The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) (2019) indicates that 65% of fourth graders in the U.S. do not show proficiency in reading. Given that reading skills in kindergarten and first grade have been demonstrated by many studies to be critical to students’ academic success and societal achievements, there is an urgent demand for interventions that effectively facilitate young children’s acquisition of reading skills. Recently, a study was conducted to examine the effect of a one-on-one high-dosage tutoring program, Chapter One, on kindergarten and first grade learners. Chapter One provides students who struggle to read with paraprofessional tutors who help them develop their literacy skills via digital applications. This study involved 185 kindergarten and first grade students in an Ohio Title 1 school, who were randomly assigned to the treatment group, who received both teacher instruction and Chapter One tutoring 2-3 times per week during school days, or the...

In China, over millions left-behind children who remain in their hometown while their parents have migrated from rural to cities for work. Due to household registration system (hukou), children of rural area are not entitled the basic welfare and public services in urban cities, including enrolment in public funded preschools. Research has found that simulating home learning environment and access to high quality preschool are more likely to enhance developmental advantages. A recent study by Gong and Rao investigated impact of internal migration on early learning opportunities of preschool children and they classified children into five categories: Rural children from non-migrant family with both parents (non left-behind rural children) Rural children left-behind with one parent Rural children left-behind without parent and looked after by relatives Rural children who had migrated along with parents to urban areas (migrant children) Urban native children (urban children) The authors performed selective pairwise comparison among...

Language abilities in the early years have a long-lasting influence on children’s learning in school and later life. However, a considerable number of children enter school with weak language skills. Because e-books are increasingly considered an effective tool to narrow the gap, a meta-analysis published in the Educational Research Review investigated the effects of e-books on language support in early childhood education and care (ECEC). The meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of e-book reading in ECEC on children’s language development in comparison to two conditions: regular childcare without e-books, and print book reading in classrooms. After reviewing the studies published between 2000 and 2018 in English or German, the review identified 17 studies that met the inclusion criteria, such as involving at least 10 children, consisting of typically-developing and at-risk children (excluding children with developmental disorders), and using the society-spoken language (excluding a foreign language). Results indicated that e-book reading in...

Early peer experiences have impacts on children’s academic and social developmental trajectories, and successful peer experiences are important in kindergarten because it sets the foundation for future peer interactions and friendships. Though numerous factors can affect peer experiences, language skills and expressions may influence a child’s ability to initiate, engage, and sustain social activities with their peers.  As it is likely that language skills influence children’s classroom-based friendships, a recent study by Chow and his colleagues explored the difference between children at risk for special language impairment (SLI) and their typical peers regarding friendship centrality and reciprocity in kindergarten classrooms using social network analysis. Data from a sample 419 children (53% boys, average age = 6.8 years) from 21 kindergarten classrooms in four elementary schools in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States were collected. Children at risk for SLI (n=190) were identified using scores of the screening tools of...

Although many studies have shown short term benefits to early childhood education, the long-term benefits have been less explored. A new study by William Gormley Jr. and colleagues found that children who had participated in the Tulsa universal Pre-K program in 2006 were 12% more likely to enroll in a 2-year or 4-year college. In particular, Black and Hispanic children who had attended the Pre-K program were more likely to enroll in 4-year institutions. Children who had participated in the Tulsa Head Start program were 7% more likely to enroll in any college or university, but these results were only slightly statistically significant. The research team calculated propensity scores to compare the groups of children who did and did not attend the Pre-K program to account for other factors that may have influenced likelihood to enroll in college. Tulsa’s universal Pre-K program is one of the oldest in the US....

While thousands of educational apps are available to students, teachers, and parents, relevant research studies on their effectiveness are still limited. A meta-analysis by Kim and colleagues reviewed findings of 6 intervention studies and 285 effect sizes to figure out the effectiveness of educational apps for children in preschool to Grade 3. Results yielded a mean effect size of +0.31 in both math and literacy. Although outcomes varied across studies, results from this meta-analysis summarized the overall impact of educational apps and examined potential moderator effects.   Source (Open Access): Kim, J., Gilbert, J., Yu, Q., & Gale, C. (2021). Measures matter: A meta-analysis of the effects of educational apps on preschool to grade 3 children’s literacy and math skills. AERA Open, 7, 23328584211004184. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211004183… Read the rest

Given the already complex nature of the responsibilities of teachers, the anti-COVID-19 pandemic measures placed on teaching and learning activities raised further challenges and difficulties in the lives of teachers in Hong Kong. Evidence shows that the COVID-19 crisis negatively impacted teachers’ mental health resulting in outcomes such as stress and depression. Datu and colleagues conducted a randomized control trial to examine the impact of a PROSPER-based intervention on psychological outcomes among preschool teachers in Hong Kong. As an organizing tool for the implementation of Positive Education, the PROSPER framework nominates seven key elements which contribute to psychological well-being: positivity, relationships, outcomes (accomplishments), strengths, purpose, engagement, and resilience. The PROSPER-based intervention in this study was considered relevant to preventing maladaptive psychological states among teachers who are experiencing intense levels of stress during the pandemic crisis. A total of 76 participants was randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=36) and a...

Think Bright is an early intervention program using mediated learning to enhance the cognitive functioning of children with developmental delay. Keung and colleagues conducted a randomized control trial to investigate the effect of the program on Hong Kong preschoolers with developmental delay. The intervention included training activities that focused on three aspects of thinking skills: analogical thinking, sequential thinking, and logical reasoning. In contrast to teacher-centred direct teaching, mediated learning is a recurring four-step process of “Explore-Try-Mediate-Conclude”. In the process, teachers used mediation skills to facilitate and guide the child to perform the learning task by encouraging the child to think aloud and verbalize his/her approaches and findings. Hence, the researchers hypothesized that mediated learning not only improves thinking skills but also language skills. A total of 68 preschoolers (48 boys, 20 girls, mean age = 58 months) with cognitive and/or language delay was recruited from 15 rehabilitation service centres...

Mindsets or implicit theories are terms which refer to various subconscious beliefs about the malleability of human attributes (e.g., intelligence and emotion). Huang and colleagues recently conducted a pilot experiment to examine the effect of a growth mindset intervention on students’ implicit theory of intelligence, intrinsic motivation, and academic achievement. The authors extended the intervention to establish a belief about the malleability of emotion so that students can regulate their emotion and thereby enhance their sense of self-determination, which is likely to reinforce their intrinsic motivation for learning. Students of 11 primary and middle schools across 48 classes from 2 cities in Guangdong Province, China, were recruited to sign up to the program. Participating students were randomly assigned either to the intervention group or the placebo-control group. The final sample consisted of 194 students (mean age = 11.3 years) in the intervention group and 213 students (mean age = 11.5...