacy on intervention outcomes using a retrospective analysis of existing clinical data. Participants were kindergarten students (n = 81; mean age = 65.9 months) attending a large independent primary school in a regional metropolitan center. Participants received the modified Write Start, over one school term, in two x 45 minute sessions per week for 8 weeks. Handwriting fluency was measured pre- and post-intervention using a researcher-designed tool, the Letter Form Assessment (LFA), based on and extending commonly used measures. LFA scores for the whole cohort were significantly higher post-intervention, indicating improved handwriting after the intervention (Z = −4.457, p < .0001). In order to determine if school entry ability impacted responsiveness to the intervention, students were assigned to a high or low performing tier based on scores from three early literacy skills measured by teachers as part of routine assessment at school entry (n = 70). There was no effect of Low or High Tier literacy skills groupings on change to LFA score for phonics (f (19, 50) = 1.11, p = .36), phonemic awareness (f (19,50) = 1.32, p = .21) or writing (f (19,50) = 0.59, p = .89). The modified Write Start shows promise as an effective intervention for kindergarten handwriting, however further revisions and testing should address the potential impact of literacy and the interrelationship of perceptual motor and cognitive skills on outcomes.

Protocol for a longitudinal study investigating the role of anxiety on academic outcomes in children on the autism spectrum.

Children on the autism spectrum are consistently reported to underachieve compared to ability. In typically developing children, anxiety is a strong predictor of poor school performance. Despite the high prevalence of anxiety disorders among children on the spectrum, the impact of their anxiety on academic achievement is under-researched. The main aim of this project is to determine the moderating role anxiety may have in the development of academic learning behaviours (academic enablers) in children on the spectrum. This project addresses a gap in knowledge about the possible associations between anxiety and academic achievement in children on the spectrum. Understanding these associations opens up the possibility of new intervention pathways to enhance academic outcomes through anxiety reduction/prevention. This longitudinal study will aim to recruit 64 children on the spectrum aged 4-5 years and their parents. Information will be gathered from children, parents and teachers. Children will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions in order to experimentally manipulate anxiety levels in the sample: experimental (to receive an anxiety reduction/prevention program, N = 32) or control (no intervention/treatment as usual, N = 32). The primary outcome measures are child academic skills and enabling behaviours assessed using the Academic Competence Evaluation Scales and the WIAT-II. Anxiety will be assessed through parent and teacher report. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, post-experimental manipulation of anxiety, and within the first year of formal schooling. It is hypothesised that anxiety will moderate the relationship between autism characteristics and academic enablers. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed manuscripts and conference presentations. Lay summaries will be provided to all participants and available on the research centre website.

Code-related literacy profiles of kindergarten students with autism.

Many children and young students with autism have difficulties learning how to read. This study investigated early literacy development in children with autism spectrum disorder during their first year of formal schooling. The study found that children with autism spectrum disorder differ greatly on their early literacy skills, with some showing strengths in their understanding of the alphabet, spelling, and reading words. Other students in the sample had difficulties with these early reading skills. The findings of this study are important to better understand the most effective way to teach early literacy skills to children with autism spectrum disorder.

Handwriting Readiness among Digital Native Kindergarten Students

Aims: Handwriting is an essential life skill, impacted by proficiency in visual-motor integration and fine motor control. The increase in the use of digital technology has changed the way children interact with their environments, and potentially, the development of the important requisite skills for handwriting. This study examined the “handwriting readiness” skills of children born in the digital age. Methods: 219 children in their first year of formal schooling (mean age = 5 years, 10 months), completed the Beery Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration (Beery-VMI) and the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2) Short Form to assess visual motor integration, overall motor proficiency, and fine motor proficiency. Pencil grasp was also observed. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics and comparison to established normative data using summary t-tests. Results: Participants met the expected performance level on the Beery-VMI and the manual dexterity subtest of the BOT-2. However, overall motor proficiency on the BOT-2 for our sample was lower than published normative data. Further, 60.3% of participants used static pencil grasps. Conclusions: The findings prompt us to question the potential contribution of digital technology to changes in motor performance among children in the digital age.

The Effects of a Whole‐Class Kindergarten Handwriting Intervention on Early Reading Skills

ABSTRACTThe ultimate goal of reading is to comprehend written text, and this goal can only be attained if the reader can decode written words and understand their meanings. The science of reading has provided compelling evidence for the subskills that form the foundation of decoding. Decoding words requires understanding of the alphabetic principle and letter–sound, or grapheme–phoneme, correspondence. In the first year of formal schooling (kindergarten), this same understanding is also required for young learners who are learning to write the letters of the alphabet. In this article, we examine the effectiveness of a handwriting intervention, Write Start–K, that emphasizes the recall, retrieval, reproduction, and repetition (the 4Rs model) of grapheme–phoneme relations. We conducted a two‐group, pre/posttest study at two Australian schools across four kindergarten classes (n = 77 students). One school received the intervention, and the other continued with standard teaching. Participants (mean age = 5 years 8.45 months, standard deviation = 4.18 months) at both schools were assessed at baseline, immediately after the eight‐week intervention period, and at 12 weeks following the end of the intervention (follow‐up). We used linear mixed models to determine the statistical significance of effects over three time intervals. We identified statistically significant Group × Time effects for letter name knowledge and word reading, whereas changes in letter sound knowledge and nonsense word–reading fluency approached statistical significance. These results indicate that a handwriting intervention, incorporating repeated practice in recalling and reproducing letter forms, had a statistically significant impact on early reading skills.

Reading identities as a developmental process: changes in Chinese-English learners from prekindergarten to kindergarten

ABSTRACT Reading identities are the ways that a person constructs the self as a reader across contexts and time. This study explores reading identities as a developmental process in multilingual children in prekindergarten and kindergarten. Participants were six children ages three to four participating in a Chinese-English family literacy program over a two year period. Children’s reading identities were examined across years and across children to describe areas of development in how children expressed reading identities. Findings describe areas of growth and stability in the reading development of young children that includes their first years of formal schooling.

Inferential narrative comprehension ability of young school-age children on the autism spectrum.

The purpose of the current exploratory study was to describe the inferential narrative comprehension skills of young school-age children on the autism spectrum who, as a group, are at high risk of significant and persistent reading comprehension difficulties. Our aim was to investigate whether the anticipated difficulties in inferential narrative comprehension in the group of children with autism could be explained by the children's structural language ability as measured using a broad-spectrum standardized language test. The participants were 35 children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), aged between 5;7 and 6;11, who attended their first year of formal schooling, and 32 typically developing (TD) children, matched to the ASD group for age and year of schooling. Children on the autism spectrum were divided into below normal limits (ASD_BNL, standard score ≤80; n = 21) or within normal limits (ASD_WNL, standard score >80; n = 14) on a standardized language test. All children participated in a narrative comprehension task, which involved listening to a novel story, while looking at pictures, and answering eight comprehension questions immediately afterwards. Comprehension questions were categorized into factual and inferential questions, with further categorization of the inferential questions into those tapping into the story characters' internal responses (mental states) or not. Children's responses were scored on a quality continuum (from 0: inadequate/off topic to 3: expected/correct). Our results showed significantly lower scores across factual and inferential narrative comprehension in the ASD_BNL group, compared to the ASD_WNL and TD groups, supporting the importance of structural language skills for narrative comprehension. Furthermore, the TD group significantly outperformed the children in the ASD_WNL group on inferential comprehension. Finally, the children in the ASD_WNL group showed specific difficulties in answering the internal response inferential questions compared to their TD peers. Results from this exploratory study highlight the difficulties children on the autism spectrum may have in inferential narrative comprehension skills, regardless of sufficient structural language skills at word and sentence level. These findings support the importance of routinely assessing these narrative comprehension skills in children on the spectrum, who as a group are at high risk of persistent reading comprehension difficulties. In this study, we demonstrate how narrative comprehension can be assessed in young school-age children on the autism spectrum. The scoring system used to categorize children's responses may further assist in understanding children's performance, across a quality continuum, which can guide detailed goal setting and assist in early targeted intervention planning.

The Impact of Family and Domestic Violence on Children’s Early Developmental Outcomes

IntroductionChildren have a universal right to live free from exposure to family and domestic violence (FDV). Young children (&lt;6-years) are at greater risk of exposure to FDV due to the time spent in the family home and parental dependence. Despite the limited empirical literature, it is acknowledged that FDV exposure can impact a child’s developmental outcomes with respect to social competence including social, emotional, and cognitive skills.&#x0D; Objectives and approachOur cohort study used longitudinal population-level data from Western Australia Police and hospital data to identify FDV, these datasets were genealogically linked to the children and their Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) to investigate the early development outcomes of Western Australian children born 2002-2010 (N=6,955).&#x0D; Our aim was to determine if children exposed to FDV had greater vulnerability in early development outcomes as measured by the Australian Version of the Early Development Instrument (used in the AEDC), in the child’s first year of formal schooling (2009-2015).&#x0D; Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of children exposed to FDV being classed as developmentally vulnerable in each of the five AEDC development domains: physical health and wellbeing; social competence; emotional maturity; language and cognitive skills (school-based) and; communication skills and general knowledge. Models were adjusted for a range of covariates known to impact developmental outcomes.&#x0D; ResultsChildren exposed to FDV had between 42% and 69% higher odds than non-exposed children of being developmentally vulnerable in the five domains. Additionally, children exposed to FDV had significantly higher odds of being developmentally vulnerable in two or more domains compared to children who were not exposed (adjustedOR 1.70; 95%CI 1.46-1.97).&#x0D; ConclusionsExposure to FDV increases the odds of vulnerability in early development outcomes. Early intervention for children exposed to FDV to mitigate the impact on outcomes, and ultimately the need to prevent FDV is clearly needed.

Grade R teachers’ understanding of reflective practice

Background: Internationally and nationally, reflective practice is suggested as a tool to inform quality teaching and learning. In South Africa, the quality of education is in the spotlight as schoolgoing children continue to perform poorly. This article investigates reflective practice in Grade R teaching. It explores teachers’ understanding of reflective practice to inform their practice to support learners having a positive first year of formal schooling. Aim: The aim of this study was investigate the knowledge and understanding of Grade R teachers about reflective practice. Setting: Two Grade R teachers in one school in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town participated in the study. Methods: An interpretivist case study using semi-structured interviews and document analysis informed the findings. Thematic analysis revealed common themes to explore the knowledge and understanding of Grade R teachers regarding reflective practice. Results: The teachers interviewed demonstrated a tacit understanding of reflective practice. They described it as an innate aspect of their teaching. Their knowledge and understanding are theoretical and there is no evidence of reflective practice in the documents used to inform their teaching on a daily basis. Conclusion: The findings of this study show that the participants use reflective practice innately. Support by the school and the Department of Basic Education through professional development has the potential to encourage the use of reflective practice for quality teaching and learning.

Phonological working memory and non-verbal complex working memory as predictors of future English outcomes in young ELLs

Aim of the study: The aim of this longitudinal study was twofold: first, to determine whether the relationship between working memory measures and language performance in young English language learners (ELL) remains constant over the year. The second aim was to determine if performance on working memory tasks predicts future performance on language measures. Methodology: The participants were 27 ELLs between the ages of 5 and 6 years who were in their first year of formal schooling and attended the same mid-low socioeconomic status school in South Africa. The participants were tested three times throughout the year on tasks of working memory and an English assessment battery. Data analysis and results: Mixed effects models and multiple linear regression were used to address the aims of the study. The first aim of the study showed that there are significant correlations between all working memory measures and all language measures in varying strengths across the year. The second research aim further elaborated on this by showing that both phonological working memory and non-verbal complex working memory are implicated in the acquisition of syntax, semantics and pragmatics at different points throughout the year. Implications and originality: Language acquisition in ELLs is not a stand-alone process and working memory measures may be able to predict future language outcomes. This could indicate that working memory measures may be used as an indicator for who may need language intervention, at a time when the ELL only has limited English proficiency and limited English exposure. This research is the first of its kind to originate from Africa, with a sample from low socioeconomic, culturally and linguistically diverse circumstances who are exposed to English consistently for the first time and are tested with working memory tasks with less strong language components.