Year Of Primary School Research Articles

The Effect of Using Augmented Reality Module in Learning Geometry on Mathematics Performance among Primary Students

There are many Augmented Reality (AR) applications in smart devices, but their use in education is less focused and does not meet the current syllabus. AR has a great potential to be used in education, especially in introducing abstract concepts. To use augmented reality in education, students and teachers must follow teaching and learning guidelines. Therefore, this study implied the development of an educational module with augmented reality in Geometry, specifically under Space, following the standards-based curriculum for primary school (KSSR) Year 4 lessons. This study aims to determine the effects of using a module with AR (GeomAR3) on student performance in learning Geometry compared to a traditional module (Geom3). This study was conducted quantitatively following a quasi-experimental design with a pre- and post-test. Fifty-nine (59) Year 4 students were involved in the study from a school selected through purposive sampling, with 29 of them as an experimental group and the remaining 30 as a control group. The point of assessing student performance is seen through the implementation instrument, such as a pre-test, a post-test, and a delayed post-test. The study data were analysed using Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) with the pre-test score as a covariate. The results show a significant difference in student performance on the overall mean score for the post-test (F (1,59) = 33.848, p = 0.000; eta squared = 0.377) and the delayed post-test (F (1,59) = 14.740, p = 0.000; eta squared = 0.208), with the experimental group significantly better than the control group. In conclusion, the use of modules with AR was found to improve students’ achievement in learning Geometry due to the factor of the ability to visualize clearly, strengthen students’ long-term memory, and gain conceptual understanding through the experience shown by AR.

Short investigative research on learning difficulties in primary school years

Short investigative research on learning difficulties in primary school years

REFLEXÕES SOBRE A AVALIAÇÃO DE MATEMÁTICA DO PROGRAMA MAIS ALFABETIZAÇÃO REALIZADA POR UM ALUNO COM AUTISMO DO ENSINO FUNDAMENTAL

This article discusses the resolution of a mathematics exercise of the large-scale evaluation of the More Literacy Program, performed by a student with autism in collaboration with the regular teacher and the intern. It starts from the problematic of educational policies that advocate education for all but culminates in the standardization of developmental assessment due to the initial diagnosis of disability. The study is based on the cultural-historical theory of human development, whose understanding of disability is not in what the subject lacks, but in the possibilities arising from the socio-historical-cultural environment. The investigations took place during the 2019 school year in a municipal school of basic education, in the second year of primary schools, with an 8-year-old student diagnosed with autism, with the fictitious name Miguel. The cut brought is from an exercise of the official evaluation of the Program, performed by the student in collaboration with the teacher and the intern. Classroom situations were analyzed in the light of the microgenetic approach of cultural-historical nature, recorded through photography and field diary. The results point to the resolution of the evaluative task in collaboration, which allowed the student with autism to participate in the task that was common to all in the room. They also revealed the need to think of a more democratic and collaborative school. In the final considerations, some indicators of the student's development are listed with focus on discussions about the man and the social function of the school present in the cultural-historical theory.

Development of Specific Learning Disability Screening Scale

It is known that students with Specific Learning Disability (SLD) are noticed because of the difficulties they experience in academic lessons, especially in primary school years. Especially the difficulties they experience in reading, spelling mistakes, problems in arithmetic skills, attention problems, inability in taking responsibility and communication skills attract attention. The scale, which was developed in Turkey in order to identify students suspected of having SLD during the primary school years and between the ages of 8-11, by their teachers, is a five-points Likert type, 7-factors and 39-items measurement tool. The study was carried out with teachers working with students with Special Learning Disability in Ministry of Education and Special Education and Rehabilitation Centers in the 2019-2020 academic year. A total of 401 classroom teachers and special education teachers from Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Bursa, Çorum, Erzurum, Gaziantep, Isparta, İzmir, İstanbul, Kayseri, Konya, Sivas and Trabzon provinces participated in the study. In data analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were performed and a seven-factors structure was found. It was determined that seven-factors explained 73,224% of the total variance. The factors were as follows: writing process, communication skills, literacy skill, taking responsibility, attention skills, arithmetic skills and skill of recognition the numbers. The Cronbach Alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.963 and the RMSEA value was 0,063.

Measuring the association between behavioural services and outcomes in young children with autism spectrum disorder

BackgroundChildren with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) receive a wide range of services. AimsTo examine the association between behavioural services received by children with ASD between ages 2 and 5 years and outcomes during primary school years. MethodsA total of 414 preschool-aged children diagnosed with ASD were enrolled at five Canadian sites and were assessed within four months of diagnosis (T1), six months later (T2), 12 months later (T3), at school entry (T4), and then annually (T5-T8) to 11 years of age. The association between the receipt of behavioural services during T1 to T3 and T8 outcomes related to adaptive behaviour and behavioural problems was modelled using linear regressions adjusted for immigrant status, family income, child’s age at diagnosis, site, sex assigned at birth, and baseline (T1) outcome. ResultsChildren who received behavioural services during at least one time period from T1 to T3 did not have significantly different outcomes at T8 than children who did not receive any behavioural services. ImplicationsPre-school use of behavioural services was not found to affect outcomes during later childhood. Numerous challenges accompany studies of the association between pre-school service use and later outcomes in a heterogeneous ASD sample. Recommendations for study design are provided.

Impact of Social Class Background on General Cognitive Ability

Theorists and researchers have been discussing the relationship between social class background and differences observed in cognitive ability test points of children from lower social class families and their middle or upper SES peers. It has been discussed that for a more detailed understanding of these cognitive inequalities, it appears necessary to move beyond boundaries of psychology and consider sociological conditions or contexts as well. It has been asserted that social class background characteristics affect general cognitive ability over time. The present study introduces research exploring the impact of social class background on cognitive abilities of children. In Britain, the 1958 National Child Development Survey (NCDS), the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) and more recently, the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS 2000) conducted at the start of the 21st century are particularly relevant and nationally representative broad-based studies for exploring the impact of social class background on general cognitive abilities of children. It was observed that they provided scaled data and emphasized the impact of social class, particularly the role of parental education as an indicator of social class in surveys. Social class affected children’s cognitive abilities as early as primary school years and led to inequalities in their cognitive performance. Children from lower social class and lower socioeconomic status (SES) families suffered a clear disadvantage. Poor and disadvantaged conditions of the lower social class adversely impacted and impaired the cognitive ability of children. Given the fact that cognitive abilities play a role especially in later life, adverse impacts and impairment of cognitive abilities are regarded as alarming and undesirable situations in childhood.

Effect of Colour Usage and Dialogue Reading Practices in Solving the Visual and Auditory Perception Problems of Students with Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability in reading. It is the most prevalent learning disability. This study aims to reveal the effect of the use of colours, peer assessment and reading dialogues on the education of students with dyslexia. The study uses a technical collaborative action research method. Two male students diagnosed with dyslexia and studying in the second year of primary school were participants in the study. The study lasted for 12 weeks following the research plan. The students were required to read the chosen tales in Aesop’s Tales aloud. After reading the stories, the students also read selected dialogues in the elementary school course books determined by the Ministry of National Education. Two letters by which the students got confused were marked in two different colours in the first text. The colouring gradually reduced in the new text. There was no colouring in the last text. Results show that the use of colours was effective in reducing the confusion of letters. The students corrected their mistakes mutually through the peer assessment method. The students liked the reading activity and made fewer reading errors compared to other texts.

Is academic selection in Northern Ireland a barrier to social cohesion?

ABSTRACT Northern Ireland has a deeply divided education system with demarcation most notable along ethno/religious and social class lines. The former is largely attributable to the historical organisation of the schools estate based on religion, and the latter is associated with a system of academic selection that filters children into grammar and non-selective post-primary schools according to their performance in tests taken during the final year of primary school. Academic selection, and the grammar school system that underpins it, has come under some considerable scrutiny, with much of the research evidence pointing to a negative relationship between the selective system and equality of opportunity in education. The suitability of this system in a transitioning society that has become more ethnically diverse in post-conflict years has, however, received less attention. Drawing on social cohesion theory, we reflect on the grammar school system to argue that the cross-community class interests animating it not only perpetuate inequalities within respective communities but may also present a significant barrier to peacebuilding efforts in education, and ultimately impede progress towards a more socially cohesive society.

Self-efficacy, academic performance and school transition among orphaned adolescents in southern Uganda

IntroductionSelf-efficacy is critical to adolescents’ development. This study examined the relationship between self-efficacy, academic performance and transition to post primary education among orphaned adolescents in southern Uganda. MethodsLongitudinal data from a cluster randomized clinical trial for orphaned adolescents was analyzed. Adolescents (N = 1410) between 10 and 16 years at study initiation, in their last three years of primary schooling were eligible to participate in the study. Data collected at baseline, 12, 24, 36 and 48-months follow-up were analyzed. Ordinary least square and logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between adolescents’ self-efficacy, academic performance –as measured by Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) scores, and transition to post primary education. ResultsResults indicate that adolescents’ self-efficacy was associated with better PLE grades (lower scores indicate better performance [b = -0.05, 95 % CI = -0.09, −0.01, p≤0.01]) and a higher likelihood of transition to post primary education (OR = 1.02, 95 % CI = -0.09, 1.00, 1.03, p≤0.01). ConclusionFindings point to the importance of integrating components focused on promoting self-efficacy among adolescents –especially those made vulnerable by poverty and HIV/AIDS in low resource settings.

Children’s games and activities during remote education

The article presents the importance of games and play activities for children in the first years of primary school during and after distance learning caused by COVID-19. The shift of education to online reality has been a challenging experience. Teachers had to find new ways to work with children, whereas kids had to cope with the new school reality. The aim of the article is to present the ways in which play-based activities were used by primary school teachers during remote education, based on an exploratory and descriptive study. The main research question was whether and how games and play-based activities were used during remote education in the first three grades of primary school in the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with primary school teachers and parents of students from grades 1–3. The main conclusion is that play, perceived as an important factor in early childhood education, was used by teachers in remote education to introduce a new topic, expand the scope of the material, involve children in the learning process, assess what they had learned and help to relax during classes, even if there were limitations arising from remote education and the specific needs of the youngest learners.

Clinical status and assessment of caries on first permanent molars in a group of 6- to 13-year-old Tunisian school children.

The present survey aimed to highlight the clinical status of first permanent molars (FPMs) among a group of children aged between 6 and 13 years in public primary schools in Tunisia and to determine the association between FPMs' dental caries, gingival bleeding, malocclusion, dental fluorosis, and enamel defects. The survey involved a cross-sectional study based on a dental examination conducted in public primary schools in Monastir Tunisia. A dental caries assessment was performed on FPMs using the International Caries Detection and Assessment Systemclassification; the number of carious lesions in permanent and temporary dentition was established using the decayed/missing/filled teeth (DMFT)index. The Gingival Index and the Dental Aesthetic Index were used to determine the occurrence of gingival bleeding and malocclusions. Dean's index and the modified Development Defects of Enamel index were used to define the enamel defects. The χ2 test was used to assess the difference between more than two groups, and the level of statistical significance was set at .05%. A total of 545 children and 2080 FPMs were examined. The prevalence of dental caries in FPMs was recorded to be 35.8%. The overall mean DMFTindex of the study population was 1.62 and the mean DMFT index was 1.41. The proportion of carious FPMs increased significantly with the age of the children (p < .05). The mandibular first permanent molar presented higher caries prevalence than its maxillary counterpart (p < .05). The presence of surfaces affected by molar incisor hypomineralization was recorded in 4.3% and the presence of surfaces affected by fluorosis was recorded in 4.6% of FPMs. No association was reported between FPMs' dental caries, gingival bleeding, malocclusion, and enamel defects (p > .05). Although the prevalence of caries in FPMs was considered moderate, health promotion programs should be implemented on a large scale to decrease the prevalence of dental caries among school children.

Examining Secondary School Choice Processes as a Predictor of Adjustment After the School Transition.

The secondary school transition is an important moment in adolescents' lives. Taking a prospective approach, the present study examined whether educational identity regarding a secondary school choice and own and parental expectations during the last year of primary school predicted post-transition school and psychological adjustment in Dutch adolescents (N = 314, Mage = 11.58). Additionally, the study qualitatively examined the reasons adolescents gave for their school choice, and linked these reasons to exploration behavior and post-transition adjustment. Identity processes and expectations predicted adjustment. Adolescents mostly reported multiple reasons for their school choice, with educational, practical, and social aspects of secondary schools appearing most important. The number of reasons mentioned was associated with pre-transition exploration behavior.

Research on Effective Teaching. A Multilevel Study for Ibero-America

This research aimed to determine the factors for Educational Effectiveness and to build an empirical model for Teaching Effectiveness in Ibero-America. A Multilevel Model with four levels of analysis was used to assess teaching effectiveness. The sample consisted of 5,722 students, (all at their third year of primary school), from 257 classrooms at 100 schools located in 9 countries of Ibero-America. The results showed the existence of ten factors of Teaching Effectiveness that impact on the cognitive, social, and emotional development of students: Involvement and commitment of the teacher; Classroom climate; High expectations and selfesteem; Structured lessons; Varied-participatory activities; Attention to diversity; Optimization of learning time; Classroom organization and management; Use of educational resources; Educational assessment, monitoring, and continuous feedback.

Behaviour Patterns between Academic Motivation, Burnout and Academic Performance in Primary School Students.

Background: The final years of primary school (early adolescence) are regarded as key for the academic and personal development of students. This study aims to analyze the relationship between academic motivation, academic burnout, and academic performance, differentiating between adaptive and non-adaptive patterns according to the results of the three constructs studied. Methods: The sample comprised 398 students, both male (N = 224; 56.28%) and female (N = 174; 43.71%) with ages ranging from 11 to 13 years (M = 11.49; DT = 0.52). The instruments used were the Maslach Burnout Inventory—Student Survey (MBI-SS) and the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), as well as academic marks as a measure of performance. Results: The results revealed significant correlations between the three constructs under study, the variables that can be used to predict academic performance, and both adaptive and non-adaptive behavior patterns. Conclusions: The importance of motivation, burnout, and academic performance in primary education is manifested, whose interrelation can give rise to adaptive behaviors based on high school motivation away from academic burnout that leads to a higher academic performance in students.

Integrating the 4cs into Creating Games by Visual Programming and Project Based Learning

In recent years teaching methods and tools have changed due to the development of IT information technologies. The Teaching Learning Process is guided and supported by the use of technological and pedagogical drivers in a holistic way.&#x0D; This paper presents a teaching framework for the development of technologically supported learning environments, through the utilization of visual programming tools, such as Kodu and Scratch, proposed by the current and supplementary National Curriculum. Also, it proposes a framework of educational scenarios as a part of Games Based Learning practices within a Project Based Learning project that will be implemented during languages courses to K-6 students.&#x0D; Seventy-five Greek-speaking children of the fifth year of various primary schools of Athens participated in this study. The aim of the study was not only to examine how the creation of educational digital games with Kodu and Scratch can introduce primary school students to programming but also to investigate the developmental path of 21st century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication (4Cs) and virtual/digital skills. A mixed method approach was adopted to explore the educational value of using these programming tools in the teaching-learning process. The research data was collected using observations, worksheets and questionnaires. The result of this study shows that the students were excited about the creation of their game by visual programming environments and project implementation, which was reflected by their active involvement in the learning process.&#x0D; The positive results of the research suggest that, in the proposed framework, the visual programming environments Kodu and Scratch can be dynamic learning tools during the teaching of language courses that support the development of students’ expression and collaboration skills. Also, the above findings provide an approach for future teaching to K-6 students on developing narrative skills.

Teaching foreign language grammar to primary-school children with developmental language disorder: A classroom-based intervention study

IntroductionChildren with developmental language disorder (DLD) start learning foreign languages, usually English as a foreign language (EFL), at an increasingly young age. However, current scholarship lacks crucial insights into how children with DLD respond to language learning in classroom settings and how they can be supported in doing so. The purpose of this early efficacy study is to determine whether a business-as-usual curriculum or a new teaching method tailored to the specific needs of pupils with DLD results in (greater) progress in the foreign language (English) and in the school language (Dutch). MethodThe participants were 75 pupils with DLD in the last three years of primary school, learning EFL in special education in the Netherlands. The intervention group (n=41) received 12 lessons following the CodeTaal approach, including metalinguistic instruction of grammar rules, explicit cross-linguistic contrasts and multimodal interaction with the material. The control group (n=34) received their regular English lessons. The study used a pre- to post-test design and compared the performance of the two groups on a Grammaticality Judgment Task (GJT) in English and a narrative task in both English and Dutch. ResultsOnly the intervention group significantly improved in their ability to identify ungrammaticalities in English and generalised the learnt rules to new sentences. Although the performance on the GJT predicted accuracy of English narratives, neither group showed a significant decrease of error rates in English. In contrast, the accuracy of Dutch narratives showed improvement, but only in the intervention group. However, the effects were small and there was significant variability in responsiveness to the intervention. ConclusionWe conclude that pupils with DLD are able to make progress in foreign language learning in a classroom setting if provided with adequate support.

Prevalence and functional impact of social (pragmatic) communication disorders.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the Children's Communication Checklist-2 (CCC-2) for measuring social-pragmatic communication deficits and to ascertain their prevalence and functional impact in a community sample. We used parent and teacher responses to the CCC-2 to approximate inclusion (poor social-pragmatic skills) and exclusion (poor structural language skills or autistic symptomatology) criteria for social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD). We tested the prevalence of social-pragmatic deficits in a population-based sample of children (n = 386) aged 5-6 years old using CCC-2 algorithms. We also investigated the academic and behavioural profiles of children with broadly defined limitations in social-pragmatic competence on the CCC-2. Regardless of the diagnostic algorithm used, the resulting prevalence rates for social-pragmatic deficits indicated that very few children had isolated social-communication difficulties (0-1.3%). However, a larger proportion of children (range: 6.1-10.5%) had social-pragmatic skills outside the expected range alongside structural language difficulties and/or autism spectrum symptoms, and this profile was associated with a range of adverse academic and behavioural outcomes. A considerable proportion of children in the early years of primary school has social-pragmatic deficits that interfere with behaviour and scholastic activity; however, these rarely occur in isolation. Exclusionary criteria that include structural language may lead to underidentification of individuals with social-pragmatic deficits that may benefit from tailored support and intervention.

Longitudinal Changes in Lens Thickness and Lens Power Among Persistent Non-Myopic and Myopic Children.

PurposeTo assess the longitudinal changes in crystalline lens in persistent non-myopic and myopic children.MethodsFour cohorts of children were recruited from Guangzhou, China, from first year of kindergarten (G0, n = 1129), first year of primary school (G1, n = 1324), fourth year of primary school (G4, n = 1854), and first year of junior high school (G7, n = 867) in 2018 and followed up annually for 2 years. All children received cycloplegic autorefraction and ocular biometry measurement. Children were classified into categories of persistent non-myopia (PNM; spherical equivalent refraction [SER] ≥−0.5 diopter [D] at baseline and during follow-up), persistent myopia (PM; SER <−0.5 D at baseline and during follow-up), or newly developed myopia (NDM: SER ≥−0.5 D at baseline and <−0.5 D during follow-up).ResultsThe mean (SD) age was 3.69 (0.34) years for children in G0, 6.79 (0.35) years in G1, 9.52 (0.42) years in G4, and 12.56 (0.38) years in G7. A LOWESS plot showed a three-stage pattern of change in lens thickness (LT) in PNM children including a rapid decrease from 3 to 7 years of age and a slower decrease from 7 to 11 years, followed by an increase thereafter. Similar trends were observed in the PM and NDM groups, although there was less change in LT. In contrast, lens power (LP) decreased consistently in all cohorts during the follow-up. No significant changes in LT or LP were observed around myopia onset.ConclusionsThe lens showed a three-stage pattern of change in LT, whereas there was continuous loss of LP in children ages 3 to 15 years.

A Novel Computer-Based Assessment Tool for Evaluating Early Literacy Skills in Italian Preschoolers

ABSTRACT The present contribution aims at presenting an assessment tool (i.e., the TALK-assessment) built to evaluate the language development and school readiness of Italian preschoolers before they enter primary school, and its predictive validity for the children’s reading and writing skills at the end of the first year of primary school. The early literacy competences of 98 preschoolers were assessed and the statistical proprieties (item difficulty level and Discrimination Index, and the factorial structure using Confirmatory Factor Analysis) of each subtest of the assessment were presented (Study 1). Results showed that the subtests of the tool have good psychometric properties, with the only exception of the morpho-syntactic comprehension task, and are adequate for use with preschoolers in the school context. Study 2 investigated the early literacy skills of a group of 62 preschoolers and their reading and writing abilities at the end of primary school 1st grade. The scores obtained in the phonological awareness task of the final version of the assessment in preschool significantly predicted children’s reading scores 12 months later, at primary school. The scores obtained in the lexical comprehension and morpho-syntactic production (i.e., sentence repetition) tasks of the final version of the assessment in preschool significantly predicted children’s writing scores 12 months later, at primary school. The assessment has specific characteristics that make it a valuable candidate for adoption in educational settings, both to identify fragile areas in time to modify the children’s developmental paths to literacy and to prevent future language and literacy difficulties at primary school.

Majority language vocabulary and nonword repetition skills in children attending minority language immersion education

AbstractThe present study examined nonword repetition (NWR) and comprehension/production of single-word vocabulary in the majority language (English) in six- to eight-year-old English-Gaelic emergent bilingual children attending Gaelic-medium primary education (GMPE) (primary years 2 and 3). GMPE is an immersion education model found in Scotland where the minority language, Gaelic, is the language of instruction, whereas English is the majority community language, not supported in school in the first three years of primary schooling. All children spoke English as their first language (L1) and had varying exposure to the second language (L2) Gaelic outside the school setting. We investigated how individual factors, such as age and frequency of exposure, and psycholinguistic factors, such as task modality, word class (for vocabulary), frequency, length, and prosody (for NWR), influenced performance. Later exposure to Gaelic and higher nonverbal IQ were contributing predictors of performance for English vocabulary. For NWR, participants with earlier and longer exposure to Gaelic who also used both languages at home more performed significantly better on this task. These results suggest that minority language immersion education differentially affects majority language abilities; later L2 onset benefited L1 vocabulary learning, whereas earlier L2 onset boosted L1 NWR skills in these bilinguals.