Research on the development of reading skills through the primary school years has pointed to the importance of individual differences in initial ability as well as the growth of those skills. Additionally, it has been theorized that reading skills develop incrementally. The present study examined the genetic and environmental influences on 2…

The various ways "nature" and "nurture" interact to shape school pupils' lives are examined from the perspective of recent biologically informed studies. The idea of a highly predictive, genetically based inheritance is strikingly upheld by research in infancy and early childhood. Research evidence also shows how pupil…

In this study, we examine to what extent psychosocial student outcomes in primary school children vary between classes, and whether elements of teaching can explain some of this variation. Starting with a sample of 379 kindergarten children out of 24 classes, academic achievement and behaviour problems were assessed in 2 consecutive years.…

The authors examined developmental and individual differences in pure numerical estimation, the type of estimation that depends solely on knowledge of numbers. Children between kindergarten and 4th grade were asked to solve 4 types of numerical estimation problems: computational, numerosity, measurement, and number line. In Experiment 1,…

In this article it is argued that due recognition of the cultural nature of schooled mathematics requires an analysis that locates these practices in their social-political context. That analysis will need to provide an account of the social valorisation of mathematical practices and its impact on learning. It is suggested that the link between…

The purpose of this study was to investigate predictors of early writing for low-income, urban students. Drawing on research and theory characterizing literacy development as a complex, integrative process, the author analyzed growth in the descriptive writing of students in Grades 1-3. The participants were 309 low-income children enrolled in 16…

Background: In this study, psychosocial functioning of different groups of young children with learning problems was investigated using a diverse set of psychosocial variables (including behaviour problems, academic motivation, social preference, and self-concept). Methods: For this purpose, children with low academic achievement, with a specific…

This bulletin offers highlights on two separate meetings of the National Council of Primary Education. This document contains abstracts of papers and reports read at the second annual meeting at Kansas City, Missouri held on February 27, 1917 as well as the council's updates at the third annual meeting at Atlantic City, New Jersey held on February…