Annotation from the Connection Collection
You are viewing a record from the Connection Collection, a searchable annotated bibliography database. It links you with research-based information that you can use to connect schools, families, and communities.
| Title: | Academic achievement and social behaviors associated with age of entry into kindergarten |
| Author: | Stipek, D., & Byler, P. |
| Year: | 2001 |
| Resource Type: | Journal Article |
| Publication Information: |
Applied Developmental Psychology, 22(2001) pp. 175-189 |
| Connection: | School-Family-Community |
| Education Level: | Early Childhood/Pre-K, Elementary |
| Literature type: | Research and Evaluation |
Annotation:
This longitudinal study investigates the effects of the age at which children enter kindergarten on their academic achievement, social skills, academic engagement, relationships with teachers, and self-ratings of academic skills. The researchers found that age is a modest advantage in academic achievement for children who entered kindergarten at a relatively older age, but the advantage disappeared by third grade. This study involved 237 low income children from three sites and included white, African American, and Hispanic children. Over a 3-year period researchers completed achievement assessments and child self-ratings, and teachers completed questionnaires that rated the children's academic performance. Instruments included the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and age-adjusted measures of math and literacy ability. Likert Scales were used for children to indicate their feelings about school and their abilities. The researchers found no support for changing the cutoff dates for school entry in order to admit older children to school, a practice used by schools hoping to boost district achievement scores. They suggest extending the study beyond grade 3 to determine if the effects of age on school entry appear later in a childÕs school career. Early childhood practitioners might use these results to some degree to inform school decisions on age of entry.
Suggested Citation Style:
- Stipek, D., & Byler, P. (2001). Academic achievement and social behaviors associated with age of entry into kindergarten. Applied Developmental Psychology, 22(2001), 175-189.
