Predicting Child Outcomes at the End of Kindergarten from the Quality of Pre-Kindergarten Teacher–Child Interactions and Instruction

Publicly funded prekindergartens are programs that most states use to promote school readiness, especially of 4-year-old children at risk for academic problems due to poverty. Despite large public expenditures, these programs have not been widely evaluated. We examined 240 randomly selected pre-kindergarten programs in six states with mature programs that serve large numbers of children, and evaluated specific aspects of classroom quality and children's academic achievement in both the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten year for over 700 children. Results showed that, on average, pre-kindergarten teachers were moderately responsive and sensitive, but were less successful in engaging children in learning specific skills. Both sensitive and stimulating interactions with the teacher and the instructional quality aspects of the pre-kindergarten classroom predicted the acquisition of language, pre-academic, and social skills through the end of the kindergarten year.     

Effect of classroom language diversity on head start ELL and non-ELL children’s social-emotional development

Abstract

This study used the FACES 2009 cohort to examine the effect of classroom language diversity on the social-emotional development (defined as social skills, approaches to learning, and behavior problems) of the ELL and non-ELL children. A three-level hierarchical linear modeling in which time was nested within the child and the child was nested within the classroom was conducted. The children’s ELL status was determined based on their home language and English proficiency. Results showed that the non-ELL children demonstrated a decline in the developmental trajectory of social skills in the classrooms with high language diversity. On the other hand, the ELL children with English proficiency demonstrated a low trajectory of social skills in the classrooms with low language diversity. These findings suggest that the effect of classroom language diversity on the children’s social-emotional development depends on the children’s language status. Implications and future research are discussed.     

Longitudinal Effects of Group Music Instruction on Literacy Skills in Low-Income Children

Children from low-socioeconomic backgrounds tend to fall progressively further behind their higher-income peers over the course of their academic careers. Music training has been associated with enhanced language and learning skills, suggesting that music programs could play a role in helping low-income children to stay on track academically. Using a controlled, longitudinal design, the impact of group music instruction on English reading ability was assessed in 42 low-income Spanish-English bilingual children aged 6–9 years in Los Angeles. After one year, children who received music training retained their age-normed level of reading performance while a matched control group''s performance deteriorated, consistent with expected declines in this population. While the extent of change is modest, outcomes nonetheless provide evidence that music programs may have value in helping to counteract the negative effects of low-socioeconomic status on child literacy development.     

Classroom Race/Ethnic Composition,Family-School Connections,and the Transition to School

Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort (N = 13,970), we examined whether two aspects of school-family connections, parental involvement and communication quality, accounted for the association between classroom composition and children's academic and socioemotional functioning following the transition to elementary school. For students with more same-race/ethnic representation in their classrooms, greater classroom race/ethnic diversity promoted more parental involvement, which in turn promoted children's interpersonal skills and reading achievement. Classroom diversity made little difference to parental involvement when students had fewer same-race/ethnic peers in the classroom. Teacher–parent communication quality did not emerge as an explanatory mechanism, and findings did not vary by the race/ethnic match between students and their teachers.     

Negative peer perceptions of obese children in the classroom environment

Objective: It is asserted that the more immediate and observable consequences of pediatric obesity are psychosocial in nature. This study examines the peer relations of clinically referred obese youth compared to demographically comparable nonoverweight peers within the classroom environment. Methods and Procedures: Peer‐, teacher‐, and self‐reports of behavioral reputation (Revised Class Play (RCP)), and peer reports of social acceptance, nonsocial attributes (attractiveness, athleticism, academic competence), and health interference (school absence, illness, fatigue) were obtained regarding 90 obese youth (BMI > 95th percentile; 8–16 years, 57% girls, 50% African American) and 76 nonoverweight demographically similar comparison classmates. Results: Relative to comparison peers, obese children were nominated significantly less often as a best friend and rated lower in peer acceptance, although the two groups did not differ in the number of reciprocated friendships. Obese youth were described by peer, teacher, and self‐report as more socially withdrawn and by peers as displaying less leadership and greater aggressive‐disruptive behavior. Peers also described obese youth as less physically attractive, less athletic, more sick, tired, and absent from school. Being seen as less attractive and less athletic by peers helped to explain differences in obese and nonoverweight youth's levels of peer acceptance. Discussion: Clinically referred obese youth are characterized by peer relations that differ from those of nonoverweight youth. The peer environment provides a rich context to understand the social consequences of pediatric obesity as well as factors that could be targeted in intervention to promote more positive health and psychosocial outcomes.     

The Interaction of Child Care and Family Risk in Relation to Child Development at 24 and 36 Months

Family risk factors (psychosocial, socioeconomic, and sociocultural), child care characteristics (quality and hours in care), and the interactions of these variables were examined as predictors of behavior problems, prosocial behavior, and language skills in a longitudinal sample of 943 children (assessed at 24 and 36 months) enrolled in child care as infants. Family risk variables were the strongest predictors of all outcomes. Child care quality was a significant predictor of 36-month caregiver-reported social skills and 36-month language skills. Contrary to expectations, limited evidence was found to suggest child care experiences moderate the negative associations between family risk and child outcomes. Family risk interacted with child care quality in only 1 of the 5 analyses, and did not interact with child care quantity in any of the analyses. One interaction between family risk and child care was significant. Children from minority and single-parent families were rated as less prosocial by their mothers when in low-quality child care.     

Does mixing age groups in early childhood education settings support children’s language development?

As early childhood education programming expands across the globe, there is an increased need to understand how features of these programs influence children’s development. The composition of children’s age within a classroom is one such feature, although it is much less studied than other features. Theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that children’s development may be influenced by the age range of their classmates. This study examines the relations between classroom age variability on children’s vocabulary development for 2,743 children between the ages of two years, nine months, and six years, 11 months enrolled in early childhood education settings in Denmark. Findings indicate a significant nonlinear relationship between the range of child age within a classroom and children’s vocabulary development, such that classrooms with a maximum age range of 24 months were associated with the greatest gains in vocabulary growth. Results give direction to policy efforts focused on expansion of early childhood education programming.     

Early home learning environment predicts children’s 5th grade academic skills

We examined whether the early learning environment predicts children’s 5th grade skills in 2,204 families from ethnically diverse, low-income backgrounds; tested the mediating roles of children’s pre-kindergarten school-related skills and later learning environment; and asked whether lagged associations generalize across White, Black, Hispanic English-speaking, and Hispanic Spanish-speaking samples. Children’s early learning environment comprised measures of literacy activities, the quality of mothers’ engagements with children, and learning materials assessed at 14 months, 2 and 3 years, and at pre-kindergarten; learning environments were again assessed in 5th grade. At pre-kindergarten and in 5th grade, children were assessed on pre-academic and academic skills respectively. Early learning environments predicted children’s 5th grade academic skills, and children’s pre-kindergarten skills and 5th grade learning environment mediated longitudinal associations. The early learning environment supports the emergence of pre-academic skills that are stable into early adolescence, and pathways generalize across ethnic/racial groups.     

Effects of Animal-Assisted Activities with Guinea Pigs in the Primary School Classroom

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the effects of a classroom-based animal-assisted activities (AAA) program with guinea pigs on the social functioning of primary school children. We hypothesized that participants in the experimental condition (n = 64), compared with a waitlist control group (n = 64), would demonstrate improvements in social functioning following the program. Parents and teachers used the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) to evaluate the social skills and problem behaviors of 128 participating children (age range = 4.8 to 12.7 years) before and after an 8-week period. Teachers also rated academic competence at both time points. Children who participated in the AAA program demonstrated significantly greater improvements in social functioning than their control group peers, as defined by greater increases in social skills (teacher SSRS) and decreases in problem behaviors (parent and teacher SSRS). There were no significant differences between the groups in academic competence. AAA participants demonstrated significant increases in social skills and decreases in problem behaviors from pre- to post-program on the teacher version of the SSRS. Control group participants did not show significant changes on these measures. These findings suggest that an AAA program with guinea pigs may be a feasible addition to the primary school classroom in order to improve social functioning. Further component analysis will be necessary to determine whether the animal is the active ingredient in AAA programs of this nature.     

Impact of psychosocial factors on quality of life in overweight youth

Objective: The psychosocial functioning of overweight youth is a growing concern. Research has shown that overweight children report lower quality of life (QOL) than their non‐overweight peers. This study sought to extend the literature by examining the association between peer victimization, child depressive symptoms, parent distress, and health‐related QOL in overweight youth. Mediator models are used to assess the effect of child depressive symptoms on the relationship between psychosocial variables and QOL. Research Methods and Procedures: The sample consisted of 96 overweight and at‐risk‐for‐overweight children (mean age = 12.8 years) and their parents who were recruited from a Pediatric Endocrinology Obesity Clinic. Parents completed a demographic questionnaire, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory–parent‐proxy version, and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Children completed the Children's Depression Inventory–Short Form, the Schwartz Peer Victimization Scale, and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Results: Increased parent distress, child depressive symptoms, and peer victimization were associated with lower QOL by both parent‐proxy and self‐report. Child depressive symptoms mediated the relationship between psychosocial variables (parent distress and peer victimization) for self‐reported QOL but not for parent‐proxy‐reported QOL. Discussion: This study documented the important impact of peer victimization and parental distress on the QOL of overweight children. Expanding our understanding of how overweight children experience and interact with their environment is critical. Further research is needed to examine the mechanisms by which parent distress and peer victimization impact the development of depressive symptoms in overweight children, including coping and support strategies that may buffer these children against the development of depressive symptoms and ultimately lower QOL.     

Quality of Social and Physical Environments in Preschools and Children's Development of Academic,Language, and Literacy Skills

This study examined associations between quality of social and physical environments in preschools and children's development of academic, language, and literacy skills, and the extent to which preschool quality moderated the associations between child risk and development. Participants were a diverse sample of 540 four-year-old children in Georgia who attended Head Start, the Georgia Pre-Kindergarten Program, or private preschools. Controlling for children's gender, family income, race/ethnicity, preschool program type, and pretest performance, high-quality social environments were positively associated with children's academic and literacy skills at the end of preschool. Quality of the physical environment was not associated with children's outcomes at the end of preschool; however, higher quality physical environments moderated the negative associations between income and academic development and between non-White race/ethnicity and literacy development.     

Sex differences in children’s investment in peers

It is hypothesized from within an evolutionary framework that females should be less invested in peer relations than males. Investment was operationalized as enjoyment in Study 1 and as preference for interaction in Study 2. In the first study, four- and six-year-old children’s enjoyment of peer interaction was observed in 26 groups of same-sex peers. Girls were rated as enjoying their interactions significantly less than boys. In the second study, six- and nine-year-old children were interviewed about the individuals with whom they spend time in their homes and neighborhoods and about the individuals who participate in their favorite activities. The proportion of individuals named by children who were peers was significantly lower for girls than boys both in children’s neighborhoods and in children’s favorite activities. Results strongly support the hypothesis that females and males have evolved differential preferences for interaction with peers.     

Forecasting youth adjustment at age 15 from school readiness profiles at 54 months

ABSTRACT

A person-oriented approach examined the extent to which patterns of school readiness across social and cognitive domains in 944 typically-developing 54-month-old children forecast academic achievement, social-emotional development, risk taking, and executive functioning at age 15. Prior work identified six distinct profiles of school readiness at 54 months that predicted group differences in achievement in first grade, as well as achievement and social-emotional outcomes in fifth grade. After controlling for demographics, early language skills, and home and school factors, the 54-month readiness profiles demonstrated different performance on risk-taking and executive function behaviors assessed at age 15. Children with attention problems at 54 months were most likely to believe that peers were engaging in risky behaviors and to have smoked more than 2 cigarettes by age 15. Children with low working memory and low to average social skills at 54 months were outperformed by their peers on working memory and executive function tasks at age 15. Results are discussed in terms of continuity in forms of developmental function.     

The function of friends in preschoolers' lives: at the entrance to the classroom

The function of friendships and peer attachment in preschoolers' everyday lives is examined from the ethological view point. It is postulated that a child invests time and energy in friends or play partners chosen by him/herself: the child collects information about the friends and attempts to influence their special behavioural tendencies to his/her own advantage. As a result of this long-term investment, the friends are more predictable, controllable, and cooperative. It is hypothesized that a child uses and benefits from the friends in attempts to reach his/her personal goals. This study examines whether a child benefits from friends in attempts to join in play. Seventeen German preschool children (10 boys and 7 girls) ranging in age from 36 to 79 months were observed on arrival at school on 18 preschool days. When friends were present in the classroom, children first approached peers more often than when friends were not present; otherwise they approached the teacher. Friends often actively initiated interaction with arriving children, for example by calling the child's name. Success in joining in play was highest when friends were chosen as the target of the approach. During approaches to friends, tactics were more frequently used which require specific information about the target. However, when friends were playing with nonfriends of the children, benefits such as initiation by the target and the larger range of alternatives in strategies were not observed. The results support the hypothesis that a child uses and benefits from friends. The results further suggest that the relationships of friends with other peers disturb the beneficial effects of friends and that such relationships even increases the costs in interactions with friends.     

Early development (5 to 48 months) in Williams syndrome. A study of 14 children.

At what age do children with Williams syndrome (WS) achieve major developmental milestones? Is their early development harmonious or are some of the typical discrepancies described in older children already noticeable? To address these questions we analysed information gathered over a five year period on 14 children with WS. Each child was evaluated at least twice between the ages of 5 and 48 months, using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and during more informal observation sessions. Parents and professionals were also interviewed. This analysis provided us with an outline for "developmental norms" for children with WS and allowed us to conclude that, even before the age of 4 years, children with WS display a typical profile in their abilities. Expressive language skills are less delayed in contrast to the important delay in language comprehension and fine motor skills.     

Pre-academic and early academic achievement in children with velocardiofacial syndrome (del22q11.2) of borderline or normal intelligence

School-aged children with del22q11.2 tend to show a typical learning and neuropsychological profile, which is characterised by a VIQ-PIQ discrepancy (in favour of the VIQ) and significantly better scores for reading (decoding) and spelling compared to mathematics. To the best of our knowledge, there exists no systematic research on the pre-academic and early academic skills that might underpin these learning difficulties. The purpose of the current study was to investigate more systematically these pre-academic and early academic skills in borderline to normal intelligent (FSIQ > 70) children with del22q11.2 in the last year of kindergarten and first grade of primary school in Flanders. In the kindergarten group, meta-linguistic awareness and counting skills were examined. In the group of first graders, children were tested on reading, spelling and mathematics. Thirteen children (mean age: 6 years 4 months (SD = 0.84); 9 boys, 4 girls) participated in this study. In the present study, there were no differences in intelligence and academic outcomes between boys and girls, and no differences in IQ and academic achievement between children with cardiac defects or severe velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) and children without these deficits. With regard to pre-academic achievement in general, a characteristic profile with clearly better results for meta-linguistic awareness in comparison to counting skills was found, but this difference is not statistically significant. Concerning early academic achievement, children with del22q11.2, as a group, perform (despite their somewhat lower general intelligence) on average compared with their age-related peers. However, at an individual level--especially within the domain of counting skills and mathematics--there is a wide variability, with some children showing remarkable learning difficulties already at an early age.     

Reactions of nuclear-family–reared rhesus macaques to the births of younger siblings

A group of juvenile rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) living in a nuclear-family laboratory environment was studied to determine their responses to the births of siblings. The frequencies of interactions with family members (mothers, fathers, and new siblings) and nonfamily (peers, unrelated infants, and unrelated adults) were studied over both the year preceding and the year following sibling birth. The frequencies of specific behaviors in each of those interactions and the frequencies of interactions in each area of the nuclear-family unit (home cage, play area, or other families' cage) were also examined. After new siblings arrived, several measures of interactions with mothers, fathers, and new siblings increased significantly; by contrast interactions with peers decreased substantially over the post-birth year. Although the frequency of interactions in home cages remained stable over the 2-year period, interactions outside of the subjects' home cages decreased significantly after siblings were born. An additional subject group whose mothers became pregnant but failed to deliver viable offspring showed no significant changes in total levels of interactions with peers; they did, however, exhibit increases in some interactions with unrelated infants and adults. Female juveniles interacted with new siblings significantly more often than did males when siblings were less than 6 months old, but as siblings grew older (6–12 months), females' levels of interaction with them fell to a level equal to that of males. In the nuclear-family social structure, the birth of a sibling resulted in an increased emphasis on family interactions at the expense of peer interactions.     

Teacher–child interaction quality as a function of classroom age diversity and teachers’ beliefs and qualifications

Data from 332 teachers who participated in the National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education study were used to examine the implications of classroom age diversity in preschool programs for teacher interactions with students in areas of instructional and emotional support, and classroom organization. Teachers in early childhood classrooms with greater age diversity within a school year and who experienced an increase in age diversity across years exhibited less optimal teacher–child interactions. The negative effects of age diversity for teacher–child interactions were only noticeable among teachers with fewer years of education and experience, and among teachers whose views of children were less child-centered. When taken together, results indicate that closer attention should be paid to the consequences of classroom age diversity in preschool and that a multi-year perspective on teachers’ classroom experiences would allow for a more nuanced understanding of the quality of teacher–child interactions.     

Training early visuo-spatial abilities: A controlled classroom-based intervention study

Visuo-spatial training is considered a promising approach to provide young children with a sound foundation for later mathematical learning. We developed and implemented a tablet-based visuo-spatial intervention in kindergarten classrooms aiming to foster the development of children’s visuo-spatial and numerical abilities. A sample of N?=?125 children participated in the present study, 68 children were part of the intervention group and participated in 20 training sessions of 20?min over a 10-week period, 57 children formed a business as usual control group. Results show that, at this young age, visuo-spatial and early math skills are already strongly interlinked. However, the training effects were domain-specific as they only improved visuo-spatial skills, but did not transfer to early math performance in the present setting.     

At-Risk Elementary School Children with One Year of Classroom Music Instruction Are Better at Keeping a Beat

Temporal processing underlies both music and language skills. There is increasing evidence that rhythm abilities track with reading performance and that language disorders such as dyslexia are associated with poor rhythm abilities. However, little is known about how basic time-keeping skills can be shaped by musical training, particularly during critical literacy development years. This study was carried out in collaboration with Harmony Project, a non-profit organization providing free music education to children in the gang reduction zones of Los Angeles. Our findings reveal that elementary school children with just one year of classroom music instruction perform more accurately in a basic finger-tapping task than their untrained peers, providing important evidence that fundamental time-keeping skills may be strengthened by short-term music training. This sets the stage for further examination of how music programs may be used to support the development of basic skills underlying learning and literacy, particularly in at-risk populations which may benefit the most.