Late enrollment with negative consequences

Late entry into school leads to poorer school performance

02/19/2015

Late schooling can have a negative impact on later school performance, according to a recent study by a German-British research team. Like the scientists around the developmental psychologist Julia Jäkel of the Ruhr-University Bochum in the specialist magazine „Journal of Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology“ (DMCN) report that, contrary to previous assumptions, there were no benefits associated with a provision for enrollment. In fact, sufferers showed inferior academic performance compared to age-trained children.

Various studies have suggested benefits from later school entry of children with developmental delays, but these studies were inconclusive, the researchers report in the DMCN. Therefore, the impact of late entry into academic achievement and children's attention has been studied in the current study. The result is to be understood as a warning signal to parents and teachers, because the school achievements turned out with late schooling significantly worse.

Provision for training in development delays
If developmental delays are detected in the compulsory school enrollment examination, children are often allowed to start school only one year later, not least because it is expected to improve school performance. However, the new study suggests that this will not result in better school performance, according to the announcement of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Together with Professor Dieter Wolke from the University of Warwick and other British colleagues, Julia Jäkel has examined the performance of late and age-appropriate school children.

Effects of late school enrollment on school performance
The researchers used data from 999 children (including 472 premature babies) from the Bavarian longitudinal study for their study. In Bavaria, children had to be tested by a pediatrician "three to twelve months before the age-appropriate school entry date to see if they are fit for school," reports the Ruhr University Bochum. The pediatrician then made a recommendation as to whether the enrollment should take place in the current or next year. The scientists now examined the impact of the provision from school enrollment on school performance. They compared the performance of late and age-appropriate school children. Although the teachers still rated the performance of the children in both groups at the end of the first year of schooling, but at the „Achievements of the two groups at the age of eight years, the age-appropriate trained children were on average better“, This is the message of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. The performance was determined by standardized tests in reading, writing, math and attention.

Other aspects to consider
The missing year of learning brings with it "on average worse performance in standardized tests at the age of eight years", emphasizes the developmental psychologist Julia Jäkel. Now "further studies to investigate the long-term effects of late school enrollment" are required. „Our results should make parents and teachers think“, so Jäkel. Often parents of relatively young children would consciously opt for a later enrollment, reported in this regard, the news agency „dpa“. Especially premature babies, who are not that robust, would often be late. However, the school performance is often of secondary importance. Therefore, the current study would also have to capture social and emotional components, explained the Düsseldorf educational researcher Professor Heiner Barz to the „dpa“. The test was therefore too narrow. Also important is the question of whether the children feel comfortable at school or whether the parents exert pressure. „Perhaps it is also important for the children to be able to play for a year“, quotes the „dpa“ the Dusseldorf education researcher. (Fp)