Identifying Finnish Children’s Impulsivity Trajectories From Kindergarten to Grade 4: Associations With Academic and Socioemotional Development

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to identify the developmental trajectories of impulsive behavior among 378 Finnish children who were followed from kindergarten to fourth grade. In addition to ratings of children’s impulsivity, the analyses included measures of motivation, cognitive skills, socio-emotional adjustment, and teacher–student relationship. Four latent groups were identified that differed in the level and change of the children’s impulsive behavior across time: first, a group with low impulsivity; second, a group with decreasing impulsivity; third, a group with moderate impulsivity; and, fourth, a small group with a contradictory trajectory showing an upward trend…

Creating learning paths, influencing, participating: A pilot study on teacher students’ experiences of agency in their first-year small group studies

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine teacher students’ agency. In this study agency was defined as the students’ possibilities and resources to influence their studies, pursue goals, make choices, and act autonomously and responsibly. The main aims were to find out what kind of agency teacher students experience in their studies and what kind of factors they perceive as supporting and constraining their agency. The pilot also aimed to ascertain suitable methodology for investigating student agency. The data were collected with teacher education students’ interviews (n = 2) and written self-reflections (n = 3). The analysis indicated that teacher students’ agency was manifested as …

Tuen tarjonnan kestävät käytännöt perusopetuksen muuttuneessa oppimisympäristössä : selviytymisestä resilienssiin kevään 2020 poikkeusoloissa

Kevään 2020 poikkeusolot ja etäkoulu toivat suuria muutoksia opetukseen ja sen tukeen. ja tuen tarjontaan suomalaisissa kouluissa. Osalle tehostettua ja erityistä tukea tarvitsevista lapsista etätyöskentely oli vaikeaa, ja osalla tuen tarpeet kasvoivat. Kouluilla kehitettiin nopeasti erilaisia tukemisen malleja. Tässä artikkelissa kuvaamme poikkeusolojen tehostettuun ja erityiseen tukeen tuomaa muutosta sekä muutokseen sopeutumista resilienssin kehittymisenä. Artikkelissa esiteltävä tutkimus perustuu Yhteistyöllä hyvinvointia kouluyhteisöön -tutkimus- ja kehittämishankkeessa koulujen henkilökunnalta kerättyyn kyselyaineistoon ja sitä täydentävään haastatteluun yhden koulun käytänteistä. Kys…

Kindergarten pre-reading skills predict Grade 9 reading comprehension (PISA Reading) but fail to explain gender difference

AbstractOne of the aims for compulsory education is to diminish or alleviate differences in children’s skills existing prior to school entry. However, a growing gender gap in reading development has increasingly been documented. Regrettably, there is scant evidence on whether differences between genders (favouring girls) have their roots in pre-reading skills or whether determining mechanisms are related to factors to do with schooling. We examined the extent to which pre-reading skills assessed in Kindergarten (age 6) predict reading comprehension in Grade 9 (age 15) and, whether the gender difference in reading comprehension can be explained by gender differences in the Kindergarten pre-r…

Friend Influence and Susceptibility to Influence: Changes in Mathematical Reasoning as a Function of Relative Peer Acceptance and Interest in Mathematics

This study investigated friend influence over mathematics achievement in 202 same-sex friendship dyads (106 girl dyads). Participants were in the third grade (around age 9) at the outset. Each friend completed a questionnaire describing interest in mathematics and a standardized mathematical reasoning assessment. Peer nominations provided a measure of peer acceptance. The results revealed evidence that interest in mathematics moderates both the degree to which the higher-accepted friend was influential and the degree to which the lower-accepted friend was susceptible to influence. Specifically, the third-grade mathematical reasoning of the higher-accepted friend predicted an increase in the…

Longitudinal Effects of the Home Learning Environment and Parental Difficulties on Reading and Math Development Across Grades 1–9

This study focuses on parental reading and mathematical difficulties, the home literacy environment, and the home numeracy environment as well as their predictive role in Finnish children’s reading and mathematical development through Grades 1–9. We examined if parental reading and mathematical difficulties directly predict children’s academic performance and/or if they are mediated by the home learning environment. Mothers (n = 1590) and fathers (n = 1507) reported on their reading and mathematical difficulties as well as on the home environment (shared reading, teaching literacy, and numeracy) when their children were in kindergarten. Tests for reading fluency, reading comprehension, and …

Reading outcomes of children with delayed early vocabulary: A follow-up from age 2-16.

Abstract Background Delays in expressive vocabulary have been associated with lower outcomes in reading. Aim The aim is to conduct a long-term follow-up study to investigate if early expressive vocabulary delay (late talking) predicts reading development in participants age 16 and under. We examine further if the prediction is different in the presence of family risk for dyslexia (FR) and early receptive vocabulary delay. Methods Expressive and receptive vocabulary skills were assessed at the age of 2–2.5 years, and reading skills in Grades 2, 3, 8 and 9 (age 8–16). The longitudinal sample consisted of 200 Finnish-speaking children, of which 108 had FR for dyslexia and 92 came from families…

The role of parenting styles and teacher interactional styles in children's reading and spelling development.

Abstract This study examined the associations between parenting styles, teacher interactional styles, and children's reading and spelling skills. The sample consisted of 864 Finnish-speaking children and their parents (864 mothers, 864 fathers) and teachers ( N  = 123). Children's risk for reading disabilities and reader status were assessed in kindergarten. Children were also tested on reading and spelling skills in Grades 1 and 2. Parenting styles and teacher interactional styles were measured using parents' and teachers' self-reports in Grade 1. First, the results indicated that both an authoritative parenting style and authoritative teacher interactional style positively predicted child…

Teachers adapt their instruction in reading according to individual children’s literacy skills

Abstract This study examined the extent to which first grade teachers adapt their reading instruction to the literacy skills of particular children in their classroom, and investigated whether teacher and classroom characteristics influence such adaptation. Three hundred seven Finnish children were tested with regard to their literacy skills at the end of their kindergarten year. At the beginning of the first grade, the teachers of these children filled in a questionnaire on the reading support they had given each child. The results showed, first, that the poorer the literacy skills a child showed at the end of kindergarten, the more personal reading instruction the teacher gave the child i…

Teacher-student interaction and lower secondary school students’ situational engagement

BACKGROUND Prior research has shown that engagement plays a significant role in students' academic learning. AIMS The present study sought to expand the current understanding of students' engagement by examining how situational engagement during a particular lesson is associated with the observed teacher-student classroom interactions (i.e., emotional support, instructional support, and classroom organization) in the same lesson. SAMPLE The participants were 709 Grade 7 students (47.7% girls) from 59 classrooms in 26 lower secondary schools and 51 teachers. METHODS The data consisted of 155 video-recorded lessons (90 language arts and 65 mathematics lessons) coded using the Classroom Assess…

Resilience strategies employed by teachers with dyslexia working at tertiary education

Abstract This study investigates resilience strategies exhibited by teachers with dyslexia working at tertiary education. Narrative interviews of tertiary teachers' own perceptions of how dyslexia affects their work were analysed to understand how they cope in a challenging profession. Findings indicated a utilization of a range of resilience strategies; task-related strategies, personalizing work contexts, utilizing social support networks and nurturing self-esteem and self-efficacy. Developing individualized strategies is paramount to attaining a successful career in tertiary education. Self-awareness is required to build the strategies supporting teachers in fulfilling professional requi…

Physical activity and sedentary time in relation to academic achievement in children

Objectives To investigate the independent and combined associations of objectively measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time (ST) with reading and arithmetic skills. Design Cross-sectional/prospective. Methods Participants were 89 boys and 69 girls aged 6–8 years. MVPA and ST were measured using a combined heart rate and movement sensor and body fat percentage by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in Grade 1. Reading fluency, reading comprehension, and arithmetic skills were assessed using standardized tests in Grades 1–3. The data were analyzed using linear regression analyses and analyses of covariance with repeated measures. Results In boys, MVPA was directl…

Modeling the early paths of phonological awareness and factors suopporting its development in children with and without familiar risk of dyslexia

The development of phonological awareness (PA) before school age was modeled in association with the development of vocabulary and letter knowledge, home literacy environment (HLE), children's reading interest, and beginning reading skill in children with and without familial risk of dyslexia. A total of 186 children were followed from birth to the age of 6.5 years. Of these children, about half had a familial background of reading difficulties (the at-risk group), and the other half came from families without such background (the control group). The data from several measures and assessment time points were analyzed within an SEM framework, and a latent analysis of growth curves was employ…

Diet quality and academic achievement : A prospective study among primary school children

Purpose Poor diet quality may impair academic achievement in children, but such evidence is limited. Therefore, we investigated the associations of healthy diet in Grade 1 assessed by Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), Baltic Sea Diet Score (BSDS), and Finnish Children Healthy Eating Index (FCHEI) with academic achievement in Grades 1–3 in children. Methods The participants were 161 Finnish children who were 6–8 years old in Grade 1 and attended in a large ongoing physical activity and dietary intervention study. Dietary factors were assessed using 4-day food records, and MDS, BSDS, and FCHEI were calculated. Academic achievement was assessed by reading fluency, reading comprehension, and arit…

The precursors of double dissociation between reading and spelling in a transparent orthography.

Research and clinical practitioners have mixed views whether reading and spelling difficulties should be combined or seen as separate. This study examined the following: (a) if double dissociation between reading and spelling can be identified in a transparent orthography (Finnish) and (b) the cognitive and noncognitive precursors of this phenomenon. Finnish-speaking children (n = 1963) were assessed on reading fluency and spelling in grades 1, 2, 3, and 4. Dissociation groups in reading and spelling were formed based on stable difficulties in grades 1–4. The groups were compared in kindergarten phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, letter knowledge, home literacy environment, a…

Developmental dynamics between children’s externalizing problems, task-avoidant behavior, and academic performance in early school years: A 4-year follow-up.

This longitudinal study investigated the associations among children’s externalizing problems, task-avoidant behavior, and academic performance in early school years. The participants were 586 children (43% girls, 57% boys). Data pertaining to externalizing problems (teacher ratings) and task-avoidant behaviors (mother and teacher ratings) were gathered, and the children were tested yearly on their academic performance in Grades 1–4. The results were similar for both genders. The analyses supported a mediation model: high externalizing problems in Grades 1 and 2 were linked with low academic performance in Grades 3 and 4 through increases in task-avoidant behavior in Grades 2 and 3. The res…

Investigating applicability of ratings of indicators of the CLASS Pre-K instrument

When classroom observations are increasingly used for accountability and evaluation purposes, a deeper understanding of the psychometric properties of such measurement tools is needed. The present study took a unique approach to examine the psychometric properties of a commonly used classroom observation measure by testing the reliability of indicators for higher-order constructs (i.e. dimensions). We investigated the reliability of indicator ratings of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) Pre-K instrument in Finnish kindergarten and first grade classrooms. Twenty-one observer pairs rated 838 segments identified from the 413 lessons of 48 teachers. Variance components models were…

Mediating effects of motor performance, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour on the associations of adiposity and other cardiometabolic risk factors with academic achievement in children

We investigated the associations of cardiometabolic risk factors with academic achievement and whether motor performance, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, or sedentary behaviour mediated these associations. Altogether 175 children 6–8 years-of-age participated in the study. We assessed body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference, insulin, glucose, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, leptin, alanine aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). Reading fluency, reading comprehension, and arithmetic skills were assessed using standardized tests. Speed/agility, balance, and manual dexterity test results were used to calculate moto…

Longitudinal Stability of Reading Difficulties : Examining the Effects of Measurement Error, Cut-Offs, and Buffer Zones in Identification

This study examined the stability of reading difficulties (RD) from grades 2 to 6 and focused on the effects of measurement error and cut-off selection in the identification of RD and its stability with the use of simulations. It addressed methodological limitations of prior studies by (a) applying a model-based simulation analysis to examine the effects of measurement error and cut-offs in the identification of RD, (b) analyzing a non-English and larger sample, and (c) examining RD in both reading fluency and reading comprehension. Reading fluency and reading comprehension of 1,432 Finnish-speaking children were assessed in grades 2 and 6. In addition to the use of single cut-off points on…

Psychosocial Functioning of Children with and without Dyslexia: A Follow-up Study from Ages Four to Nine

This longitudinal study compares developmental changes in psychosocial functioning during the transition into school of children with and without dyslexia. In addition, it examines the effects of gender and family risk for dyslexia in terms of the associations between dyslexia and psychosocial functioning. Children's psychosocial functioning (social skills, inattention and externalizing and internalizing problems) was evaluated by their parents at ages 4, 6 and 9, and diagnosis for dyslexia was made at age 8 (in grade 2). The findings indicated that children with dyslexia were already rated as having poorer social skills and being more inattentive than were typical readers before their entr…

Symptoms of psychological ill-being and school dropout intentions among upper secondary education students : a person-centered approach

A person-centered approach was used to identify the profiles of symptoms of psychological ill-being among Finnish upper secondary education students (N = 2889); to examine whether gender and educational track (i.e., academic or vocational) are associated with these profiles; and to investigate the role of profiles in school dropout intentions. Using latent profile analysis, one asymptomatic profile (normative, 79.2%) and three symptomatic profiles (internalizing symptoms, 9.1%; externalizing symptoms, 9.1%; and comorbid symptoms, 2.6%) were identified. Boys in the vocational track were overrepresented in the externalizing-symptoms profile, whereas girls in both tracks were overrepresented i…

Leisure Reading (But Not Any Kind) and Reading Comprehension Support Each Other : A Longitudinal Study Across Grades 1 and 9

This study examines associations between leisure reading and reading skills in data of 2,525 students followed from age 7 to 16. As a step further from traditional cross‐lagged analysis, a random intercept cross‐lagged panel model was used to identify within‐person associations of leisure reading (books, magazines, newspapers, and digital reading), reading fluency, and reading comprehension. In Grades 1–3 poorer comprehension and fluency predicted less leisure reading. In later grades more frequent leisure reading, particularly of books, predicted better reading comprehension. Negative associations were found between digital reading and reading skills. The findings specify earlier findings …

The cross-lagged associations between classroom interactions and children’s achievement behaviors

This study examined the cross-lagged associations between the quality of classroom interactions and children’s behaviors in achievement situations. The achievement behaviors in challenging test situations of 166 Finnish children from 70 classrooms were rated by trained testers in grades 1 and 2. The quality of classroom interactions in terms of emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support were observed in 25 classrooms (out of 70) in grades 1 and 2. The results of multilevel modeling showed that classroom teachers’ low emotional support predicted children’s subsequent high passive avoidance, whereas high classroom organization and instructional support predicted chil…

Varhaiset kielelliset taidot ja suvussa kulkeva lukivaikeus lukutaidon ennustamisessa : seurantatutkimus 2-vuotiaasta 15-vuotiaaksi

Effects of school-based physical activity on mathematics performance in children: a systematic review

AbstractBackgroundThe benefits of physical activity (PA) on children’s health and wellbeing are well established. However, the benefits of PA on academic performance and particularly on mathematics performance warrant systematic analysis. Mathematics is one of the core subjects in school education globally.MethodsWe systematically searched, analysed and synthesized the literature on the effects of school-based PA interventions on mathematics performance in children aged 4–16. A total of 29 studies consisting of randomised trials and other interventions with control groups were identified through a systematic search, and 11 of them provided sufficient data and appropriate design for a meta-a…

Koulujen henkilökunnan kokemukset oppilaiden hyvinvoinnista COVID-19-etäkouluaikana : "Osa puhkesi kukkaan. Muutamat pitivät rimaa alhaalla."

Koulun henkilökunnan kokemuksiin etäkouluajalta tulee perehtyä, jotta etäkoulu voidaan toteuttaa oppilaiden hyvinvointia ja oppimista tukien. Kyselytutkimuksella selvitimme Keski-Suomen koulujen henkilökunnan (270 vastausta 27 peruskoulusta) ajatuksia oppilaiden hyvinvoinnista etäkoulussa sekä sen myönteisistä ja kielteisistä puolista oppilaille. Temaattisen analyysin perusteella etäkoulu nähtiin uuden oppimisen ja kehittymisen ajanjaksona; monen oppilaan tietotekniset taidot ja itseohjaavuus kehittyivät. Sosiaalinen vuorovaikutus muutti muotoaan, mikä toi monista oppilaista esille uusia puolia. Oppilas-opettaja-vuorovaikutuksen koettiin kehittyneen erilaisten ja yksilöllisempien yhteydenpi…

Comparison of Classroom-Based Sedentary Time and Physical Activity in Conventional Classrooms and Open Learning Spaces Among Elementary School Students

European children and adolescents spend most of their daily life and especially their school hours being sedentary which may increase their risk for chronic non-communicable diseases later in life. After the curriculum reform of Finnish basic education in 2014, most of the new or renovated comprehensive schools in Finland incorporate open and flexible classroom designs. Their open learning spaces may provide students opportunities to reduce sedentary behavior during school hours. Thus, waist-worn accelerometers were used to assess classroom-based sedentary time (ST), the number of breaks from sedentary time (BST), and physical activity (PA) among cross-sectional samples of 3rd and 5th grade…

Effects of Multidomain Risk Accumulation on Cognitive, Academic, and Behavioural Outcomes

This longitudinal study examined the predictive associations between cumulative multidomain risk factors and cognitive (IQ), academic (reading fluency), and social adaptive outcomes at 8 to 9 years among 190 children with or without familial risk for dyslexia. Other risk factors included parental and neurocognitive risks assessed when the children were 1 to 6 years of age. Risks accumulated more among children with familial risk for dyslexia than among children without familial risk. A higher number of risks was associated with poorer performance in all outcome measures as postulated by the cumulative risk model. However, when the effects of individual risk variables were controlled for at …

YKÄ : Uusi menetelmä yläkouluikäisten luku- ja kirjoitustaidon arviointiin

Luku- ja kirjoitustaito ovat keskeisiä oppimisen ja kouluttautumisen välineitä. Noin viidennes suomalaisnuorista ei kuitenkaan saavuta peruskoulun aikana riittävää luku- ja kirjoitustaitoa. Tunnistamatta jäävät lukemisen ja kirjoittamisen ongelmat voivat pahimmillaan vaikeuttaa kouluttautumista ja työllistymistä sekä rajoittaa sosiaalista vuorovaikutusta ja osallisuuden mahdollisuuksia tietoyhteiskunnassa. Jotta oikeanlainen tuki pystyttäisiin aloittamaan mahdollisimman aikaisin, lasten ja nuorten lukivaikeuksien luotettava tunnistaminen on erityisen tärkeää. Alakoulussa arvioinnin avuksi on tarjolla monenlaisia välineitä, mutta yläkouluikäisten lukutaidon arviointiin ja lukivaikeuden tunni…

Muutostrendien tarkastelu nuorten koulumotivaatiossa ja -hyvinvoinnissa : kohorttitutkimus yli kolmen ajankohdan

Tässä kohorttitutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin seitsemäsluokkalaisten koulumotivaation sekä kouluhyvinvoinnin tason muutoksia yli kolmen ajankohdan (vuodet 2007, 2010 ja 2014). Vuosien 2007 (N=339) ja 2010 (N=266) aineistot edustavat kahta kohorttia Lapsen Kielen Kehitys-seurannan osallistujista, ja vuoden 2014 (N=1167) aineisto on osa Alkuportaatseurantaa. Tulokset osoittivat, että seitsemäsluokkalaisten kohorteissa koulumotivaatio ja - hyvinvointi muuttuivat vain vähän ajankohdasta toiseen. Nuorten matematiikan arvostus lisääntyi hieman, mutta kiinnostus äidinkieleen heikentyi. Nuorten ilmaisemissa koulutuspyrkimyksissä tapahtui muutosta: yliopisto koulutuspyrkimyksenä oli tyypillisempi ja amm…

Adolescents' engagement profiles and their association with academic performance and situational engagement

This study examined adolescents' engagement profiles and their association with situational engagement and academic performance in lower secondary school settings. The data consisted of 301 Grade 7 students from Finland. By utilizing person-oriented approach with Latent Profiling Analysis on subscales capturing students' overall engagement, four subgroups of students with different overall engagement profiles were identified. These profile groups were further analyzed with respect to differences in student background (gender and maternal education), academic performance (GPA, and reading and mathematics tests), and lesson-specific situational engagement. The profile groups showed difference…

Interest in early shared reading: Its relation to later language and letter knowledge in children with and without risk for reading difficulties

Children’s interest in shared reading (14 and 24 months) and its relation to their later language and letter knowledge (age 3;6) were investigated in a follow-up study. The participants were 156 children and their mothers. Half of these children ( N = 74) came from families where one or both of the parents were diagnosed as reading disabled (the at-risk group), the other half ( N = 82) belonged to the control group. The results revealed that children with and without familial risk for reading difficulties did not differ from each other in the interest they showed towards shared reading. Interestingly, only children in the control group appeared to benefit from shared reading interactions i…

Task-related variation in communication of mothers and their sons with learning disability

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether mother-child communication patterns vary as a function of the type of the task. Groups of learning disabled (LD=30) and normally achieving boys (NLD=30) were videotaped interacting with their mothers in two different tasks. The children were matched for age (8 to 11 year-olds) and for parent’s SES. The results indicated that the teaching task differentiated the groups more than did the story task. Academic character of the teaching task increased mothers’ task involvement in both groups. Mothers of the LD group showed, however, significantly more dominance and expressed less emotionality while teaching their child. Mothers’ interaction…

Examining the Simple View of Reading in a Transparent Orthography: A Longitudinal Study From Kindergarten to Grade 3

This study examined the dynamic relationships among the components of the Simple View of Reading (SVR) in a transparent orthography (Finnish) and the predictive value of cognitive skills (phonological awareness, letter knowledge, rapid naming, and vocabulary) on the SVR components. Altogether, 1,815 Finnish children were followed from kindergarten to Grade 3. Their cognitive skills were assessed in kindergarten, listening comprehension and reading fluency in Grades 1 and 2, and reading comprehension in Grades 1–3. Reading fluency and listening comprehension accounted for 37% of the variance in reading comprehension in Grade 2 and 28% in Grade 3. The direct effect of reading fluency on readi…

Communication Deviances and Clarity Among the Mothers of Normally Achieving and Learning-Disabled Boys.

The main purpose of the study was to reexamine the association between maternal communication deviances and learning disabilities in children. In this study, we adapted and extended the procedure used by Ditton, Green, and Singer (1987). A two-part experimental task was used: one in which the child could not request any clarification of mother's instructions, and another in which the mother and child could communicate. Both communication deviances and the clarity of mothers' communication were analyzed. The subjects were 60 mother-child pairs in which half of the children had learning disabilities and the other half were normally achieving children matched for age and parents' SES. The dyad…

Parents as Informants of their Child's Vocal and Early Language Development

Continuity in vocalization and language development was examined in the longitudinal study of 94 children. Parents observed their infant's vocal development with the help of a checklist during the first year of life and reported their lexical development by using the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (the CDIs) at the ages of 14 and 18 months. The Reynell Developmental Language Scales (the RDLS) were administered to the children in a laboratory setting at 18 months. The vocalization checklist revealed milestones of sound production which parents reported reliably and which were significantly related to the child's later language development. The continuity in vocal and languag…

Conceptual Framework of Teaching Quality: A Multidimensional Adapted Process Model of Teaching

A universal challenge in the field of teacher education is generating a shared vision of the key knowledge and skills needed for the teaching profession. Prior research has pinpointed a range of critical qualities necessary for teaching and other facets of a teacher’s work. However, a research-based conceptual model relevant to understanding the key competencies of the teaching profession has not yet been presented. To address this need, this paper presents a multidimensional process model of key knowledge and skills for teaching. It is adapted from the competence model of Blömeke et al. (2015), and it specifies the core professional practices, situation-specific skills, and cognitive and n…

Social interactional behaviors and symbolic play competence as predictors of language development and their associations with maternal attention-directing strategies

Abstract Children’s early social interactional behaviors and symbolic play competence were studied at 14 months in a sample of 111 mother-infant pairs. The categories of social interactional behaviors, joint visual attention, socially coordinated and object oriented interactions were assessed via observations of mother-infant joint play. An index of symbolic play was derived from the child’s solitary play, which was assessed independently. We examined both the interrelations of these two types of early language predictors, and their relation to children’s language skills and maternal attention-directing strategies. Measures of children’s language comprehension and production were obtained u…

Predicting delayed letter name knowledge and its relation to grade 1 reading achievement in children with and without familial risk for dyslexia

The authors examined the developmental trajectories of children's early letter knowledge in relation to measures spanning and encompassing their prior language-related and cognitive measures and environmental factors and their subsequent Grade 1 reading achievement. Letter knowledge was assessed longitudinally at ages 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, and 6.5 years; earlier language skills and environmental factors were assessed at ages 3.5 and 4.5 years; and reading achievement was assessed at the beginning and end of Grade 1. The analyses were conducted on a longitudinal data set involving children with and without familial risk for dyslexia. Emerging from the trajectory analysis of letter knowledge were 3 …

Common variance in amplitude envelope perception tasks and their impact on phoneme duration perception and reading and spelling in Finnish children with reading disabilities

ABSTRACTOur goal was to investigate auditory and speech perception abilities of children with and without reading disability (RD) and associations between auditory, speech perception, reading, and spelling skills. Participants were 9-year-old, Finnish-speaking children with RD (N = 30) and typically reading children (N = 30). Results showed significant group differences between the groups in phoneme duration discrimination but not in perception of amplitude modulation and rise time. Correlations among rise time discrimination, phoneme duration, and spelling accuracy were found for children with RD. Those children with poor rise time discrimination were also poor in phoneme duration discrimi…

Early development of children at familial risk for Dyslexia—follow-up from birth to school age

We review the main findings of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal study of Dyslexia (JLD) which follows the development of children at familial risk for dyslexia (N = 107) and their controls (N = 93). We will illustrate the development of these two groups of children at ages from birth to school entry in the skill domains that have been connected to reading and reading disability in the prior literature. At school entry, the highest score on the decoding task among the poorer half (median) of the at risk children--i.e. of those presumably being most likely genetically affected--is 1 SD below the mean of the control group. Thus, the familial risk for dyslexia shows expected consequences. Among the e…

A Validation Study of Classroom Assessment Scoring System-Secondary in the Finnish School Context

This study examined the reliability and validity of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System–Secondary (CLASS-S) in Finnish classrooms. Trained observers coded classroom interactions based on video recordings of 46 Grade 6 classrooms (450 cycles). Concurrent associations were investigated with respect to teacher self-ratings (e.g., efficacy beliefs and teaching-related stress). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the hypothesized three-factor structure of the original CLASS-S (Emotional Support, Organizational Support, and Instructional Support), with some modifications, provided a better fit for the data compared with one- and two-factor structures. Structural validity was demonstrated…

Ylioppilastutkinnon, tavoiteorientaatioiden ja muiden motivaatiotekijöiden yhteys luokanopettajakoulutukseen hakeneiden menestymiseen VAKAVA-valintakokeessa

Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin ylioppilastutkinnon yleisarvosanan, tavoiteorientaatioiden ja muiden motivaatiotekijöiden yhteyttä menestymiseen valtakunnallisessa kasvatusalan valintayhteistyöverkoston toteuttamassa opiskelijavalintakokeessa (VAKAVA). Tutkimukseen osallistuivat Jyväskylän yliopiston luokanopettajakoulutukseen pyrkineet hakijat vuosina 2014 ja 2015 (n = 399). Tutkimusaineisto koostui VAKAVAkoepistemääristä sekä hakijoiden itsearvioinneista, jotka liittyivät erilaisiin tavoiteorientaatioihin (oppimis-, saavutus-, suoritus-lähestymis-, suoritus-välttämis- ja välttämisorientaatio) sekä muihin motivaatiotekijöihin (kokemus opiskelun mielekkyydestä, luovutusherkkyys ja epäonnis…

Associations of Classroom Design and Classroom-Based Physical Activity with Behavioral and Emotional Engagement among Primary School Students

Educational reforms worldwide have resulted in schools increasingly incorporating open and flexible classroom designs. Open learning spaces may contribute to a student’s behavioral and emotional school engagement directly and by facilitating classroom-based physical activity (CPA). We investigated the associations between accelerometer-assessed CPA and student ratings of task-focused behavior and attitude towards school as indicators for behavioral and emotional engagement, respectively, with the associations of gender, grade, and classroom design on CPA among 206 3rd and 5th grade students in open learning spaces and conventional classrooms. Structural equation modelling showed open classr…

Language problems in children with learning disabilities: do they interfere with maternal communication?

In this study, parent-child interaction in two carefully matched subgroups—school—age boys with learning disabilities (LD) who showed a discrepancy between their verbal IQ and performance IQ and had more extensive difficulties in higher-level language abilities (VIQ < PIQ, n = 8) and boys with LD who did not manifest a discrepancy between verbal IQ and performance IQ (VIQ = PIQ, n = 8), were investigated. The effects of the child's language problems on child task performance and on the quality of maternal communication were analyzed in a mother-child problem solving task. Children in the VIQ < PIQ group were found to be less successful on the task than children in the VIQ = PIQ group…

Maternal homework assistance and children's task-persistent behavior in elementary school

The present study used a sample of 365 children to investigate the longitudinal associations between maternal homework assistance (i.e., help, monitoring, and autonomy granting) and children's task-persistent behavior in learning situations from grade 2 to grade 4 of elementary school. Also, the extent to which task-persistent behavior plays a role in the links between parental homework assistance and children's academic performance was examined. The results showed that the more autonomy granting mothers reported, the more task-persistent behavior children exhibited; and more task-persistent behavior children exhibited, the more autonomy their mothers granted. In contrast, the more mothers …

Student Engagement and School Burnout in Finnish Lower-Secondary Schools: Latent Profile Analysis

Self-ratings of behavioural engagement, cognitive engagement and school burnout were used in person-centred analyses to identify latent profiles among 2,485 Finnish lower-secondary school students. Three profiles were identified: high-engagement/low-burnout (40.6% of the sample), average-engagement/average-burnout (53.9%), and low-engagement/high-burnout (5.5%). Another sample of lower-secondary school students was used to validate the 3 profiles. The factors most strongly associated with the high-engagement/low-burnout profile of lower-secondary school students’ were high levels of support from teachers and family, good academic performance, and lack of truancy. The study indicated that te…

Early intentional communication as a predictor of language development in young toddlers

Interrelations between various types of early intentional communi cation measures, and their relations to children's concurrent and subsequent language skills and maternal interactional sensitivity were studied in a sample of 111 mother-infant pairs. Intentional communication was assessed at 14 months of age using a composite of early actions and gestures derived from parental reports (MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories, MCDI), and measures of early joint attentional behaviours obtained via observations of parent-child play interaction. The sum of actions and gestures and the measures of joint attentional behaviours correlated significantly with each other suggesting that the …

Yksinkertainen lukemisen malli Suomen kielessä: pitkittäistutkimus esikoulusta 3. luokalle

Development of silent reading fluency and reading comprehension across grades 1 to 9 : unidirectional or bidirectional effects between the two skills?

Purpose This study examines the developmental interplay between silent reading fluency and reading comprehension from Grade 1 to Grade 9 (age 7 to 15) in a large Finnish sample (N = 2,518). Of particular interest was whether the associations are bidirectional or unidirectional. Methods Children’s silent reading fluency and reading comprehension skills were assessed using group-administered tests, at seven time points, in Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9. A random intercept cross-lagged panel model with latent factors was used to identify between- and within-person associations between silent reading fluency and reading comprehension. The use of latent factors allowed for the controlling of me…

Teacher-student interaction and lower secondary school students’ situational engagement

Background: Prior research has shown that engagement plays a significant role in students’ academic learning. Aims: The present study sought to expand the current understanding of students’ engagement by examining how situational engagement during a particular lesson is associated with the observed teacher–student classroom interactions (i.e., emotional support, instructional support, and classroom organization) in the same lesson. Sample: The participants were 709 Grade 7 students (47.7% girls) from 59 classrooms in 26 lower secondary schools and 51 teachers. Methods: The data consisted of 155 video‐recorded lessons (90 language arts and 65 mathematics lessons) coded using the Classroom As…

Opettajien kokemuksia dialogisen opetuksen toteuttamisesta perusopetuksessa

Tässä artikkelissa tarkastellaan opettajien kokemuksia dialogisen opetuksen toteuttamisesta perusopetuksen ryhmissä osana Vuorovaikutus, motivaatio ja osallisuuden tukeminen (VuoMo) - nimistä ammatillisen kehittämisen ohjelmaa. Dialogisen opetuksen tavoitteena on vahvistaa oppilaiden osallisuutta lisäämällä näkökulmien jakamista sisältävää vuorovaikutusta ja keskustelua ja siten tukea oppilaiden oppimismotivaatiota. Tutkimuksen aineisto koostui kuuden kehittämisohjelmaan osallistuneen opettajan haastatteluaineistosta, joka analysoitiin temaattisella analyysilla. Opettajat kokivat, että heidän dialogisuuteen liittyvä pedagoginen ajattelunsa muuttui ohjelman aikana. Erityisesti dialogisia ope…

Mother-Child Teaching Strategies and Learning Disabilities

The teaching strategies used by mothers of sons with learning disabilities (LD) (n = 30) and normally achieving sons (NLD) (n = 30) were examined. The children were matched for age (8- to 11-year-olds) and for parents' socioeconomic status. The behavior of mother-child pairs was videotaped in a teaching task that was constructed to resemble a homework assignment. The results showed that the mothers of children with LD used fewer high-level strategies, and their total time used in teaching was less than that of the mothers of NLD children. The mothers of children with LD exhibited more dominance and less emotionality and cooperation than did the mothers of NLD children; however, the mothers…

Comparison of Classroom-based Sedentary Time and Physical Activity in Conventional Classrooms and Open Learning Spaces Among Elementary School Students

European children and adolescents spend most of their daily life and especially their school hours being sedentary which may increase their risk for chronic non-communicable diseases later in life. After the curriculum reform of Finnish basic education in 2014, most of the new or renovated comprehensive schools in Finland incorporate open and flexible classroom designs. Their open learning spaces may provide students opportunities to reduce sedentary behavior during school hours. Thus, waist-worn accelerometers were used to assess classroom-based sedentary time (ST), the number of breaks from sedentary time (BST), and physical activity (PA) among cross-sectional samples of 3rd and 5th grade…

Sedentary Patterns and Sit-to-Stand Transitions in Open Learning Spaces and Conventional Classrooms among Primary School Students

Educational reforms worldwide have resulted in schools increasingly incorporating open and flexible classroom designs that may provide possibilities to reduce sedentary behavior among students during lessons. Cross-sectional associations of classroom type on accelerometry assessed sedentary bout durations and sit-to-stand transitions were investigated in 191 third and fifth grade students recruited from one school with open learning spaces and two schools with conventional classrooms. A three-way ANOVA for classroom type, gender and grade level indicated that students in open learning spaces had more 1-to-4-min sedentary bouts (mean difference 1.8 bouts/h, p 10-min sedentary bouts (median 0…

Language and Symbolic Play in Toddlers

Language-play relations were examined in 110 18-month-old toddlers by observing their play actions in the Symbolic Play Test and assessing their language skills with the CDI parental report and the Reynell Developmental Language Scales. Significant associations between both language comprehension and production (vocabulary, use of suffixes, utterance length) and play were found when percentage of symbolic play was used as the measure of play competence. The total play score which included both functional-relational toy manipulation and symbolic play was not as strongly associated with the language measures. In both play measures relations were, however, higher between play and language com…

Continuity in early language development

A Validation Study of Classroom Assessment Scoring System–Secondary in the Finnish School Context

This study examined the reliability and validity of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System–Secondary (CLASS-S) in Finnish classrooms. Trained observers coded classroom interactions based on video recordings of 46 Grade 6 classrooms (450 cycles). Concurrent associations were investigated with respect to teacher self-ratings (e.g., efficacy beliefs and teaching-related stress). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the hypothesized three-factor structure of the original CLASS-S (Emotional Support, Organizational Support, and Instructional Support), with some modifications, provided a better fit for the data compared with one- and two-factor structures. Structural validity was demonstrate…