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Delayed school entry and academic performance : a natural experiment

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Jaekel, Julia, Strauss, Vicky Yu-Chun, Johnson, Samantha J., Gilmore, Camilla and Wolke, Dieter (2015) Delayed school entry and academic performance : a natural experiment. Developmental medicine & child neurology, 57 (7). pp. 652-659. doi:10.1111/dmcn.12713

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.12713

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Abstract

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.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education
Divisions: Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences > Mental Health and Wellbeing
Faculty of Science > Psychology
Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): School age (Entrance age), Readiness for school, Academic achievement
Journal or Publication Title: Developmental medicine & child neurology
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
ISSN: 0012-1622
Official Date: July 2015
Dates:
DateEvent
July 2015Published
18 February 2015Available
5 January 2014Accepted
Volume: 57
Number: 7
Number of Pages: 8
Page Range: pp. 652-659
DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.12713
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Restricted or Subscription Access
Funder: Nuffield Foundation (NF)
Grant number: EDU/40442

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