Delayed school entry and academic performance: A natural experiment
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Delayed school entry and academic performance : A natural experiment. / Jaekel, Julia; Strauss, Vicky Yu Chun; Johnson, Samantha; Gilmore, Camilla; Wolke, Dieter.
I: Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, Bind 57, Nr. 7, 01.07.2015, s. 652-659.Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Delayed school entry and academic performance
T2 - A natural experiment
AU - Jaekel, Julia
AU - Strauss, Vicky Yu Chun
AU - Johnson, Samantha
AU - Gilmore, Camilla
AU - Wolke, Dieter
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2015 Mac Keith Press.
PY - 2015/7/1
Y1 - 2015/7/1
N2 - Aim: Recent reports suggest that delayed school entry (DSE) may be beneficial for children with developmental delays. However, studies of the effects of DSE are inconclusive. This study investigated the effects of DSE versus age-appropriate school entry (ASE) on children's academic achievement and attention in middle childhood. Method: In total, 999 children (492 females, 507 males; 472 born preterm) were studied as part of a prospective population-based longitudinal study in Germany. Using a natural experimental design, propensity score matching was applied to create two matched groups who differed only in terms of DSE versus ASE. Teacher ratings of achievement in mathematics, reading, writing, and attention were obtained in Year 1, and standardized tests were administered at 8 years of age. Results: There was no evidence of a difference in the odds of DSE versus ASE children being rated as above average by teachers in Year 1. In contrast, the standardized mean test scores for DSE children were lower than ASE children's mean scores in all domains (mathematics: B=-0.28 [-0.51 to -0.06)], reading: B=-0.39 [-0.65 to -0.14], writing: B=-0.90 [-1.07 to -0.74], and attention: B=-0.58 [-0.79 to -0.36]). Interpretation: DSE did not affect teacher-rated academic performance. However, missing 1 year of learning opportunities was associated with poorer average performance in standardized tests at 8 years of age. Future research is needed to determine the long-term effect of DSE on academic achievement.
AB - Aim: Recent reports suggest that delayed school entry (DSE) may be beneficial for children with developmental delays. However, studies of the effects of DSE are inconclusive. This study investigated the effects of DSE versus age-appropriate school entry (ASE) on children's academic achievement and attention in middle childhood. Method: In total, 999 children (492 females, 507 males; 472 born preterm) were studied as part of a prospective population-based longitudinal study in Germany. Using a natural experimental design, propensity score matching was applied to create two matched groups who differed only in terms of DSE versus ASE. Teacher ratings of achievement in mathematics, reading, writing, and attention were obtained in Year 1, and standardized tests were administered at 8 years of age. Results: There was no evidence of a difference in the odds of DSE versus ASE children being rated as above average by teachers in Year 1. In contrast, the standardized mean test scores for DSE children were lower than ASE children's mean scores in all domains (mathematics: B=-0.28 [-0.51 to -0.06)], reading: B=-0.39 [-0.65 to -0.14], writing: B=-0.90 [-1.07 to -0.74], and attention: B=-0.58 [-0.79 to -0.36]). Interpretation: DSE did not affect teacher-rated academic performance. However, missing 1 year of learning opportunities was associated with poorer average performance in standardized tests at 8 years of age. Future research is needed to determine the long-term effect of DSE on academic achievement.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84930765573&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/dmcn.12713
DO - 10.1111/dmcn.12713
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:84930765573
VL - 57
SP - 652
EP - 659
JO - Developmental medicine and child neurology. Supplement
JF - Developmental medicine and child neurology. Supplement
SN - 0419-0238
IS - 7
ER -
ID: 393165002