Children's school readiness, especially in the early school years, is a significant indicator for school success as it establishes a positive school trajectory. However, less is known about the generalizability of these findings to contexts outside the United States. The present study examined kindergarten teachers' perceptions of school readiness…

The study compared teachers' and parents' views about elementary school children's psychosocial adjustment with and without a history of early grade retention. The sample included retained and non-retained students currently in Grades Two and Four (age range 7.5 to 11.6 years) in Cypriot public schools. The retained students experienced early…

We tested the criterion-related validity and potential bias of two measures of pupils' academic achievement: the Teacher Rating Scale (TRS) and the Mathematics and Literacy Achievement Tests (MLTs). These measures are representative of assessment methods largely used in the elementary school. The aims were: (1) to verify the extent to which TRS…

Background: There is limited knowledge about how positive and negative parenting practices differ across individuals and change over time in parents with substantiated physical abuse history, and how trajectories of these parenting practices affect child adjustment. Objective: The present study examined latent trajectories of positive and negative…

Refugee families in the United States face numerous challenges in becoming acculturated. School-age children of refugees face the additional challenges of acquiring academic language and meeting school expectations for behavior and social interactions while attempting to navigate the school curriculum. This case study examines the school and home…

This long-term, prospective study evaluated repeatedly school readiness and adjustment at kindergarten and first grade of children with extreme intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR; n = 20) in relation to controls (n = 19). Methods included individual testing of cognitive competence, self-perception, motivation, loneliness and academic…

This prospective investigation sought to discriminate children who were both aggressive towards and victimized by peers in the first grade, from those who were only aggressive, only victimized, or neither (i.e., socially adjusted), using early child and family risk factors. Two hundred thirty-eight children, their mothers, and teachers…

The early elementary teacher must find a reasonable solution to the question of how to best meet the needs of incoming 5-year-olds. This study reviews recent research on the academic and emotional needs of young students and on existing programs dealing with school readiness. Brief annotations are presented for 54 research articles. These articles…

Children's adjustment and achievement in first grade is crucial to subsequent long-term school success. This study investigated characteristics related to kindergarten and first-grade children's social competence and school adjustment: (1) associations between personality characteristics and social competence; (2) the contribution of social and…

Examined school entrance age effect on academic achievement and social-emotional adjustment among 137 fourth graders. Found that differences between 73 oldest and 64 youngest subjects, identified in first grade, persisted in part to fourth grade. Younger subjects scored lowest in mathematics and oral and silent reading comprehension; were slower…

The effectiveness of an Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I preschool education program, which stressed listening habits and language skills, on disadvantaged children in kindergarten and first grade was examined. Graduates and nongraduates were administered The Boehm Test of Basic Skills and a teacher completed adjustment rating…

This report presents initial findings of a field study which focused on the academic achievement and behavioral and social adjustment of 148 kindergarten children who entered first grade early. The study took place in Broward County, Florida, following implementation of the 1973 state legislation permitting early entrance into first grade for…

In this seven year longitudinal study predictors of achievement for first graders were measured against actual school achievement of the same students in the seventh and eight grades. Three sets of variables were obtained in the first grade. Achievement history, family environment, and mental health were used as measures. Mental health was…

The peer group is an important developmental context for children. In this paper we present a method to operationalize a child's integration into the classroom by their informal social classroom roles, which we obtained using a blockmodel analysis based on role equivalence. This method differs in several respects from the common socio-metric…

To determine the advantages of interage grouping, 18 first graders (mean IQ 118.65) were assigned to two interage classes containing first, second, and third graders; 19 first graders (mean IQ 119.60) were assigned to two straight first grade classes. All children selected had been recommended by their kindergarten teachers as their brightest…