Sample Of Elementary School Children Research Articles

Effects of classroom‐based social problem‐solving training on elementary school children: Investigating the moderating role of executive function

AbstractSocial problem‐solving (SPS) skills represent an individual's ability to effectively solve daily problems. Although previous studies have demonstrated the positive effects of SPS interventions, there is still a lack of evidence on the relevant moderating factors. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of an SPS intervention on a sample of elementary school children, by focusing on the potential moderating effects of executive function. The participants included a total of 101 fifth graders (mean age of 10.6 years), who were divided into two groups for an immediate intervention (treatment) and delayed intervention (control). The following three aspects were measured pre‐ and postintervention: SPS skills, emotional regulation, and school adjustment. Preintervention, we measured two aspects of executive function using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, including working memory and inhibition. Following the intervention, the participants increasingly generated alternative solutions, which may have contributed to better adaptive functioning and solutions. However, we also observed some negative impacts on participants with lower executive functioning, including deteriorating effects on emotional regulation (problem solving) and life satisfaction. These findings emphasize the need to pay close attention to the individual profiles of the recipients to design more effective interventions.

Perceived Emotional Self-Efficacy and Life Satisfaction of Elementary School Children on the US-Mexico Border.

Objectives. It has been established that an adult's perceived ability to effectively address negative emotions predicts their life satisfaction. To increase the understanding of ethnic minority children's mental health and quality of life, this study examined the relationship between perceived emotional self-efficacy and life satisfaction of Hispanic children. Methods. Using the nonexperimental-correlational research design and the convenience sampling method, a total of 176 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students (73 boys, 103 girls; 88% Hispanic) in one public elementary school on the US-Mexico border were recruited to participate in this study. Emotional self-efficacy was measured using the emotional subscale of the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children and subjective well-being was measured using the Student Life Satisfaction Scale. Spearman correlation and ordinal regression analyses were used to test the study hypotheses. Results. Consistent with findings from the current literature, emotional self-efficacy was positively associated with subjective well-being. Children in lower elementary grades were more likely to report higher emotional self-efficacy than those in higher elementary grades. Boys were more likely to report higher life satisfaction than girls. Conclusions and Relevance. Using a sample of elementary school children with Hispanic backgrounds on the US-Mexico border, this study attested to the empirical link between emotional self-efficacy and life satisfaction. Our study findings stress the importance of early identification of students with low emotional self-efficacious beliefs and the early introduction of social-emotional learning programs in elementary schools to enhance students' emotional self-efficacy. This study contributes to positive psychology literature and provides insights for future school-based mental health practice and research.

Longitudinal trajectories of children's social skills: Examining variability in teacher ratings as a function of child demographics

AbstractAlthough the trajectories of children's social skills have been examined across biological sexes, less research has examined these patterns for racially and ethnically diverse children in the United States. The purpose of this study was to estimate the longitudinal growth trajectories of social skills, while examining the influence of biological sex, race, and ethnic identities using an adaptation of the commonly used Social Skills Rating Scale. A large nationally representative sample of elementary school children in the United States were assessed annually from kindergarten through fifth grade (N = 11,792). Structural equation modeling was used to examine latent growth curve models of teacher‐rated interpersonal skills and self‐control. After finding evidence of longitudinal invariance, results suggested a quadratic growth pattern best represented the trajectories of social skills ratings. Teacher ratings for African American children demonstrated a moderate declining linear trajectory throughout elementary school when compared with White children (reference group) and their Asian and Hispanic peers. Children from families with higher socioeconomic status and girls showed moderate to large differences in social skills ratings in kindergarten and stronger growth across time. Implications of the findings with future directions for research are discussed.

"ZARPAR"-Educational Program for Cognitive and Behavioral Development: Results of an Experiment to Evaluate Its Impact on Antisocial and Pro-Social Behavior.

Using an experimental design and a multi-measure and multi-informant approach, the current study sought to evaluate the impact of the early developmental prevention program "ZARPAR"-an intervention designed as a social and cognitive skills training program, that seeks to promote children's behavioral adjustment. A sample of elementary school children (experimental group n = 37; control group n = 66), attending Portuguese schools, was assessed before and 6 months after the intervention on the program's key-dimensions: behavioral problems, social skills, and executive functioning. Based on parent and teacher reports, the results largely suggested that the intervention had no effect or, for some dimensions, even the existence of negative outcomes. Possible reasons for these results are discussed. The current study highlights that, despite the overwhelmingly positive message about developmental prevention programs, not all interventions work, thus reinforcing the need for rigorous evaluations, in order to enhance the success of future interventions.

Tri-axial accelerometer-assessed physical activity and its association with weight status in a sample of elementary-school children

Background and aimsObjective assessment of physical activity (PA) using accelerometers and pedometers has become more accurate and common practice in the study of childhood overweight. The study aimed: i) to compare PA levels and body shape of boys and girls, and assess compliance of active children with the PA recommendation; ii) to analyse associations between the risk of overweight and the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in children. MethodsThe sample comprised 395 children (198 girls) aged 6–10 years. Height and weight were measured, and BMI was calculated subsequently. A tri-axial accelerometer was used to obtain seven consecutive days of MVPA, as well as the weekly time being sedentary. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the afore-mentioned relationship among the risk of obesity and MVPA, controlling for confounders. ResultsAfter controlling for wearing time, boys spent significantly more minutes in the moderate-to-vigorous portion of PA than their female counterparts. About 47% of boys were active on week days by achieve the mean value of 60 min/day of MVPA; corresponding percentage for the weekend was just 32%. Among girls, only 22% were active on week days and 29% at the weekend. MVPA was not significantly associated with the risk of being overweight nor in female neither in male children. The final regression model revealed that girls of mothers with high educational level were less likely to be classified as overweight girls. ConclusionsFindings revealed no significantly relation between MVPA and obesity risk among Portuguese children. Future research should extend similar design to other lifestyle features of children to clarify potential predictors of being overweight at early ages.

Spanish validation of the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC) in preschool and elementary children: Relationship with emotion knowledge

AbstractEmotion Regulation is one of the most widely studied variables in child development. However, it is a complex construct, and there are few validated instruments to evaluate children. The main goal of this study was to test the factorial structure of the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC) in two samples of Spanish children, one with 284 preschool children (48.3% girls; M = 4.38) and the other with 323 elementary school children (49.2% girls; M = 8.82). The ERC was completed by the children's teachers. Although this instrument has been validated in different cultural contexts, no studies have analyzed its psychometric properties in Spanish samples. An examination of the internal structure, using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM), revealed that the original two‐factor model (Emotion Regulation and Lability/Negativity) fitted the elementary school children's data well; however, in the sample of preschool children, the factorial model showed poor goodness‐of‐fit indices. The reliability of the ERC subscales was .77 for ER and .88 for L/N in the preschool‐aged sample, and .80 for ER and .77 for L/N in the sample of elementary school children. In addition, the relationship between the ERC and the Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC) was explored. L/N correlated negatively and significantly with TEC in the sample of elementary school children. These findings provide some support for the use of the Spanish teachers’ version of the ERC with elementary school children.

Examining the Effectiveness of the WITS Programs in the Context of Variability in Trajectories of Child Development.

This study has two objectives: (1) to report the results of a large-scale, longitudinal evaluation of the WITS Programs that included a large sample of elementary school children (n = 1967) from 27 rural schools (including 16 program schools) and (2) to examine and discuss the effects of average developmental trajectories and of heterogeneity in children's development on intervention outcomes. Data comprise baseline (spring) and four follow-up assessments (5 Waves) from children (N = 1967) and their parents and teachers. WITS stands for Walk away Ignore, Talk it out, and Seek Help ( www.witsprograms.com ). The children in the intervention schools declined more slowly than those in the control schools in their reports of relational victimization. Children in the intervention schools also declined faster in aggression and emotional problems relative to children in control schools. Moderation analyses showed that intervention group children with higher baseline levels of emotional problems declined faster in emotional problems than those with lower problems at baseline. In addition, children in grades 3 and over completed school climate questionnaire and children in control schools who had more negative perceptions of school climate at baseline showed greater increases in these negative perceptions compared to children in the intervention schools. We discuss the potential impact of average trajectories of child development and the within-child heterogeneity in assessments for the interpretation of the findings. We also conclude by highlighting evaluation design modifications that may improve our future ability to examine the effects of preventive interventions for elementary school children.

Identifying predictors of performance in reading and writing in primary students with mild learning difficulties

ABSTRACT Although numerous studies have reported the predictive power of various factors for academic performance in regular students, little is known about the predictive power of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN). In the present study, we investigated the relative importance of thoroughly selected factors like prior performance, intelligence, ability self-concept, domain-specific interest, gender, migration background, and school setting for reading and writing (literacy) performance of students with mild learning difficulties (MLD). Data from a representative German sample of elementary school children with MLD were examined. Our results revealed that prior performance, school setting, intelligence, and ability self-concept were significant predictors for performance in literacy. Relative weights did not differ significantly between different types of schooling. Our findings mostly resemble former research on regular students.

Longitudinal associations among academic achievement and depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in elementary schoolchildren: disentangling between- and within-person associations.

Prior cross-sectional and unidirectional longitudinal research has investigated the associations among academic achievement, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation without distinguishing between-person effects from within-person effects. Our study aimed to examine the longitudinal relations among academic achievement, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation in a sample of elementary school children at the within-person level using cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) and random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs). Also, multiple models replicated these findings by using three measures of academic achievement (i.e., objective academic achievement, subjective academic achievement, and teacher-assigned academic achievement). A sample of 715 Chinese elementary schoolchildren completed self-report measures of subjective academic achievement, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation on five occasions, using 6-month intervals. Objective academic achievement data were obtained from school records and teacher-assigned academic achievement data were reported by teachers. The results showed that: (a) In CLPMs, objective academic achievement negatively predicted suicidal ideation. However, RI-CLPMs supported the negative effect of suicidal ideation on objective academic achievement. (b) The CLPMs revealed reciprocal associations between subjective and teacher-assigned academic achievement and depressive symptoms, respectively. However, RI-CLPMs only provided support for the negative effect of depressive symptoms on subjective academic achievement. (c) Both the CLPMs and the RI-CLPMs showed bidirectional relations between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. These findings highlight that mental health problems (e.g., depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation) serve as antecedents of academic performance and that it is beneficial to distinguish between between-person and within-person effects in research informing the development of prevention and intervention programs.

Prevalence of Child Abuse and Correlations with Family Factors Among Elementary School-aged Children

Background: Child abuse is a significant health and social problem. Different social and family factors have effects on child abuse. Objectives: This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of child abuse in three domains of physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect among a sample of elementary school children in Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 400 elementary school children were selected through multistage cluster sampling from Shahroud, Iran, and assessed for all child abuse domains, except for sexual abuse, using a validated self-administered Persian questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS, using descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and multiple linear regression analysis (P ≤ 0.05). Results: The mean age of the participants was 10.83 years (SD = 1.9). Overall, 63.8%, 27%, and 90.3% of children reported emotional abuse, physical abuse, and neglect, respectively. There were significant associations between the mother’s employment status and neglect (P < 0.001), father’s education and physical child abuse (P = 0.03), and father’s smoking and emotional child abuse (P < 0.001). The results showed that lower levels of family socioeconomic status had significant effects on neglect (P = 0.006) and emotional child abuse (P = 0.003). Conclusions: Among the studied children, 73.8% declared at least one type of child abuse. It seems that the prevalence of neglect increased among school-aged children compared to previous studies from Iran. The low socioeconomic status of the family is significantly related to child abuse. Family physicians and school counselors play important roles in identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect. Therefore, they should be more involved in the prevention of child abuse.

A probabilistic approach for quantifying children’s subitizing span

The development of enumeration skills over childhood is thought to reflect improvements in both subitizing (for small sets) and serial counting (for larger sets). However, investigations into the contribution of subitizing to advancing mathematics ability are limited by challenges in measuring subitizing capacity across developmental populations. Subitizing capacity in adults is traditionally assessed by calculating the bilinear inflection point for reaction times or accuracy across set sizes, but in children greater variability and dramatic improvements in counting ability introduce problems with this approach. This study demonstrates this limitation in a sample of elementary school children and proposes a novel probabilistic approach to measuring subitizing capacity. This metric captures well-established trends in the development of children’s subitizing. Furthermore, the proposed metric predicts unique variance in symbolic arithmetic ability, corroborating previous research that suggests a foundational role for subitizing in the development of numerical cognition. Findings demonstrate the advantages of a probabilistic approach to determining subitizing capacity in young children and suggest that it may be practically and theoretically well-suited for investigating subitizing and its role in mathematics development.

Brief Report: Predictors of Teacher-Rated Academic Competence in a Clinic Sample of Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The rising prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) necessitates a greater understanding of the academic experience of diagnosed children. The present study investigates several predictors of teacher-reported academic competence among a sample of elementary school children. All children in the sample were referred for an ASD evaluation and approximately half received a diagnosis. Children with and without ASD did not differ on overall academic competence, social skills, or problem behaviors. Regression analyses indicated that cognitive ability, social skills, and problem behaviors accounted for significant variance in academic competence. Moderation analyses indicated that the relations between the predictors and academic competence were comparable for children with and without ASD. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Polymorbidity of developmental disabilities: Additive effects on child psychosocial functioning and parental distress

BackgroundWhile parents of children with developmental disabilities show greater parenting burden and distress compared with their counterparts, little is known about to what extent developmental polymorbidity in children escalates and magnifies the risk of parental distress. AimsThis study investigated the co-occurrence of developmental disabilities among a sample of elementary school children and examined its additive effects on child psychosocial functioning and parental distress. Methods and proceduresA cross-sectional survey among 710 parents of elementary school children in Hong Kong included measures of child psychosocial functioning and parental stress. Structural equation modeling was used to test a hypothesized model in which child psychosocial functioning mediates the effect of developmental polymorbidity on parental distress. Outcomes and resultsAbout one-fourth of the participants reported their children having two or more developmental disabilities. The number of developmental disabilities was positively related to the severity of emotional and behavioral problems in children, which in turn explained general and parenting distress in parents. Conclusions and implicationsGiven the heightened vulnerability to distress among parents of children with multiple developmental disabilities, psychological care should particularly target this population. Early identification and intervention strategies are also needed to detect children with multiple co-occurring developmental disabilities, which could potentially alleviate their emotional and behavioral problems and lessen the parenting burden.

Contrast and Assimilation Effects on Self-Evaluation of Performance and Task Interest in a Sample of Elementary School Children

Social comparison processes and the social position within a school class already play a major role in performance evaluation as early as in elementary school. The influence of contrast and assimilation effects on self-evaluation of performance as well as task interest has been widely researched in observational studies under the labels big-fish-little-pond and basking-in-reflected-glory effect. This study examined the influence of similar contrast and assimilation effects in an experimental paradigm. Fifth and sixth grade students (n = 230) completed a computer-based learning task during which they received social comparative feedback based on 2x2 experimentally manipulated feedback conditions: social position (high vs. low) and peer performance (high vs. low). Results show a more positive development of task interest and self-evaluation of performance in both the high social position and the high peer performance condition. When transferred to the school setting, results of this study suggest that students who already perform well in comparison to their peer group are also the ones profiting most from social comparative feedback, given that they are the ones who usually receive the corresponding positive performance feedback.

Peer victimization in single-grade and multigrade classrooms.

Although peer victimization mainly takes place within classrooms, little is known about the impact of the classroom context. To this end, we examined whether single‐grade and multigrade classrooms (referring to classrooms with one and two grades in the same room) differ in victim–bully relationships in a sample of elementary school children (646 students; age 8–12 years; 50% boys). The occurrence of victim–bully relationships was similar in single‐grade and multigrade classrooms formed for administrative reasons, but lower in multigrade classrooms formed for pedagogical reasons. Social network analyses did not provide evidence that peer victimization depended on age differences between children in any of the three classroom contexts. Moreover, in administrative multigrade classrooms, cross‐grade victim–bully relationships were less likely than same‐grade victim–bully relationships. The findings did not indicate that children in administrative multigrade classrooms are better or worse off in terms of victim–bully relationships than are children in single‐grade classrooms.

Cheating and incentives in a performance context: Evidence from a field experiment on children

Abstract We study cheating behavior in a large sample of elementary school children in the context of a creative performance task, in the presence and absence of performance incentives. Our data come from a sample of 720 elementary school children with an average age of 8, and contain rich information on a large set of correlates, such as risk and time preferences, IQ, gender and family characteristics. We document that children with higher IQ and higher socioeconomic status have a higher likelihood of cheating. We find that the presence of incentives for better performance does not increase cheating behavior. We also document an interesting interaction between altruism and incentives: altruistic students cheat significantly less in the presence of incentives.

Accelerated Summer Weight Gain in a Low-Income, Ethnically Diverse Sample of Elementary School Children in Massachusetts.

Background: Several studies have found that children in the United States gain weight at a faster rate in the summer than in the school year, but little is known about the prevalence of this problem, its effect on high-risk subgroups, or its determinants. This study compares school year and summer weight change in a low-income, ethnically diverse sample of school-age children in Massachusetts and explores differences by race/ethnicity, weight status, and exposure to school year physical activity (PA) programming. Diet and PA are examined as potential mediators of summer weight gain. Methods: Children participating in a school-based PA program evaluation (in which weight change was not a primary outcome) had their height and weight measured three times between October 2015 and September 2016 to capture a school year and summer interval. Diet and PA patterns were assessed mid-school year and mid-summer in a subsample of children. Mixed linear models were used to estimate the effect of season (school year vs. summer) on change in BMI and to examine the influence of race/ethnicity, weight status, and program (walk/run, classroom activity breaks, or control) on any observed effects. Structural equation models were used to explore diet and PA as mediators of seasonal weight change in a subsample of participants. Results: Of 769 participants, 53% were non-Caucasian, 40% were overweight or obese, and 58% were eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. BMI increased in both the school year and summer but increased more rapidly in the summer (0.046 kg/m2 more per month, p = 0.007). Of the three tested interactions, statistical significance was only observed between season and program (χ2 = 14.90, p < 0.001); on average, children exposed to a school year walk/run program did not gain weight more rapidly during the summer, whereas children in the control group and a classroom activity breaks program did. Poorer diet and PA patterns were observed in the summer, but neither diet nor PA was statistically significant mediators of BMI change. Conclusions: Children in this high-risk sample gained weight at a faster rate during the summer than during the school year, with no discernable demographic differences. However, this phenomenon was not observed in the subgroup exposed to a school year walk/run program. More research is needed to clarify the determinants of summer weight gain and understand how school year programming and its effects can be transferred to the summer months.

Changing the Face of Health Education via Health Interventions: Social Ecological Perspectives on New Media Technologies and Elementary Nutrition Education

ABSTRACTThe relationship between media use, family dynamics, and school environments on a child’s likelihood to be overweight or obese is an area of research with limited empirical evidence; however, reports have indicated that children are increasingly developing more negative habits related to their health. The purpose of the present study was to employ a social ecological perspective in determining the effectiveness of a longitudinal health literacy/health intervention program on children’s nutritional knowledge, attitudes toward healthy eating and exercise, food preferences, and eating behavior. Using a sample of elementary school children initially in Grades 2 and 3 and then in Grades 3 and 4, a field experiment was conducted using a new media technology to record their food intake at home and at school. Results from the study suggest that the health literacy program was successful with positive increases observed for cognition, attitudes, and behavior. From a perspective of social ecological model, the findings suggest that children’s eating behaviors need to be considered at the intersection of children’s health literacy/attitudes, community efforts, and media/screen time use.

Relationships between informative school outreach and parental involvement for elementary and middle school children

Parental involvement is essential for children’s education. Several studies have examined relationships between parental involvement and parents’ socioeconomic status. However, less attention has been placed on school influences on parental involvement, even though schools play an important role in children’s education and can affect the parents as well. This study addressed the following question: Is informative outreach associated with parental involvement? What types of informative school outreach are strongly associated with parental involvement in elementary and middle school? The present study examined a nationally representative sample of elementary and middle school children in Japan (3939 fourth grade students from 140 schools and 4132 eighth grade students from 133 schools) from the Trends International Mathematics and Science Study 2011. The findings revealed that different types of informative school outreach have different associations depending on the school level. For the sample of elementary school children, informing parents about school was positively associated with home-based parental involvement. However, for the middle school children, informing parents about their child’s learning progress was positively associated with parental involvement.

A Diffusion Model Analysis of Magnitude Comparison in Children with and without Dyscalculia: Care of Response and Ability Are Related to Both Mathematical Achievement and Stimuli.

The respective roles of the approximate number system (ANS) and an access deficit (AD) in developmental dyscalculia (DD) are not well-known. Most studies rely on response times (RTs) or accuracy (error rates) separately. We analyzed the results of two samples of elementary school children in symbolic magnitude comparison (MC) and non-symbolic MC using a diffusion model. This approach uses the joint distribution of both RTs and accuracy in order to synthesize measures closer to ability and response caution or response conservatism. The latter can be understood in the context of the speed-accuracy tradeoff: It expresses how much a subject trades in speed for improved accuracy. We found significant effects of DD on both ability (negative) and response caution (positive) in MC tasks and a negative interaction of DD with symbolic task material on ability. These results support that DD subjects suffer from both an impaired ANS and an AD and in particular support that slower RTs of children with DD are indeed related to impaired processing of numerical information. An interaction effect of symbolic task material and DD (low mathematical ability) on response caution could not be refuted. However, in a sample more representative of the general population we found a negative association of mathematical ability and response caution in symbolic but not in non-symbolic task material. The observed differences in response behavior highlight the importance of accounting for response caution in the analysis of MC tasks. The results as a whole present a good example of the benefits of a diffusion model analysis.