Early Relationship Quality From Home to School: A Longitudinal Study

The aim of this investigation was to examine the role of social relationships in the home as predictors of social functioning in the first years of school. Longitudinal data gathered on 156 children from urban, low-income families were used to examine the unique contributions of mother-child attachment classification at ages 1 and 2 years, the child's relationship with another adult caregiver, the child's closeness to a sibling, and the child's status in the family relative to siblings between ages 3 and 4 years, to teacher reports of their own relationship to the child and the child's social skills in the classroom and peer relations. The role of family-based relationships as possible protective factors for children at social or demographic risk for problems in school was also tested. Results indicate that quality of different family relationships provides relatively independent and complementary information about early social functioning in school, with more limited evidence for compensatory or protective processes at work.     

Strong Genetic Contribution to Peer Relationship Difficulties at School Entry: Findings From a Longitudinal Twin Study

This study assessed the genetic and environmental contributions to peer difficulties in the early school years. Twins' peer difficulties were assessed longitudinally in kindergarten (796 twins, M_age = 6.1 years), Grade 1 (948 twins, M_age = 7.1 years), and Grade 4 (868 twins, M_age = 10 years) through multiple informants. The multivariate results revealed that genetic factors accounted for a strong part of both yearly and stable peer difficulties. At the univariate level, the genetic contributions emerged progressively, as did a growing consensus among informants with respect to those who experienced peer difficulties. These results underline the need to intervene early and persistently, and to target the child and the peer context to prevent peer difficulties and their consequences.     

Technology in the Home and the Achievement of Young Children: Findings From the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study

Because technology in the home is becoming ever more available, understanding the role of technology in early childhood development is increasingly an opportunity and a concern for educators. This report examines data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99, to provide an overview of the role of technology in the home and its impact on reading and math achievement in the early grades. The results show that access and use of technology influence children's academic achievement. Although the results show that having access to technology can contribute significantly to the achievement of young children, mere access is unlikely to be sufficient for all young children to benefit from technology in the home. Adults will need to mediate the use of these potential learning tools for children. Based on the findings of this report, policymakers should support increasing the availability of computers for low-income families and continue to discourage extensive viewing of TV, and researchers should focus on the specific methods that parents can enact to realize the learning potential of an increasingly ubiquitous resource: computers and the Internet in the home.     

Technology in the Home and the Achievement of Young Children: Findings From the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study

Because technology in the home is becoming ever more available, understanding the role of technology in early childhood development is increasingly an opportunity and a concern for educators. This report examines data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99, to provide an overview of the role of technology in the home and its impact on reading and math achievement in the early grades. The results show that access and use of technology influence children's academic achievement. Although the results show that having access to technology can contribute significantly to the achievement of young children, mere access is unlikely to be sufficient for all young children to benefit from technology in the home. Adults will need to mediate the use of these potential learning tools for children. Based on the findings of this report, policymakers should support increasing the availability of computers for low-income families and continue to discourage extensive viewing of TV, and researchers should focus on the specific methods that parents can enact to realize the learning potential of an increasingly ubiquitous resource: computers and the Internet in the home.     

A Longitudinal Study of Parental Stress and Support: From Diagnosis of Disability to Leaving School

Parental stress attributed to both a child with an intellectual disability and their youngest child without a disability was examined over a seven year period. Stress and support were also examined in relation to the life stages of disability diagnosis, starting school and completing school. Stress attributed to the child with a disability was greater than stress attributed to the youngest child without a disability and remained high over the seven year period, however, an increased level of stress was attributed to the child without a disability. In terms of life stages, diagnosis of intellectual disability in a child remained as the most stress‐inducing of the life events included in the study, however, most parents had also experienced heightened stress at the time their child started school, and also during the transition from school to work. The support parents found most helpful reflected their changing focus of worry over time. The implications and limitations of this study arc discussed.     

A Longitudinal Study of the Relationship of High School Foreign Language and Mathematics Study to Freshman Grades

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and effect of answer-changing on objective test performance. 5s were 77 college students of both sexes. All types of response changes were recorded and analysed by sex and by caliber of student. Results showed that when a response was changed there was a three-to-one chance that the new response would Improve rather than lower the final score. Females were more Inclined to make changes than were males, and their overall test performance was superior to that of males. The brightest 5s of both sexes made the greatest mean number of answer changes. It was concluded that the fear frequently expressed by students that answer changes will reduce test performance was unfounded In this instance.     

From Early Relationships to Preacademic Knowledge: A Sociocognitive Developmental Cascade to School Readiness

This study aimed to test a four-wave sequential mediation model linking mother–child attachment to children's school readiness through child executive functioning (EF) and prosociality in toddlerhood and the preschool years. Mother–child attachment security was assessed when children (N = 255) were aged 15 months and 2 years, child EF at age 2, prosocial behavior at age 4, and finally cognitive school readiness in kindergarten (age 6). The results revealed three indirect pathways linking attachment to school readiness: one through EF only, one through prosocial behavior only, and a last pathway involving both EF and prosocial behavior serially. These findings suggest that secure attachment may equip children with both cognitive and social skills that are instrumental to their preparedness for school.     

A Longitudinal Study of School Peer Networks and Adjustment to Middle School

A cohort of children was followed across the first 2 years of their middle school experience. Utilising a multi‐method, longitudinal research design, children's school peer networks were described as they moved from sixth to seventh grades. Next, predictive relations between these school peer network variables in sixth grade and seventh grade adjustment was determined. Results indicated that social groupings became more gender integrated from sixth to seventh grades. Further, adjustment can be explained in terms of children adjusting to gender roles.     

From School Counselor to Counselor Educator: A Phenomenological Study

Through a phenomenological study, the experiences of 8 early‐career school counselor educators who entered academia directly from positions as P–12 school counselors were examined. Results revealed that the participants experienced numerous challenges and supports related to their transition. Recommendations for counselor educators, doctoral students, and new faculty are provided.     

Early Literacy From a Longitudinal Perspective

The goal of this longitudinal study was to examine which skills in early literacy determine the development of word recognition, reading comprehension, and spelling in the 2nd grade of the elementary school. A cohort of pupils was followed and tested during the 2nd year of kindergarten and the beginning of the 1st and 2nd grade. It appeared that mainly 2 skills determined the development of word recognition: rapid naming of letters and knowledge of letters. Reading comprehension was predicted to a large extent by vocabulary, rapid naming of letters, letter knowledge, and phonemic awareness. The skills that determined the development of spelling were rapid naming of numbers and letter knowledge.     

The Relations Between Early Working Memory Abilities and Later Developing Reading Skills: A Longitudinal Study From Kindergarten to Fifth Grade

This study investigated the relations of early working‐memory abilities (phonological and visual‐spatial short‐term memory [STM] and complex memory and episodic buffer memory) and later developing reading skills. Sixty Hebrew‐speaking children were followed from kindergarten through Grade 5. Working memory was tested in kindergarten and reading in Grades 1, 2, and 5. All memory measures, but phonological STM, correlated with reading up to Grade 5. Regression analyses (with intelligence quotient controlled) demonstrated that phonological complex memory predicted all reading skills in Grade 1, and accuracy in Grade 2. The rather understudied visual‐spatial memory predicted comprehension in Grades 2 (STM) and 5 (complex memory). The results point to an important role of the phonological complex memory in early assessment, and suggest a long‐lasting role of early visual‐spatial memory in predicting variance in reading. Whether this role of the visual‐spatial memory is unique to the Hebrew orthography because of its visual features requires, however, further investigation.     

Comparative Mathematical Language in the Elementary School: A Longitudinal Study

This paper examines the change in young children’s understanding of ‘equal’, ‘more’, ‘less’, and ‘between’, words commonly used in equivalent and non-equivalent situations, over a 3-year period. Seventy-six children participated in the longitudinal study. Each year they were asked to share their understanding of these four words. Past research has indicated that many children have limited understanding of ‘equal’ as quantitative sameness. The results of this research suggested that many children also have limited understanding of ‘more’ and ‘less’ and that these understandings did not significantly change over the 3-year period.     

Early Childhood Intervention and Educational Attainment: Age 22 Findings From the Chicago Longitudinal Study

This study investigated whether participation in the Chicago Child-Parent Center (CPC) Preschool Program associated with higher educational attainment (high school completion, highest grade completed, and college attendance) at age 22. The study sample included 1,334 youth (869 in the preschool group and 465 in the comparison group) from the Chicago Longitudinal Study. Probit regression was used to examine the group differences in educational attainment controlling for child and family characteristics, including gender, race/ethnicity, and family risk status. Results indicated that CPC preschool participation was significantly associated with more years of education (11.33 vs. 10.93, p < .001), a higher rate of high school completion (Diploma or General Equivalency Diploma [GED], 66.9% vs. 55.3%, p < .001), and a higher rate of college attendance (23.0% vs. 17.9%, p = .055). Only gender subgroups showed an interaction effect with program participation on high school completion among all subgroups. Males benefitted more from the preschool program than females on high school completion. Findings demonstrate that large-scale school-based programs can have enduring effects into early adulthood.     

A Longitudinal Study of Two Early Intervention Strategies: Project CARE

65 families with children at risk for cognitive difficulties were randomly assigned at the time of the child's birth to 1 of 3 groups, 2 intervention and 1 control. For the most intensive intervention group, family education was combined with a center-based educational day-care program; the less intensive intervention group received the home-based family education program only. To assess the cognitive performance of children, The Bayley Scales of Infant Development were administered at 6, 12, and 18 months; the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test at 24, 36, and 48 months; and the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities at 30, 42, and 54 months. On each test after the 6-month assessment, scores of children in the educational day-care plus family support group were greater than those in the other 2 groups. No cognitive intervention effects were obtained for the family education group. Group effects were not obtained for measures of either the quality of the home environment or parent attention.     

A Longitudinal Study of Consistency and Change in Self-Esteem from Early Adolescence to Early Adulthood

In a longitudinal study of 47 girls and 44 boys, developmental change in self-esteem (SE) was examined from early adolescence through late adolescence to early adulthood. Males tended to increase and females tended to decrease in SE over time. There was appreciable rank-order consistency in SE over time. Within each gender, the considerable individual differences in developmental trajectories were coherently related to personality characteristics independently assessed in early adolescence. Boys and girls with high SE possessed quite different personality characteristics in early adolescence; by early adulthood, although important differences remained, the personality characteristics associated with high SE were similar for the 2 sexes. Discussion focuses on the implications of our findings for the "consistency versus change" debate, the influence of gender-role socialization on SE development, and the importance of examining normative, gender-specific, and individual developmental change in SE.     

A Longitudinal Study of School Belonging and Academic Motivation Across High School

This longitudinal study examined how school belonging changes over the years of high school, and how it is associated with academic achievement and motivation. Students from Latin American, Asian, and European backgrounds participated (N = 572; age span = 13.94–19.15 years). In ninth grade, girls' school belonging was higher than boys'. Over the course of high school, however, girls' school belonging declined, whereas boys' remained stable. Within‐person longitudinal analyses indicated that years in which students had higher school belonging were also years in which they felt that school was more enjoyable and more useful, above and beyond their actual level of achievement. Results highlight the importance of belonging for maintaining students' academic engagement during the teenage years.     

学校与政府关系的转型:从国家管理到公共治理

调整学校与政府的关系,是当下中国教育改革绕不过去的重要环节之一。建立现代学校制度,其核心也在于政府教育职能的转变与重新定位,在于学校自主办学动力的激活。改革开放30年来,中国     

Early Childhood Behavioral Inhibition and Social and School Adjustment in Chinese Children: A 5‐Year Longitudinal Study

This study examined relations between early behavioral inhibition and social and school outcomes in Chinese children (N = 200). Data on behavioral inhibition were collected from a sample of 2‐year‐olds in China. Follow‐up data on social behaviors, peer relationships, and school performance were collected from multiple sources at 7 years of age. Behavioral inhibition was found to be positively associated with later cooperative behavior, peer liking, perceived social integration, positive school attitudes, and school competence, and negatively associated with later learning problems. Highly inhibited toddlers were generally better adjusted than others in social and school areas in middle childhood. The results indicate the distinct functional meaning of behavioral inhibition in Chinese children from a developmental perspective.     

Bilingualism Narrows Socioeconomic Disparities in Executive Functions and Self-Regulatory Behaviors During Early Childhood: Evidence From the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study

Socioeconomic status (SES) and bilingualism have been shown to influence executive functioning during early childhood. Less is known, however, about how the two factors interact within an individual. By analyzing a nationally representative sample of approximately 18,200 children who were tracked from ages 5 to 7 across four waves, both higher SES and bilingualism were found to account for greater performance on the inhibition and shifting aspects of executive functions (EF) and self-regulatory behaviors in classroom. However, only SES reliably predicted verbal working memory. Furthermore, bilingualism moderated the effects of SES by ameliorating the detrimental consequences of low-SES on EF and self-regulatory behaviors. These findings underscore bilingualism's power to enrich executive functioning and self-regulatory behaviors, especially among underprivileged children.     

Children's Classroom Peer Relationships and Early School Attitudes: Concurrent and Longitudinal Associations

The purpose of this study was to further explore the linkage between children's early school attitudes and interpersonal features of the classroom, including children's relationships with classmates and their perceptions of these relationships. Participants included 102 kindergarten children (M age = 5.8 years) who were interviewed at the beginning and end of kindergarten to obtain measures of their school attitudes (i.e., school liking), classroom peer relationships (i.e., peer acceptance, mutual friendships), and peer relationship perceptions (i.e., perceived loneliness, peer support). Results showed that initial school liking was associated with all four measures of children's peer relationships; however, only the number of mutual friendships that children possessed in their classrooms predicted changes in school attitudes (gains) over time. Early school attitudes were linked to changes in children's peer perceptions; children who disliked school early in kindergarten were more likely to view classmates as unsupportive as the school year progressed. Results are discussed in terms of the potential impact that classroom peer relations may have on early school attitudes, and vice versa. Implications for educational policy are also considered.