Second Grade Of Primary School Research Articles

Does child care availability play a role in maternal employment and children’s development? Evidence from Italy

This paper investigates the effects of public child care availability in Italy in mothers’ working status and children’s scholastic achievements. We use a newly available dataset containing individual standardized test scores of pupils attending the second grade of primary school in 2009–2010 in conjunction with data on public child care availability. Our estimates indicate a positive and significant effects of child care availability on both mothers’ working status and children’s Language test scores. We find that a percentage change in public child care coverage increases mothers’ probability to work by 1.3 percentage points and children’s Language test scores by 0.85 percent of one standard deviation; we do not find any effect on Math test scores. Moreover, the impact of a percentage change in public child care on mothers’ employment and children’s Language test scores is greater in provinces where child care availability is more limited.

Symbolic Representation for Introduction of Concept of Decimal System in Mexican School Children

The present study describes the usage of strategies of symbolic representation during teaching introduction of decimal system in primary school in Mexico. Our research is based on Activity Theory conception of teaching-learning process and of gradual introduction of scientific concepts in school age. The method includes symbolic external representation of mathematic, logic and spatial relations. Children from the second grade of primary school took part in the study. The children were included in joined actions with constant orientation of the teacher. Specific Program was designed for introduction of decimal system and applied during 6 month 3 times per weak. The results showed that children acquired significant symbolic abilities necessary for understanding the concept of decimal system. We consider that proposed method could be a new approximation for solution of common difficulties which arise at primary school during initial teaching of mathematics.

Desarrollo de un proyecto de ciencia basado en el uso de diversas inteligencias.

Solve and create problems are characteristic of an intelligent and creative mind. From a practical sense, intelligence procedures and leads to correct results but creativity allow us to innovate on procedures, interpretation of results and generated products. This project combines science and art, aiming to promote intelligence and creativity in students in the second grade of primary school. The work is part of the study of general aspects of the biology of insects in various learning environments. The results indicate a process of understanding the basic structures of insects, the biological sense of communication sounds and movements of the basic elements of music making, of how an orchestra is organized and a dance and especially the resolution of problems related to science and art.

Desarrollo de un proyecto de ciencia basado en el uso de diversas inteligencias

Solve and create problems are characteristic of an intelligent and creative mind. From a practical sense, intelligence procedures and leads to correct results but creativity allow us to innovate on procedures, interpretation of results and generated products. This project combines science and art, aiming to promote intelligence and creativity in students in the second grade of primary school. The work is part of the study of general aspects of the biology of insects in various learning environments. The results indicate a process of understanding the basic structures of insects, the biological sense of communication sounds and movements of the basic elements of music making, of how an orchestra is organized and a dance and especially the resolution of problems related to science and art.

Collaborative Action Research: Teaching of Multiplication and Division in the Second Grade of Primary School

This paper discusses the impact of action research methodology used in the teaching and learning process and professional teacher development. In this study are including 58 students of three second grade classes, 3 teachers of those classes and a university professor. Aiming at using a different approach in their teaching of multiplication and division in the second grade, all three teachers agreed to cooperate and jointly plan the learning activities, to observe systematically their students and to reflect on the outcomes. This way of research doing in their classes enabled them to ‘act’ effectively in designing an action plan appropriate to students’ achievement level. This research was carried out in the period of February 18 to May 31 incorporating several different methods, such as classroom observation, interviewing and worksheets

Exploring the Impacts of Public Childcare on Mothers and Children in Italy: Does Rationing Play a Role?

This paper investigates the effects of public childcare availability in Italy on mothers’ working status and children’s scholastic achievements. We use a newly available dataset containing individual standardized test scores of pupils attending second grade of primary school in 2008-09 in conjunction with data on public childcare availability. Public childcare coverage in Italy is scarce (12.7 percent versus the OECD average of 30 percent) and the service is rationed: each municipality allocates the available slots according to eligibility criteria. We contribute to the existing literature taking into account rationing in public childcare access and the functioning of childcare market. Our estimates indicate that childcare availability has positive and significant eff ects on both mothers’ working status and children’s language test scores. The effects are stronger when the degree of rationing is high and for low educated mothers and children living in lower income areas of the country. JEL Classification: J13, D1, H75

El texto en la alfabetización inicial

ResumenA pesar del potencial de la lectura en voz alta para mejorar la experiencia de los niños con textos literarios, es todavía insuficiente la investigación empírica sistemática sobre cómo los niños usan estas lecturas para producir sus propios textos. Examinamos cómo 10 niños durante primero y segundo cursos de la escuela primaria compartían cuentos con su maestra. También observamos cómo adoptan la información y las formas lingüísticas de los textos fuente en sus propios textos. Nuestro análisis se enfocó en cómo los niños realizan sus escritos, cómo se apropiaban de los textos literarios y qué clase de unidades textuales adaptan de esta interacción entre lectura y escritura. Cincuenta y siete textos recogidos durante dos años muestran cambios progresivos en cada año escolar. Los resultados sugieren que el texto fuente y la experiencia de reescritura influyen sobre las producciones infantiles, sobre las segmentaciones del texto y la incorporación de organizadores discursivos, sobre el discurso referido, las marcas de puntuación y la estructura del género. Estos resultados tienen implicaciones en las estrategias usadas por los maestros para promover las habilidades infantiles de escritura.

Difficultés de langage et de comportement à 3 ans et demi et retard en lecture au cours élémentaire: Language and behavioral difficulties at age 3 and half and reading delay in grade 2

Early detection of specific language impairment and dyslexia in children is an important public health problem. Longitudinal studies are needed for the distinction of real impairments from simple transitory delays.Teachers filled a 29-item questionnaire on language and behavior for 695 children aged 3.5 years. Four years later (at second grade of primary school) the same children were evaluated for reading and writing. Statistical analysis focused on the relationships between teacher's early observations and reading delay 4 years later. Associated factors were age, sex, educational level and bilinguism of the parents, and area of the school.The delay in written language acquisition (8.5% of the children) was significantly associated with low educational level (but not bilinguism) of the parents and to the area of the school. In univariate analysis, most of the teacher's early negative assessments were significantly related to reading/writing delay, with the exception of some behavioral problems. However, when the effect of associated factors was taken into account only a few items, mainly concerning language expression, remained significantly associated with later reading/writing delay.These data show a major role of associated factors (educational level of the parents, area of the school) in reading delay, and help to select specific teacher's observations for an early prediction of this delay.

Determinants of weight gain in children from 7 to 10 years

Background and AimTo determine the influence of the family risk factors (parental weight, socioeconomic status and cultural level) on the distribution of overweight or obesity in prepubertal children and the dynamics of their weight gain. Methods and ResultsThree hundred forty-one children (183 boys) attending the second grade of primary school (age 7.4±0.5years) were enrolled in a longitudinal study in Southern Italy. Overweight and obesity status were defined by a body mass index (BMI) above the percentile having respectively the value of 25 and 30kg/m2 at 18years, according to national reference data; overweight extent was expressed as BMI standard deviation score (BMI-SDS). Information about BMI and socioeconomic conditions (occupation and educational level) of parents were collected. Distribution of overweight and obese schoolchildren and variations of BMI-SDS were evaluated over a 3-year period; relationships with family risk factors were also sought.The distribution of overweight/obese children at baseline was high (40%). Tracking rates of overweight and obesity were 73% and 80%, respectively. The higher the BMI-SDS at 7years, the higher the BMI-SDS at 10years (r 0.86, P=0.0001). The highest BMI value and the highest distribution of overweight/obese children were observed in subjects with the highest amount of family risk factors. Children exhibiting accelerated weight gain (delta BMI>1/year) showed higher male/female ratio, higher baseline BMI values, higher maternal BMI values, lower maternal educational level and a dramatic increase in the percentage of overweight/obese children than children with normal weight gain. ConclusionsChildren who are overweight/obese at 7years tend to maintain this condition during prepubertal age. Paediatricians should be alerted when dealing with a child showing a BMI increase above than 1U/year during primary school. Targeted intervention should be directed at young children with overweight parents and low socio-cultural level.

Beginning readers' reading performance and reading habits

This study investigated the prospective relationships between reading performance and reading habits among Finnish children during the first and second grades of primary school. One hundred and ninety‐five children were examined twice during their first primary school year and once during the spring term of Grade 2. The results showed, first, that children's reading skills predicted their reading habits: the more competent in reading children were at the end of Grade 1, the more likely they were to engage in out‐of‐school reading one year later. Second, reading habits also predicted reading skills: the amount of out‐of‐school reading at the end of Grade 1 contributed to the development of word recognition skills.

Prevalence of otitis media with effusion in first and second grade primary school students and its correlation with BCG vaccination

Objective: The object of this study was to determine the prevalence of otitis media with effusion (OME) in first and second grade primary school students, to analyze the causes of the difference in the prevalence, to define the effect of OME on the academic performance of the children and to investigate a correlation between the prevalence of OME and Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) vaccination. Study plan and methods: The study was conducted during the September–November, 2002 period in Elazıǧ. A total of 3675 clinically healthy primary school children attending primary schools in the central district of Elazıǧ, living in the same region and of a similar socioeconomic status and age group were included in the study. Of the 3675 children, 2042 were in their first and 1633 in their second grade of primary school. The routine ear–nose and throat examinations of the children were carried out at their schools by the same medical team. The tympanometric test was performed in children diagnosed with OME following otoscopic examination. A scale measuring the academic performance of the children was developed. This scale was filled in by the student’s teachers prior to physical examination. Results: OME was diagnosed in 64 out of 2042 (3.1%) first grade and in 25 out of 1633 (1.5%) second grade students. The difference between the percentages of OME in first and second grade students was statistically significant ( P<0.05). The frequency of other ear–nose and throat pathologies accompanying OME was similar to those in children without OME. There was no statistically significant difference between the academic performances of children with and without OME ( P>0.05). Conclusion: The analysis of risk factors for OME revealed no difference between first and second grade students. The reason for the difference in the prevalence of OME between first and second grade students may be the positive effect on the immune system of the BCG vaccine which had been administered to the second grade students 4 months previously.

Otoscopic Findings in a Group of Schoolchildren in Kuwait

Middle ear diseases are the most common cause of hearing impairment in children. Therefore, we found it important to conduct a study to reveal the frequency of different middle ear conditions. Using an otoscope with a magnifying lens 826 children in their second grade of primary school were examined. Various kinds of ear canal and middle ear pathology were found. An extremely high percentage (41%) of the 1,652 examined ears did show significant pathology. The different findings will be presented and comparison with other similar studies will be done.