| Ummuhan Dagli
Florida State University
Effects of relative age on children's cognitive competence kindergarten through third grade: Cross-classified model
FINAL REPORT:
This study examined the effect of age of entry into kindergarten on children's reading and mathematics achievement in kindergarten, first- and third-grade and longitudinally, that is from kindergarten to third grade. The effects of the degree of relative age of the child to his or her classmates' age were also explored. In the study, achievement of children who are early entrants, younger-ontime, medial-ontime, older-ontime and delayed entrants were compared from kindergarten through third grade. For each year, the effect of absolute age of children at the time of kindergarten entry and relative age of children to their classmates on their reading and mathematics achievement was explored. Furthermore, children's gender, race, socioeconomic status (SES), and preschool attendance were controlled for each year. In addition, children's beginning cognitive ability levels in reading and mathematics were controlled in kindergarten year. Finally, children's age at the time of assessment was controlled to remove the effect of wide range of assessment date.
Data for the study came from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Children's reading and mathematics achievement in kindergarten, first and third grade was explored utilizing 2-level hierarchical linear model (HLM) analyses while longitudinal analyses were conducted utilizing cross classified random effects model (CCREM).
Findings of the study suggested that delayed students were not different from the medial-ontime students in any grades. Younger-ontime students scored significantly lower than medial-ontime students in the kindergarten and first grade reading. Early entrant students scored significantly lower than medial-ontime students in the kindergarten and first grade reading, and first grade mathematics. However, no performance differences among delayed, older-ontime, medial-ontime, younger-ontime, or early entrant students were evident by the third grade. Furthermore, there were no enrollment differences in terms of children's growth rate, with the exception that older-ontime students indicated more rapid growth rate than that of medial-ontime students. The absolute age of the child upon entering kindergarten significantly predicted kindergarten reading and mathematics achievement. Relative age associated with reading and mathematics achievement negatively in kindergarten, which suggested that being younger compared to other children in the classroom be not at a disadvantage. Nonetheless, no age effect was evident in the first- or third- grade reading or mathematics achievement.
It was concluded that kindergarten entrance age, relative age, or kindergarten enrollment are not risk factors for reading and mathematics achievement in the long run according to the study findings. Children's socio-demographic variables such as SES, and ethnicity, have a greater impact on children' reading and mathematics achievement than that of age factors. The gap that appears to exist in the kindergarten year due to age effects disappear, while the gap due to gender, SES and ethnicity widens as children progress in their school year by the end of the third grade.
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