Children's School Achievement Research Articles

Contextos socioecológicos do mau trato e da negligência a crianças

O estudo tem por objectivo analisar a importância de um conjunto de variáveis psicossociais na variabilidade das práticas parentais de mau trato e negligência. Teoricamente recorre a investigação baseada em modelos de matriz ecológica (Belsky, 1980; 1993; 1995) e transacional (Cicchetti e Rizley, 1981; Cicchetti e Lynch, 1993) sobre os determinantes do funcionamento parental. O estudo empírico foi realizado com uma amostra de 379 crianças, com idades entre os 6 e os 15 anos, que frequentam o ensino público na zona da grande Lisboa. Foram preenchidos dois questionários pelos professores. O primeiro avalia as práticas parentais abusivas de mau trato psicológico, mau trato físico e negligência física. O segundo avalia variáveis da criança e da família ao nível do contexto ontogénico, micro, exo e macro. Os resultados obtidos salientam a importância de algumas das variáveis ao nível dos quatro contextos na modulação das diferentes práticas parentais abusivas.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17575/rpsicol.v15i1.493

Middle-class Chinese Parental Expectations for their Children's Education

Of family variables contributing to children's school achievement, parent expectation was singled out by researchers to be the most salient and powerful force. Existing literatures have reported that Chinese parents overseas highly expect for their children's education, and actively involve themselves in associated activities. Based on information collected from 322 questionnaire survey and 30 face-to-face interviews with parents, this research attempted to investigate what expectations Chinese parents in Mainland China have for their children's education, and how to understand their educational expectations for their children, then to add in-depth understandings of Chinese parent involvement into the growing literature.

Factors related to cognitive function among elementary school children

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate cognitive functioning among elementary school children in Jordan. Methods: A total of 468 children aged 6–12 years were recruited to participate in this study. Cognitive functioning was assessed using the LOTCA battery (Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment; Itzkovich et al., 2000). Information obtained from the parents included demographics, work and income data and child's daily behavior and school achievement. Results: The results of this study showed that the cognitive functioning increased by 3.8 points for each increase in the child's GPA and increased by 2.35 points when the child ate breakfast regularly. By contrast, living in rural areas and smoking by a parent decreased cognitive functioning. Conclusions: Understanding of the child's cognitive abilities is critical to establishing intervention goals and to planning therapeutic activities. Screening of cognitive abilities and associated factors is essential for a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the child's abilities and limitations. Further research is recommended to investigate other factors in different populations.

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection of kindergarten children

INTRODUCTION: Intestinal parasitic infections are the major public health problems of Nepal. Apart from causing mortality and morbidity, infection with intestinal parasites has been associated with stunting of linear growth, physical weakness and low educational achievement in school children. The drinking water is considered as the major cause for parasitic infection. This study aims to determine the prevalence of parasitic infection among the children visiting kindergarten of the Kathmandu, Khusibhu area. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross sectional study was done in randomly selected Kindergarten of Khusibhu area. A total of 101 samples were examined. The study was focused in isolating intestinal parasites using normal saline and iodine wet mount method. Both macroscopic and microscopic studies were performed. RESULTS: Among the samples 45.5% (n=46) showed parasitic infection in which the Giardia lambia infection was found the highest 56.5% (n=26) and infection with Ascaris lumbricoides was found lowest 8.7% (n=4). Infection rate was found to be high in children drinking filtered water than among those drinking boiled and filtered water. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of parasitic infection in children is mainly associated with hygiene and food habit of the children. Hence good education about the hygienic practice helps in the prevention of the infection. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijim.v2i3.8205 Int J Infect Microbiol 2013;2(3):111-113

Risk factors for children's receptive vocabulary development from four to eight years in the longitudinal study of Australian children.

Receptive vocabulary develops rapidly in early childhood and builds the foundation for language acquisition and literacy. Variation in receptive vocabulary ability is associated with variation in children's school achievement, and low receptive vocabulary ability is a risk factor for under-achievement at school. In this study, bivariate and multivariate growth curve modelling was used to estimate trajectories of receptive vocabulary development in relation to a wide range of candidate child, maternal and family level influences on receptive vocabulary development from 4–8 years. The study sample comprised 4332 children from the first nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Predictors were modeled as risk variables with the lowest level of risk as the reference category. In the multivariate model, risks for receptive vocabulary delay at 4 years, in order of magnitude, were: Maternal Non- English Speaking Background (NESB), low school readiness, child not read to at home, four or more siblings, low family income, low birthweight, low maternal education, maternal mental health distress, low maternal parenting consistency, and high child temperament reactivity. None of these risks were associated with a lower rate of growth from 4–8 years. Instead, maternal NESB, low school readiness and maternal mental health distress were associated with a higher rate of growth, although not sufficient to close the receptive vocabulary gap for children with and without these risks at 8 years. Socio-economic area disadvantage, was not a risk for low receptive vocabulary ability at 4 years but was the only risk associated with a lower rate of growth in receptive vocabulary ability. At 8 years, the gap between children with and without socio-economic area disadvantage was equivalent to eight months of receptive vocabulary growth. These results are consistent with other studies that have shown that social gradients in children's developmental outcomes increase over time.

Identifying early markers for future school achievement in children with early‐onset epilepsy

This commentary is on the original article by Berg et al. on pages 661–667 of this issue.

Relationship between Parental Involvement/Attitude and Children's School Achievements

Societies in general, and educators, in particular, consider that family and parental involvement are the main factors responsible for many successes but also for many ills in education today. The purpose of this study was to review the research literature on the relationship between parental involvement or attitude and children's academic achievement. Some of the variables that define parental involvement or attitude found in the literature were: parenting style, parental expectations and aspirations, home rules and parental supervision, communication between parents and children, children's home activities, parental attitude towards school (checking children's homework, parents’ communication with teachers, and parental involvement in children's school activities). The review process consisted of gathering and reviewing articles, meta-analyses, and reviews relating to the parental involvement and its influence on children's school achievement at the middle and high- school levels. Findings from the review revealed several variables that are consistently associated with high levels of academic achievement: an authoritative parenting style, parental high and clear expectations and aspirations for their children's school results, communication between parents and children about their school activities and plans for the future, parents’ communication with teachers regarding their child's progress or difficulties. In the end we discuss some of the main limitations of the studies that include the following: the use of non-experimental research designs, inconsistency in defining the concept of parental involvement in different studies, inconsistency of the results across cultures, neglecting the moderating role of some socio-demographic factors as family structure or socio-economic status, number of children in the family, etc. The findings from this review highlight the importance of parental influence on children's academic achievement. Therefore, in designing educational policies and different educational interventions we should be more aware of the intervention of this major factor in children's success. Schools should re-examine their policies regarding parental involvement and develop an educational strategy in which family and teachers assume mutual responsibility for children's outcomes.

Adaptive behavior and later school achievement in children with early‐onset epilepsy

To determine whether early measures of adaptive behavior are predictive of later school difficulties and achievement in otherwise neurotypical (unimpaired) children with onset of epilepsy during the preschool years. In a prospective cohort study, parents completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) for children who were aged 5 years or less at epilepsy diagnosis. Eight to 9 years later, the children were assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC), the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT), and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Associations of VABS scores with later WRAT and CBCL scores were tested. A total of 108 neurotypical children (64 males, 44 females; mean age at testing 11 y 11 mo, SD 2 y) were studied. After adjustment for IQ and other factors, there was an increase of 0.15 points (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.03-0.27 points; p=0.03) and 0.14 points (95% CI 0.0-0.28 points; p=0.05) in WRAT reading and spelling scores for each 1-point increment in the VABS communication score. Corresponding numbers for the VABS socialization score were 0.20 (95% CI 0.08-0.32; p=0.005) and 0.17 (95% CI 0.05-0.29; p=0.005). In neurotypical preschool children with epilepsy, early social and communication scores predict later school performance. These findings raise questions about opportunities for early identification and intervention for children at greatest risk.

Effects of maternal life stress events during pregnancy

In a Western Australia Pregnancy Cohort Study, pregnant women and their offspring were investigated prospectively to assess potential links of prenatal maternal stress with literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy (mathematics) test scores in 1038 children at 10 years of age. Stress events were self-reported. Data were collected during pregnancy, at delivery, and during childhood. Children were fifth graders and attended government schools. Standardized testing was conducted by the Western Australia Department of Education and Training. Investigators used multivariate regression models, entering multiple potential confounding variables of maternal status during pregnancy, as well as weighting of ongoing factors at 1 and 10 years, to reduce potential bias. The principal finding was that antenatal maternal exposure to ≥4 life stress events, or to the singular stress of loss of a friend or relative, was associated with lower literacy scores in girls and higher literacy scores in boys. Authors discuss the interesting biologic plausibility of this divergent possible effect. Article page 483▶ Maternal Life Stress Events in Pregnancy Link to Children's School Achievement at Age 10 YearsThe Journal of PediatricsVol. 162Issue 3PreviewTo test the hypothesis that maternal antenatal exposure to life stress events is associated with lower achievement in literacy and numeracy at age 10 years, with sex differences in this link. Full-Text PDF

Maternal Life Stress Events in Pregnancy Link to Children's School Achievement at Age 10 Years

To test the hypothesis that maternal antenatal exposure to life stress events is associated with lower achievement in literacy and numeracy at age 10 years, with sex differences in this link. The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort Study recruited 2900 women at 18 weeks' pregnancy, and 2868 children were followed up at birth and postnatally. At age 10 years, information on 1038 children was linked to their literacy and numeracy test scores. Multivariate regression models were used to test the foregoing hypotheses, adjusting for important confounders. In girls, maternal antenatal exposure to 4 or more maternal life stress events or death of the mother's friend and/or relative was associated with lower reading scores. In contrast, exposure to 3 or more life stress events or to a pregnancy or financial problem was associated with higher reading scores in boys. Furthermore, maternal exposure to 4 or more life stress events was associated with higher mathematic scores and a residential move was linked to higher writing scores in boys. Maternal antenatal exposure to life stress events has differing effects on the school performance of male and female offspring. Further research is needed to explore the reasons for this sex difference.

Emotional Intelligence and Achievement in School Children: A Comparison of Boys and Girls in Private and Public Schools

The term intelligence is used with a wide diversity of meanings (Stembeig, 1990). Segments of human intelligence are assessed on the basis of intelligence tests and is labeled as intelligence quotient (IQ). Over the years, intelligence quotient is not just a representative of some score on a test or measure but is understood as The abilities within this are not constant. This means that the composition of intelligence is transitory in nature. Generally, ability increases with age and maturity and this is in the periphery of those aspects which are emphasized by the relevant environment and culture.Psychologists have developed methodologies for this assessment and they have come out with tools and measures which they have termed as tests. Psychological tests for measurements of intelligence for different age groups, races, castes, creed and various groups have been developed. In fact, it can be said with a degree of certainty that the plethora of tests available for measuring intelligence outnumbers the number of tests available for measurements of any other trait or characteristic or ability in psychology. This is probably because of the importance of intelligence and its role in most behaviors. Mention may be made of some of the authors of intelligence tests to stress upon this point. Binet and Simon (1916), Wechsler (1939), Joshi (1981), Jalota (1976) and Bhatia (1968), among many others.Proponents of intelligence aigue that devoid of emotions, decision making and behaviors would be a bit unsatisfactory. They say that emotions are not a problem by themselves but it is their appropriateness and expression which determine as to whether they have role in behavior modification. Thus, one should not direct energies towards suppression of emotion, instead, try to strike a balance between thoughts and emotions. It needs to be so because emotions and feelings are interrelated to a large extent and hence intelligence gets value and significance.As of now intelligence is a relatively new concept for researchers and even the experts. But, historically this newness can be traced to a doctoral thesis of 1985 in U.S.A. Thereafter, in 1990, two researchers Mayer and Salovey involved themselves in scientific endeavours to find out as the whether behavior and other performances associated with abilities are in any way influenced by emotions. They were quite successful and this lead to their developing measures of these emotions in the form of ability and called it emotional intelligence. Their contributions were so revolutionary in nature because they indentified intelligence as being different from general intelligence- that even today, no mention of intelligence can get away without taking into cognizance Mayer and Salovey.The next name representing a sort of milestone on the road to development of the area of intelligence is Goleman's ( 1995). He defined intelligence as the ability to monitor one's and others emotion, to discriminate among them and to use the information to guide one's thinking and action. The significance of intelligence derives from the fact that intelligences, other than general intelligence,, were being looked for earlier as well.Emotional intelligence, on the evidence of initial volumes of literature, may have been more of an academic exercise but very soon it was discovered that it was an important attribute in the totality of the make up of normal human being and resultantly was significant for performances and behavior. Chemiss (2000) agreed that intelligence has partial role in successes and achievements and expressed the need to have evidence in support of and social factors (constituents of intelligence) for successes and failures.Goleman's (1995) work assumed from the beginning that intelligence is a type of This assumption has been criticized. …

Social experiences in kindergarten and academic achievement in grade 1: A monozygotic twin difference study.

The goal of this study was to examine how different types of social experiences in kindergarten relate to Grade 1 academic achievement, while controlling for possible genetic and shared environmental influences through the use of the monozygotic (MZ) twin difference method. Social experiences in kindergarten included relationship quality with the larger peer group (i.e., rejection and victimization), relationship quality with one's best friend, and relationship quality with the teacher. Control variables included parental hostility--coercion, child cognitive skills and externalizing problems, and equivalent social experiences in Grade 1. Participants consisted of 223 MZ twin pairs ages 6 years at Time 1 (T1) and 7 years at Time 2 (T2). Results showed that within-pair differences in peer rejection and in poor teacher--child relationship quality at T1 uniquely predicted differences in MZ twins' academic achievement at T2. Mechanisms that could account for the possible causal role of these social experiences in regard to children's school achievement are discussed.

School achievement of children with intellectual disability: The role of socioeconomic status, placement, and parents’ engagement

The objective of this study was to describe the selected conditions for school achievement of students with mild intellectual disabilities from Polish elementary schools. Participants were 605 students with mild disabilities from integrative, regular, and special schools, and their parents (N=429). It was found that socioeconomic status (SES) was positively associated with child placement in integrative and regular schools rather than special schools, as well as with higher parental engagement in their children's studies. Parental engagement mediated the positive effects of SES and placement in regular and integrative schools on school achievement. The results are discussed in the context of inclusive education theory.

Causes and consequences of childhood poverty in Korea: a panel data analysis

This study examines the causes and effects of childhood poverty in Korea using longitudinal data from the Seoul Child Panel Study. In the study, we find that not living with two parents or full-time employed parents are significant risk factors for child poverty in Korea. We also find that poverty is a risk factor lowering children's school achievement, and that family process factors such as family relation and parental monitoring are strongly related to children's internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. The article concludes by suggesting policy approaches to reduce child poverty and the negative impact of poverty on children's development.

Interventions aiming to improve school achievements of children in out-of-home care: A scoping review

The educational underachievement of children in out-of-home care has been known for decades. In this scoping review, we compiled and analyzed – with a narrative approach – evaluated interventions that aimed to improve foster children's school achievements. Despite a comprehensive searching strategy, only eleven relevant studies were found, indicating that little has been done in intervention research to improve educational outcomes for children in public care. Nine out of the eleven interventions reported some positive results. Literacy was improved in most studies, while evaluated attempts to enhance numeracy skills yielded mixed results. Positive results came from a range of different interventions, e.g. tutoring projects and structured individualized support. We conclude that most focused interventions seem to improve foster children's poor academic achievements, but tutoring projects have so far the best empirical support from evaluations with rigorous designs. Also there's a definite need for more intervention research.

Children’s selection of fruit and vegetables in a ‘dream versus healthy’ lunch-box survey

Background: Internationally, it is well established that the behaviour, performance, and achievement of schoolchildren is directly linked to the nutritional status of overall diet – including the contents of their school lunch-boxes. In a previous survey study by the lead authors, primary school children’s food consumption behaviour was investigated. Results indicated that most children’s lunch-boxes contained an over-representation of ‘undesirable’ food groups and an under-representation of fruit and vegetables. This follow-up study examined children’s awareness of healthy food choices and investigated what food groups children would choose if given free choice when constructing a lunch-box. Methods: The data was obtained by surveying 1,184 primary school children from eight different urban primary schools in the Manawatu Region of New Zealand. Food items included in this survey represented the 40 most common foods from the previous study. A series of accompanying food charts were used in combination with the checklists. From these lists the children were asked to construct a hypothetical ideal ‘dream’ lunch-box and a ‘healthy’ lunch-box. Results: Results indicated a significant difference between the fruit and vegetable content between lunch-boxes, demonstrating that children understood fruit and vegetables are healthy – but that they did not necessarily translate this knowledge into action. Conclusion: The influences on children’s choices in fruit and vegetables are as complex as the barriers to them eating. This study offers unique insight into the knowledge and behaviours of schoolchildren when selecting and consuming fruit and vegetables – especially given a degree of autonomy and choice.

Self-regulation and academic achievement in elementary school children

Self-regulation is a key construct in children's healthy and adaptive development. In this chapter, the authors situate self-regulation in a theoretical context that describes its underlying components that are most important for early school success: flexible attention, working memory, and inhibitory control. The authors review evidence that supports substantive links between these aspects of self-regulation and academic achievement in young children. They also discuss methodological challenges in reliably and validly assessing these skills (involving measures that are biased, are not applicable across broad age ranges, or triangulated) and describe some recent advances in measures of self-regulation (involving the NIH Toolbox or the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders assessment) that are reliable, ecologically valid, and predictive of children's school achievement.

Nonmarital Fertility, Family Structure, and the Early School Achievement of Young Children From Different Race/Ethnic and Immigration Groups

Working from a life course perspective, this study examined the links between mothers' fertility and relationship statuses and children's early school achievement and how these links varied by race/ethnicity and immigration status. Analyses of nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort revealed that children born to unmarried women scored lower than children of married women on math tests in kindergarten and first grade. This pattern was most attributable to associated differences in family income and parent education, and it was moderated by women's marital and relationship statuses after having their children. Evidence also suggested that the academic risks of some family structure pattern relative to continuously married parents might have been more pronounced for White children.

Equal Opportunity in the Educational System and The Ethics of Responsibility

To be just, a society should treat every child fairly, i.e. with concern with regard to his potential education achievements. A person's educational achievements is indeed essential for enhancing her capacity for self-development: ideally, they all should have the same opportunities for achieving a level of formal education that would allow them to further study and compete for the jobs that they are fit for. This requires that the allocation of public educational resources among children should satisfy some principles of justice. Alongside objectives in terms of equality of extended resources, recent theories of justice have emphasised the importance of taking into account personal responsibility in the design of policies. Allocation rules of educational expenditures should compensate for difference in non-controllable (by the child) determinants of achievements, but also let freely determined effort levels to be adequately rewarded. Some allocation rules inspired by those requirements are discussed and the underlying reasoning for considering them are questioned along four different dimensions : 1. the child's effort and its determinants 2. the child's school achievement production function: i.e. substitutability or complementarity between the determinants of achievements, 3. the importance of externalities within the class room (peer effects), 4. the structure of the secondary curricula. It is argued that all those dimensions are justifying the importance given to considerations but are also essential in identifying what should be the basic features of an strategy. In particular, they suggest that the focus on responsibility as one essential dimension in the design of such a strategy might be misplaced. But it also points out that an strategy consisting of compensating for inequality in endowments among children should also carefully incorporate various incentives mechanisms that will both enhance the effectiveness of the equality of strategy while contributing at the same time to the maximisation of the total human capital acquired by the children. Section 1 discusses what is the equal opportunity approach to schooling, its raison d'etre. Section 2 reviews and critically discuss the basic equal opportunity model and its implications. Sections 3 and 4 present modifications and extensions of this framework and section 5 concludes with some policy recommendations.

Child and parent characteristics, parental expectations, and child behaviours related to preschool children's interest in literacy

The current study examined the relations between children's literacy interest and parent and child characteristics (i.e. parents' education level and child's gender), parental expectations of their child's school attainment and achievement and the child's positive and problem behaviours. Participants were 61 preschoolers from predominately low‐income families enrolled in local preschool programmes. Parents completed questionnaires reporting demographic characteristics, parents' expectations and their child's literacy interest. Preschool teachers reported on children's behaviours in the classroom using standard behaviour‐rating scales. Child gender was marginally related to child literacy interest, but parent education was not significantly correlated with interest. Parents' expectation of their child's school achievement was significantly correlated with child literacy interest, but parental expectations about attainment were not. Overall, teachers' reports of children's positive and problem behaviours were correlated with child literacy interest in the expected direction. Interpretation and implications of the findings and future directions for research are discussed.