Sample Of Primary School Children Research Articles

Multiple languages, multiple identities? Children's language characteristics and their ethnic and national identification

ABSTRACT An increasing number of ethnolinguistic minority children in European cities grow up multilingual, being proficient in more than one language. Current public and political debates often insinuate that these children's language behaviour is a reflection of their identification with and integration in society. Though some empirical studies have corroborated this idea, others have contested it, suggesting that a more detailed analysis of the identity-language link is advisable. This quantitative study investigates if and how language practices, language exposure and language proficiencies differentially shape identification with the majority group and the ethnolinguistic minority group among a sample of primary school children (N = 528; ages 10–12) living in Antwerp, Belgium. Our results suggest that identification with these two groups involves separate processes and as such, this study helps to nuance the polarised public and political debate in Belgium about the role of language as an indicator of integration. In addition, the findings suggest that the essentializing of language within formal institutions such as schools, may contribute to the large share of children reporting that they strongly identify with the ethnolinguistic minority group as compared to the number of children strongly identifying with Belgium.

Direct and Indirect Associations of Empathy, Theory of Mind, and Language with Prosocial Behavior: Gender Differences in Primary School Children

The authors examined the contributions of empathic concern, perspective taking, theory of mind (ToM), and receptive language to prosocial behavior in a sample of primary school children between 8 and 11 years old. Results showed that empathic concern, perspective taking, and ToM had direct positive effects on prosocial behavior. Girls exhibited higher levels of empathic concern and prosocial behavior; furthermore, gender moderated the observed associations, as perspective taking and ToM were positively and significantly associated with prosocial behavior in boys but not in girls. Last, two indirect paths were detected: empathic concern partially mediated the relation between perspective taking and prosocial behavior, and receptive language had an indirect effect on prosocial behavior by increasing ToM ability. Implications for understanding the impact of the four social-cognitive skills on children’s prosocial development are discussed.

The relationship between implicit theories of intelligence, attainment and socio‐demographic factors in a UK sample of primary school children

Research emerging from the USA suggests that holding an incremental theory of intelligence (growth mindset) has a positive impact on academic success. However, limited empirical work has explored this relationship in a UK sample, and there has been a lack of research into the antecedents which might influence the development of certain intelligence beliefs. This study aimed to explore these gaps in the existing literature. Data was collected from 710 9‐year‐old pupils (UK Year 5). Participants completed attainment tests in Maths and English, and a questionnaire to assess their implicit theories of intelligence (mindset). Socio‐demographic information—including gender, ethnicity, free school meal (FSM) status and special educational needs (SEN) status—was also collected. Results showed that pupils eligible for FSM or SEN endorsed more of an entity theory of intelligence than pupils not eligible for either. Analysis of the whole sample showed that attainment significantly correlated with implicit theories of intelligence, however, this relationship did not exist for children with FSM or SEN status. These findings help to elucidate the relationship between implicit theories of intelligence and attainment in the UK, but also suggest the importance of external support in potentially facilitating pupils’ belief systems. Results are discussed in relation to avenues for targeted intervention.

Relations Between Bilingualism and Autistic-Like Traits in a General Population Sample of Primary School Children

Some evidence suggests that bilingualism improves communication and cognitive skills which are often impaired in autism. However, diagnosing autism in bilinguals may suffer a cultural bias, which can affect the investigation of bilingualism and autism. Therefore, the current study investigates relations between autistic-like traits (ALTs) and bilingualism in a general population sample of 394 children (M age = 8;3). Within the high-scoring group on the ALT measure, monolinguals had significantly higher ALT scores than bilinguals. There were no differences between monolinguals and bilinguals in the low-scoring group. Across the whole sample, age and structural language skills accounted for 35% variance in ALTs, while bilingualism had no effect on ALTs. Furthermore, structural language skills explained more variance in ALTs among bilinguals than among monolinguals.

Study the Attention deficit Hyperactivity Symptoms in a Sample of primary School children

Study the Attention deficit Hyperactivity Symptoms in a Sample of primary School children

Kvalitet porodičnih odnosa i samoefikasnost dece osnovnoškolskog uzrasta

The family is the basic unit of the society, which has an impact on all domains of children's development and functioning. Bearing in mind the significance of the family for the development of the child, this research pays attention to family factors that can affect the self-efficacy of elementary school children. The aim of this research was to examine the relationship between the quality of family relationships and the self-efficacy of children of elementary school age. The research involved 40 primary school pupils, ages 14 , (20 boys, 20 girls). The used instruments were FACE-IV and SEQ-C. The results showed that the subcategories of family cohesiveness and adaptability do not represent a statistically significant predictor of self-efficacy among children. Also, it has been confirmed that there is no statistically significant positive correlation between the degree of self-efficacy and the sub-scales of self-efficacy with balanced cohesion, balanced flexibility and networking. Finally, the research did not confirm the existence of a statistically significant negative correlation between the degree of self-efficacy and the sub-scale of self-efficacy with dissociation, rigidity and chaotic relations on the sample of primary school children. The obtained findings are explained in accordance with relevant empirical research. It is recommended that the relationships between these variables should be examined on larger sample, including other factors that influence the self-efficacy of elementary school children.

ASSESSMENT OF NECK CIRCUMFERENCE IN A SAMPLE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

ABSTRACT Background: Neck circumference (NC) is one of the proposed assessments for child obesity, but limited information is available for Malaysian children. This study assessed NC and its relationship with anthropometric indices in a sample of primary school children. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 758 children aged 7-10 years old from a selected primary school in Serdang, Selangor. Anthropometric indices included assessments of height, weight, waist circumference (WC) and NC. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated which was then used to determine BMI-for-age Z-score based on the WHO Child Growth Standard. Results: Their mean age of the children were 8.2±1.1 years old, mainly boys (54.6%) and Malays/Bumiputera (91.0%). The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 8.3% and 3.8% respectively, lower than the thinness (16.6%). The mean NC was 27.8±2.5cm with no differences between boys and girls. There was a significant difference between BMI and NC in which thinness (25.7±1.3cm) and normal weight (27.6±1.9cm) children had significantly lower NC as compared to overweight (31.6±1.8cm) and obese (32.5±2.5cm) children (p< 0. 001). However, no different in NC between overweight and obese children. NC was also significantly higher in children with WC of more than 90 th percentiles as compared to those less (31.5±2.2 vs 27.2±1.8 cm) (p< 0. 001). NC was positively correlated with BMI-for-age (r = 0.781), BMI-for-age Z-score (r= 0.762), WC (r= 0.755), body weight (r= 0.752), height (r= 0.430) and age (r= 0.117) (p< 0. 001). There were a significant relationship of BMI and WC with NC (Adjusted R2 = 0.625, F (2, 753) = 630.9 p < 0.000). Conclusion: NC was significantly related to excess weight and adiposity. The results suggest that NC assessments can potentially be used to assess child obesity. Keywords: Childhood Obesity, Neck Circumference, Body Mass Index

Quality of life in primary school children: The Health Oriented Pedagogical Project (HOPP).

The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between parents' level of education, measurements of physical attributes, and quality of life in a general sample of primary school children. The children's and the parents' versions of the Inventory of Life Quality in Children and Adolescents (ILC) were used to measure health-related quality of life (QOL) in 2140 school children (response rate 93%) and 1639 parents (response rate 71%) recruited from nine primary schools in Norway. A set of physical characteristics were also measured in the children: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, average daily minutes of physical activity, aerobic fitness, and handgrip strength. The regression analysis showed stronger relationships between the covariates and QOL for the parents' assessments than for the children's. Parents' level of education was significantly related to children's QOL, with the strongest association for parental QOL assessment. Among the physical variables, aerobic fitness ( B = 0.01, p > .001 in both samples), and handgrip strength in the parents' sample ( B = 0.21, p < .05) were significantly related to the children's QOL. The present study replicated the well-known finding that parents' sociodemographic status is important for children's QOL. Our new contribution is to show that the physiological variables aerobic fitness and muscular strength also contributed significantly to explain variance in QOL. This opens up interesting perspectives on how to improve QOL among children through more emphasis on physical activity and physical fitness in schools.

Многомерная шкала удовлетворенности жизнью школьников

The article presents results of developing the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale for primary school children based on MSLSS by E.S.Huebner.The questionnaire involves five scales: Family, School, Teachers, Myself, Friends as well as an overall index of life satisfaction.The reliability and validity of the questionnaire are demonstrated on the sample of primary school children (third and fourth grades, N=483).Five factor structure is confirmed by the results of confirmatory factor analysis.All the scales have high reliability (0.82 &lt; α &lt; 0.89) and show expected correlations with other indicators of subjective well-being and different scales of self-esteem (as assessed by Dembo-Rubinstein technique).The article contains the text of the questionnaire and normative data for primary school children.

Bullying experiences and literacy achievement amongst primary school children

This study investigated the association between school bullying and literacy achievements in a sample of primary school children from Johannesburg, South Africa. The children (n = 443; females = 56%, males = 44%) attending six primary schools in the Soweto area suburbs, self-reported their experience of bullying by peers. In addition, they completed tests of literacy. The results indicate that learners who self-reported being bullied performed poorly in literacy tests when compared to their peers, who were not subjected to bullying. In particular, those who experienced bullying scored lower on tasks that required literacy skills in phonics, spelling, and word choice. The findings indicate that learner support for school bullying survivors should aim to address the deleterious effects of bullying on literacy development.

The contribution of spatial ability to mathematics achievement in middle childhood

Strong spatial skills are associated with success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains. Although there is convincing evidence that spatial skills are a reliable predictor of mathematical achievement in preschool children and in university students, there is a lack of research exploring associations between spatial and mathematics achievement during the primary school years. To address this question, this study explored associations between mathematics and spatial skills in children aged 5 and 7years. The study sample included 12,099 children who participated in both Wave 3 (mean age=5; 02 [years; months]) and Wave 4 (mean age=7; 03) of the Millennium Cohort Study. Measures included a standardised assessment of mathematics and the Pattern Construction subscale of the British Ability Scales II to assess intrinsic–dynamic spatial skills. Spatial skills at 5 and 7years of age explained a significant 8.8% of the variation in mathematics achievement at 7years, above that explained by other predictors of mathematics, including gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and language skills. This percentage increased to 22.6% without adjustment for language skills. This study expands previous findings by using a large-scale longitudinal sample of primary school children, a population that has been largely omitted from previous research exploring associations between spatial ability and mathematics achievement. The finding that early and concurrent spatial skills contribute to mathematics achievement at 7years of age highlights the potential of spatial skills as a novel target in the design of mathematics interventions for children in this age range.

The Bifactor Model of the Junior Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (Jr. MAI)

Few self-report measures actually exist that were designed to assess school-aged children’s metacognition. This study examined the factor structure and validity of the Junior Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (Jr. MAI; Sperling et al. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 27, 51–79, 2002) in a sample of primary school children from Singapore. A bifactor model which includes one general factor of metacognition and two uncorrelated knowledge and regulation of cognition group factors yielded the best fit to the data. The general factor of metacognition was found to have high internal consistency and accounted for a greater amount of variance than the two specific factors of knowledge and regulation of cognition. Multigroup analyses offered empirical evidence for the measurement invariance of the bifactor model across gender and ethnic groups. The criterion validity of the model was also demonstrated by significant predictive associations with measures of learning strategies and mathematics achievement. These results provided initial support for the validity and reliability of the Jr. MAI for use with children in the Asian setting. The implications of the findings for future metacognitive research and assessment among children are discussed.

Estado nutricional, condición física, rendimiento escolar, nivel de ansiedad y hábitos de salud en estudiantes de primaria de la provincia del Bio Bío (Chile): estudio transversal

In recent years, obesity has increased and its presence has been associated with poor physical condition, psychological problems and poor school performance. The aim of this study was to describe nutritional status, physical condition, school performance, anxiety level, and health habits in primary schoolchildren (6-7 years old). We also determined differences among overweight/obese and normal weight groups. Two studies were conducted among 1st and 2nd graders (n=276). In both studies we measured: anthropometry, physical fitness, and academic performance. In addition, in the first study, waist circumference was measured and, in the 2nd study, health habits and anxiety symptoms were obtained. Boys and girls had high levels of overweight and obesity. Those who had higher levels of BMI/age had worse physical fitness, spent less hours per week in scheduled physical activity, ate more unhealthy foods. There were no differences in academic performance. Overweight/obese girls had lower anxiety symptoms than normal weight girls. While these results shed light on current nutritional status, physical, academic and mental condition of a sample of primary school children, further studies are needed to confirm the elevated levels of obesity and overweight detected.

Epidemiology of obesity among primary school children (6–12 years), Menoufia Governorate

Objectives The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence and identify possible risk factors for obesity in a representative sample of primary school children (6–12 years) in Menoufia Governorate. Background Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Patients and methods A case–control study nested in a cross-sectional study was carried out in Menoufia Governorate. It was conducted in El-Bagour district. The sample consisted of 306 students (148 boys and 158 girls). Children were asked to fill a predesigned questionnaire, and anthropometric measures were taken. Results The prevalence of obesity and overweight was 19.6%. It was significantly higher among girls (24.7%) than among boys (14.2%) and among urban participants (22.1%) than among rural ones (11.3%). The prevalence of obesity among children from families with sufficient income was significantly higher (22.4%) than that in children from families without sufficient income (9.2%), and in children with a positive family history of obesity (27.3%) than in those with a negative family history (14.6%). Obesity prevalence was significantly higher among children with intake of fast food more than three times per week (81.2%) than in children who consume fast food less than three times per week (1.7%). It was significantly higher among those who take high-calorie snacks like sweets or chips (30.9%) than in those who take low-caloric snacks like vegetables and fruits (13.3%). The prevalence of obesity among children who exercise for less than 2 h per day was significantly higher (34.6%) than that among those who exercise more than 2 h per day (8.9%). Conclusion Obesity is a serious health problem. To face this, there should be programs initiated by the government, especially by Ministries of Education and Health, targeted at both children and parents through different public media. Programs should focus on the nutritional needs and feeding habits of these children.

School Grades and Standardized Test Scores of Children with and Without Obesity in South-East Mexico

Background: Obesity has negative impact on health and socialization. Previous studies found that children with obesity have lower grades, but it is unclear: a) if specific subject might affect their grade point averages, b) if the results of standardized tests and school grades are the same for children with and without obesity in a community where pediatric obesity is highly prevalent. Objectives: The current study aimed to compare school grades and standardized test scores of children with and without obesity in a probabilistic sample of primary school children from Southern Mexico, where overweight/obesity is highly prevalent. Methods: The study measured a probabilistic sample of 2971 children going to public primary schools in Merida, Mexico, transformed the anthropometric data into body mass index (BMI) z-scores according the world health organization (WHO) reference values and categorized children according to their BMI status, and the scores they obtained in national standardized tests (n = 2791). The study analyzed the association between children with/without obesity and their academic performance in terms of school grades and standardized tests using mean comparison T-tests and multinomial logistic regression models using Stata 12. Results: Differences were observed between obese and non-obese children in overall grade point averages; however, no differences were observed on national standardized academic test scores. In analyzing specific academic subject areas, no differences were observed in grades for math, literature, social sciences, life sciences and art. The only significant difference observed was in the grade for physical education with obese students earning lower grades than their non-obese counterparts. Conclusions: There were no significant differences between the children with obesity and those without obesity in standardized tests. Students without obesity had significantly higher grade point average than their peers with obesity (8.4 and 8.5, respectively; P < 0.000).

The Impact of Childhood Anxiety on Processes of Attentional Executive Control in the Presence of Emotional Face Distractors

Anxiety interferes with executive control of attention (ECA), especially in the context of emotional information. Previous research suggests that temperamental differences in self-regulation might modulate these effects. The present research examined the association between trait anxiety and temperamental self-regulation on ECA processes, in the context of positive and threatening distractors in a sample of primary school children. We designed a computerized Emotional letter discrimination task that required both inhibitory and set shifting processes. Emotional faces distractors were displayed one at a time during a primary letter discrimination task. To assess inhibition, our task contained compatible trials (the target letter was flanked by distractor letter that had the same identity as the target) and incompatible trials (the target letter was flanked by distractor letter that had the opposite identity). The results showed that higher levels of anxiety were associated with increased reaction times to discriminate target letters during incompatible trials in the presence of happy distractors. In addition, lower levels of temperamental self-regulation were related to increased reaction times in the presence of angry distractors during incompatible trials. These findings provide empirical evidence for an association between increased child anxiety and lower self-regulation on the executive control of attention in the context of emotional distracting information.

The Serum Levels of Zinc in School Children : A Crosstalk with Stunting and Giardiasis

Zinc deficiency is an increasing public health problem. It may be related to compromised neurobehavioral function in children and adolescents. An association between giardiasis and zinc levels in human hosts had been reported. The occurrence of recurrent intestinal infection by Giardia lamblia may reflect a failure to correct an undefined specific nutrient deficiency, for example, the need for adequate zinc repletion. This study estimated the level of serum zinc in a sample of primary school children and to study the associations between it and height for age and giardiasis. A cross section study was carried out on randomly selected primary schools in Dubai and Ajman. They were 500 school children with age range from 6-12 years in Dubai and Ajman. The level of serum zinc, height for age and giardia infection were estimatedThe results showed that the prevalence of zinc deficiency was 23% with no relationship to age or gender. The low serum zinc was significantly associated with stunting and giardiasis. Regression analysis showed that stunting and giardiasis were significant predictors for low serum zinc (β = 0.365, 0.684 respectively)

Schooling effects on intelligence development: evidence based on national samples from urban and rural China

The current research investigated the variability of school effects on intelligence development in considering two economically and socially distinct groups of children. The data came from a nationally representative sample of primary school children from urban and rural areas of China. Two standardised reasoning tests were used to assess fluid intelligence. The between-grade regression discontinuity approach was applied to disentangle the schooling effect from the age effect. Results showed that the combined effects of schooling and age were 5.09 intelligence points per year, in which the schooling effect (4.37 points) was larger than the age effect (.72 points). The patterns of schooling and age effects were different in urban and rural subsamples. For the urban subsample, the schooling effect was smaller than the age effect for children from grade 1 to 3, but the schooling effect became larger than the age effect from grade 4 to 6. For the rural subsample, however, the schooling effect was always larger than the age effect. The effect of one year of schooling for rural children (5.59 points) was larger than that for urban children (3.15 points). These results suggest that schooling effects are closely related to the context where children are growing up.

Výskyt vadného držení těla, nadváhy a obezity u dětí mladšího školního věku: pilotní studie

The aim of our work was to chart and analyse the occurrence of primary school children defective body posture and its connection with obesity. The research sample was made of 204 primary school children (109 girls and 95 boys) of average age 8,1 ± 0,33 years (girls 8,3 ± 0,38, boys 7,9 ± 0,32). The probands average height was 134 ± 10,7 cm (girls 134,5 ± 11,6 cm, boys 134,1 ± 9,6 cm). The probands average weight was 31,1 ± 9,2 kg (girls 31,2 ± 9,8 kg, boys 31,1 ± 8,7 kg). The body height was measured with anthropometer, the body weight was weigh with Tanita BC571. The probands monitoring of body posture was charted by a diagnostic system DTP-3. A device analyses a body posture by a non-invasive method. We have investigated that 10 girls are obese, 9 girls have excessive weight, 15 girls are robust, 47 are proportional, 24 slim and 4 girls are thin. From research group are 9 boys obese, 9 boys have excessive weight, 11 boys are robust, 49 boys are proportional, 14 boys are slim and 3 boys are thin. From the results it is evident that in the area of a neck lordosis none of the probands is in a norm. From all the sample, 13 probands have a moderate deviation (6,4 %), 24 a substantial deviation (11,8 %) and 167 probands have a very substantial deviation (81,9 %). In the area of a loins lordosis there are 24 probands in a norm (11,8 %), 75 have a moderate deviation (36,8 %), 19 probands have a substantial deviation (9,3 %) and 86 probands have a very substantial deviation (42,2 %). In the area of a pectoral kyphosis there are 27 probands in a norm (13,2 %), 56 probands have a moderate deviation (27,5 %), 58 probands have a substantial deviation (28,4 %) and 63 probands have a very substantial deviation from the norm (30,9 %). From all the results it is obvio us that 18 % of girls and 19 % of boys are in the group of fat or obese children and that in the sample of primary school children there are very clear deviations from a good body posture. This fact was found out without any reference to their weight. A significant relation between the norm of body posture and BMI was found just in the area of neck lordosis (p ≤ 0,002).

Social cognitions measured in 4 to 6 year olds are predictive of objectively measured physical activity

Objective: This study tested whether social cognitions from the reasoned action approach (RAA) can be reliably measured in a sample of primary school children (aged 4–6 years) and whether these RAA measures are predictive of physical activity.Design: Longitudinal observational study with repeated measures over six months.Measures: RAA variables were measured using a novel choice paradigm between physically active and sedentary pastimes. Relative reinforcing value, covariates (sex, age, deprivation and BMI) and physical activity by accelerometry (primary outcome) were also measured.Results: RAA cognitions could be measured with acceptable retest reliability and discriminant validity and social norms regarding parents and teachers (but not friends) were correlated with physical activity and change in physical activity when relative reinforcing value and other covariates were controlled for.Conclusions: RAA cognitions can be reliably measured in primary school children aged 4–6 and RRA measures appear useful in understanding children’s activity choices and may potentially inform future interventions.