scholarly journals Pathways to school success: Self-regulation and executive function, preschool attendance and early academic achievement of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children in Australia’s Northern Territory

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0259857
Author(s):  
Vincent Yaofeng He ◽  
Georgie Nutton ◽  
Amy Graham ◽  
Lisa Hirschausen ◽  
Jiunn-Yih Su
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Preschool Attendance ◽  
Early Academic Achievement ◽  
Aboriginal Children

Background With the pending implementation of the Closing the Gap 2020 recommendations, there is an urgent need to better understand the contributing factors of, and pathways to positive educational outcomes for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children. This deeper understanding is particularly important in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia, in which the majority of Aboriginal children lived in remote communities and have language backgrounds other than English (i.e. 75%). Methods This study linked the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) to the attendance data (i.e. government preschool and primary schools) and Year 3 National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). Structural equation modelling was used to investigate the pathway from self-regulation and executive function (SR-EF) at age 5 to early academic achievement (i.e. Year 3 reading/numeracy at age 8) for 3,199 NT children. Result The study confirms the expected importance of SR-EF for all children but suggests the different pathways for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children. For non-Aboriginal children, there was a significant indirect effect of SR-EF (β = 0.38, p<0.001) on early academic achievement, mediated by early literacy/numeracy skills (at age 5). For Aboriginal children, there were significant indirect effects of SR-EF (β = 0.19, p<0.001) and preschool attendance (β = 0.20, p<0.001), mediated by early literacy/numeracy skills and early primary school attendance (i.e. Transition Years to Year 2 (age 5–7)). Conclusion This study highlights the need for further investigation and development of culturally, linguistically and contextually responsive programs and policies to support SR-EF skills in the current Australian education context. There is a pressing need to better understand how current policies and programs enhance children and their families’ sense of safety and support to nurture these skills. This study also confirms the critical importance of school attendance for improved educational outcomes of Aboriginal children. However, the factors contributing to non-attendance are complex, hence the solutions require multi-sectoral collaboration in place-based design for effective implementation.

scholarly journals The Developmental and Educational Impact of Hearing Impairment in Aboriginal Children Living in Remote Australia – A Data Linkage Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Shajedur Rahman Shawon,
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Attendance Rates ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
Aboriginal Children

IntroductionHigh prevalence of otitis media (OM) and hearing impairment (HI) in Aboriginal children in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) is well documented. HI may be associated with poorer outcomes in early childhood development, school attendance and academic achievement. However, these associations have not been investigated in this population. Objectives and ApproachRetrospective cohort studies were conducted to investigate the association between HI and three education-related outcomes in Aboriginal children living in remote NT communities. The explanatory variable for all studies was audiometrically determined hearing levels. The outcome measures were Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) results, representing developmental outcomes at around age 5 years; Year 1 school attendance rates; and, National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results for Year 3 for academic achievement. Relevant confounding variables from available linked datasets were controlled for in the statistical analyses. ResultsCompared with normal hearing children, after adjustment for selected confounding factors, children with HI had higher risk for being developmentally vulnerable in two or more of the five AEDC domains (adjusted odds ratio 1.69); lower AEDC domain score sum (-1.60~-2.40); scoring lower in Numeracy (by 15.2 points), Writing (by 13.4-15.6 points) and Spelling (by 5.0 points) domains of NAPLAN; and having lower attendance rates (attending 4.0-5.6 fewer days in Year 1). Severer HI categories generally yielded greater effect sizes. Notably, across the studies, some confounding variables included in the analysis yielded substantially greater effect sizes. Conclusion / ImplicationsOM-related HI has a negative impact on early childhood development, Year 1 school attendance and academic achievement in Year 3 in Aboriginal children living in remote NT communities. To improve the developmental and educational outcomes it is important to detect HI at an early age and provide effective educational support, in addition to clinical and audiometric management.

scholarly journals Hearing and justice: The link between hearing impairment in early childhood and youth offending in Aboriginal children living in remote communities of the Northern Territory, Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Yaofeng He ◽  
Jiunn-Yih Su ◽  
Steven Guthridge ◽  
Catia Malvaso ◽  
Damien Howard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Childhood And Youth ◽  
Aboriginal Children

Abstract Background High prevalence of chronic middle ear disease has persisted in Australian Aboriginal children, and the related hearing impairment (HI) has been implicated in a range of social outcomes. This study investigated the association between HI in early childhood and youth offending. Method This was a retrospective cohort study of 1533 Aboriginal children (born between 1996 and 2001) living in remote Northern Territory communities. The study used linked individual-level information from health, education, child protection and youth justice services. The outcome variable was a youth being “found guilty of an offence”. The key explanatory variable, hearing impairment, was based on audiometric assessment. Other variables were: child maltreatment notifications, Year 7 school enrolment by mother, Year 7 school attendance and community ‘fixed- effects’. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the association between HI and youth offending; and the Royston R2 measure to estimate the separate contributions of risk factors to youth offending. Results The proportion of hearing loss was high in children with records of offence (boys: 55.6%, girls: 36.7%) and those without (boys: 46.1%; girls: 49.0%). In univariate analysis, a higher risk of offending was found among boys with moderate or worse HI (HR: 1.77 [95% CI: 1.05–2.98]) and mild HI (HR: 1.54 [95% CI:1.06–2.23]). This association was attenuated in multivariable analysis (moderate HI, HR: 1.43 [95% CI:0.78–2.62]; mild HI, HR: 1.37 [95% CI: 0.83–2.26]). No evidence for an association was found in girls. HI contributed 3.2% and 6.5% of variation in offending among boys and girls respectively. Factors contributing greater variance included: community ‘fixed-effects’ (boys: 14.6%, girls: 36.5%), child maltreatment notification (boys: 14.2%, girls: 23.9%) and year 7 school attendance (boys: 7.9%; girls 12.1%). Enrolment by mother explained substantial variation for girls (25.4%) but not boys (0.2%). Conclusion There was evidence, in univariate analysis, for an association between HI and youth offending for boys however this association was not evident after controlling for other factors. Our findings highlight a range of risk factors that underpin the pathway to youth-offending, demonstrating the urgent need for interagency collaboration to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children in the Northern Territory.

Physical Activity, Self-Regulation, and Early Academic Achievement in Preschool Children

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek R. Becker ◽  
Megan M. McClelland ◽  
Paul Loprinzi ◽  
Stewart G. Trost
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Early Academic Achievement

Self-regulation task in young school age children born preterm: Correlation with early academic achievement

2021 ◽  
pp. 105362
Author(s):  
Carolyn Sawyer ◽  
Julia Adrian ◽  
Roger Bakeman ◽  
Martha Fuller ◽  
Natacha Akshoomoff
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Early Academic Achievement

scholarly journals Effects of a Teacher-Training Violence Prevention Program in Jamaican Preschools on Child Behavior, Academic Achievement, and School Attendance in Grade One of Primary School: Follow up of a Cluster Randomized Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Baker-Henningham ◽  
Yakeisha Scott ◽  
Taja Francis ◽  
Susan P. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Conduct Problems ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Cluster Randomized Trial ◽  
Violence Prevention Program ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
Grade One

Objective: We evaluated the effect of a universal, teacher-training, violence-prevention program implemented in preschool, on high-risk children's behavior, achievement, and attendance in grade one of primary school.Methods: A cluster-randomized trial was conducted in 24 preschools in Kingston, Jamaica. Three children from each class with the highest level of teacher-reported conduct problems were recruited for evaluation of outcomes (n = 225 children). For this study, to increase power, we recruited an additional two children from each class with the next highest teacher-reported scores for conduct problems in preschool. In the final term of grade one of primary school, we assessed children's: (1) conduct problems and social skills at home and school, (2) academic achievement, language, and self-regulation skills, and (3) school attendance.Results: 214/225 (95.1%) of the children evaluated in preschool were assessed in grade one of primary school; an additional 150 children were recruited to give 364 children (181 intervention, 183 control). Significant benefits of intervention were found for child academic achievement (Effect size (ES) = 0.23, p = 0.02), oral language (ES = 0.28, p = 0.006), self-regulation (ES = 0.25, p = 0.007), and school attendance (ES = 0.30, p = 0.003). No significant benefits were found for observed conduct problems (ES = −0.13, p = 0.16), and parent-reported conduct problems (ES = 0.10, p = 0.31) and social skills (ES = −0.07, p = 0.52). Benefits to teacher-reported conduct problems and social skills were significant at p &lt; 0.1 (ES = −0.16, p = 0.09, and ES = 0.19, p = 0.06, respectively).Conclusion: A scalable intervention involving training preschool teachers in classroom behavior management and how to promote child social-emotional competence led to positive outcomes in primary school across multiple child developmental domains for high-risk children.

scholarly journals The impact of hearing impairment on early academic achievement in Aboriginal children living in remote Australia: a data linkage study

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiunn-Yih Su ◽  
Steven Guthridge ◽  
Vincent Yaofeng He ◽  
Damien Howard ◽  
Amanda Jane Leach
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Academic Outcomes ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Hearing Level ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Aboriginal Children ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The prevalence of otitis media (OM) and related hearing loss has remained persistently high among some groups of Australian Aboriginal children who are also reported to have poor academic outcomes. The general literature remains inconclusive about the association between OM-related hearing loss and academic performance in primary school. This study aimed to investigate this association in Aboriginal children living in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. Methods A retrospective, observational cohort study was conducted for 2208 NT Aboriginal children, aged about 8 years, living in remote and very remote communities. The explanatory variable was audiometrically determined hearing level as recorded in the Remote Hearing Assessment dataset. The outcome variable consisted of scale scores in the five domains of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for Year 3. Other linked datasets used in the study included school attendance records, perinatal records and community level information on relative remoteness, socioeconomic disadvantage and housing crowdedness. Fixed effects linear regression models were used for statistical analyses. Results Compared with children with normal hearing and after controlling for a range of covariates, children with mild hearing impairment (HI) scored lower in Writing and Spelling by 15.0 points (95% CI: − 22.4 to − 7.6, p < 0.0005) and 5.0 points (95% CI: − 9.6 to − 0.3, p = 0.037), equivalent to 7.3 and 2.1% of the mean score, respectively. Children with moderate or worse HI scored lower in Writing and Numeracy by 13.4 points (95% CI, − 24.8 to − 1.9, p = 0.022) and 15.2 points (95% CI, − 27.6 to − 2.7, p = 0.017), both equivalent to 6.3% of the mean score the respective domain. Other factors associated with poorer NAPLAN results included being male, lower Year 2 school attendance, low birthweight, average household size> 5 persons, living in a very remote community and speaking English as a second language. Conclusions OM-related HI was independently associated with poorer early year academic achievement in Aboriginal children living in remote NT communities. Interventions to improve academic outcomes for Aboriginal children must incorporate actions to address the negative impact associated with HI through early detection, effective treatment and ongoing support for affected children.

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