Can reading fluency and self-efficacy of reading fluency be enhanced with an intervention targeting the sources of self-efficacy?

2018

Abstract The first aim of the study was to analyze whether reading fluency and self-efficacy of reading fluency (SE-rf) are malleable for children (Grades 3–5) with deficits in fluent reading via a 12-week special education program targeting both reading fluency and the sources of SE-rf (SE-program). The second aim was to investigate whether changes in SE-rf are related to changes in reading fluency. The SE-program (n = 40) was contrasted with the SKILL-program (n = 42) providing training solely in reading fluency. The groups showed equal improvements in reading fluency. Positive change in SE-rf emerged only in the SE-group, and this change was associated with changes in fluency, but the as…

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

2019

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…

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

2004

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…

Reliability and validity of the Finnish version of the motor observation questionnaire for teachers.

2017

Objectives: Observational screening instruments are often used as an effective, economical first step in the identification of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The aim was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Finnish version of the Motor Observation Questionnaire for Teachers (MOQ-T-FI).Methods: The psychometric properties were tested using two separate samples (S1: age range 6-12, M 9y 5mo, females 101, males 92; S2: age range 6-9, M 7y 7mo, females 404, males 446). Teachers completed the MOQ-T-Fl in both samples, and in sample 2 teachers' ratings were compared to student's performance on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC…

Does Multi-Component Strategy Training Improve Calculation Fluency Among Poor Performing Elementary School Children?

2018

The aim of the present study was to extend the previous intervention research in math by examining whether elementary school children with poor calculation fluency benefit from strategy training focusing on derived fact strategies and following an integrative framework, i.e., integrating factual, conceptual, and procedural arithmetic knowledge. It was also examined what kind of changes can be found in frequency of using different strategies. A quasi-experimental design was applied, and the study was carried out within the context of the school and its schedules and resources. Twenty schools in Finland volunteered to participate, and 1376 children were screened in for calculation fluency pro…

The early motor milestones in infancy and later motor skills in toddlers: a structural equation model of motor development.

2006

The relationship between the achievement of early motor milestones in infancy and later motor development was studied in 130 children with (N = 66, 35 male/31 female) and without (N = 64, 31 male/35 female) familial risk for dyslexia. A structured parental questionnaire was used to assess motor development in infancy, and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children was used to assess motor skills at age 3.5 years. No differences were found at the group level and therefore the structural equation model was constructed by entering both groups simultaneously. An Early Body Control factor, computed from the infant data, explained 38% of the variance of the Gross Motor Skills factor at the age …

Editorial DCD13 "Bridging the Disciplines".

2021

Early motor development and later language and reading skills in children at risk of familial dyslexia.

2005

Relationships between early motor development and language and reading skills were studied in 154 children, of whom 75 had familial risk of dyslexia (37 females, 38 males; at-risk group) and 79 constituted a control group (32 females, 47 males). Motor development was assessed by a structured parental questionnaire during the child's first year of life. Vocabulary and inflectional morphology skills were used as early indicators of language skills at 3 years 6 months and 5 years or 5 years 6 months of age, and reading speed was used as a later indicator of reading skills at 7 years of age. The same subgroups as in our earlier study (in which the cluster analysis was described) were used in th…

Longitudinal and situational associations between math anxiety and performance among early adolescents

2022

Studies have found math anxiety and achievement to be related from the beginning of formal schooling, but the knowledge regarding the direction of the relationship is vague. The purpose of the present study was to study this relationship. We investigated math anxiety from two points of view: trait and state anxiety. In the first substudy, we investigated the longitudinal relationship between math anxiety and performance from sixth to seventh grade (n = 848) with cross-lagged modeling. In the second substudy, we investigated the situational relationship of anxiety and performance by giving the participants (n = 149) challenging and nonchallenging math tasks adapted to their skill level, and …

Suspected motor problems and low preference for active play in childhood are associated with physical inactivity and low fitness in adolescence.

2011

Background This prospective longitudinal study investigates whether suspected motor problems and low preference for active play in childhood are associated with physical inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescence. Methodology/Principal Findings The study sample consisted of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (NFBC 1986) composed of 5,767 children whose parents responded to a postal inquiry concerning their children's motor skills at age 8 years and who themselves reported their physical activity at age 16 years. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured with a cycle ergometer test at age 16 years. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the level o…

Development of math anxiety and its longitudinal relationships with arithmetic achievement among primary school children

2019

Abstract The aim of this study is to examine the development of two separable aspects of math anxiety, anxiety about math-related situations and anxiety about failure in math, and their cross-lagged relationship with arithmetic achievement. The mean level of anxiety about math-related situations decreased among second, third, and fourth graders, and the level of anxiety about failure in math declined among third, fourth, and fifth graders. The rank-order of individuals was more stable in arithmetic achievement than in either aspect of math anxiety. Arithmetic achievement predicted later anxiety about failure in math, but neither aspect of math anxiety predicted later achievement. The result…

Specificity of Reading Self-Efficacy Among Primary School Children

2018

We investigated the specificity of reading self-efficacy among second- to fifth-grade children in Finland (N = 1,327). Bandura (1997 Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: Freeman. [Google Scholar] ) theorized that efficacy beliefs can be assessed at different levels of specificity; however, empirical support for this view is scarce among young children. Efficacy beliefs targeting reading-related activities were assessed at three specificity levels (general, intermediate, and specific). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that these specificity levels are separable, but correlated, and the structure was invariant across gender and grade level. Self-effic…

Adolescents' school-related self-concept mediates motor skills and psychosocial well-being.

2014

Background The health benefits of exercise participation and physical activity for mental health and psychosocial well-being (PSWB) have been shown in several studies. However, one important background factor, that is, motor skills (MSs), has largely been ignored. In addition, most of the existing research focuses on poor MSs, that is, poor MSs are often connected to poorer PSWB. The mechanism linking MSs and PSWB is unclear. However, a preliminary suggestion has been made that self-worth or self-perceptions might mediate the association between MSs and PSWB. Aim We investigated whether the self-concepts (SCs) of school-related physical education (SCPE), reading (SCR), and mathematics (SCM)…

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

2009

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 …

Trajectories of change in reading self-efficacy: A longitudinal analysis of self-efficacy and its sources

2021

The beliefs children hold about their capabilities as readers are known to influence their reading achievement. The aim of this study was to extend previous work by examining trajectories of change in reading self-efficacy among primary school students (N = 1327) and the relations between the trajectories of self-efficacy and their hypothesized sources over 11 months. Using growth mixture modeling, we identified four trajectories of change in reading self-efficacy, involving increasing, stable, and declining trends. These trajectories of change in reading self-efficacy were associated with students’ varying experiences with the four sources of self-efficacy over time. Higher levels of maste…

Are balance problems connected to reading speed or the familial risk of dyslexia?

2011

Aim The aim of this study was to examine the connection between balance problems and reading speed in children with and without a familial risk of dyslexia by controlling for the effects of attention, hyperactivity, and cognitive and motor functioning. Method The prevalence of balance problems was studied in 94 children (48 females, 46 males) with a familial risk of dyslexia (at-risk group) and 85 children (38 females, 47 males) without a risk of dyslexia (comparison group). Further, the relationships between balance problems (at age 8y 6mo), reading proficiency (at age 9y), attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (at age 8y), and cognitive (at age 8y 6mo) and motor functioning (at age 6y …

Developmental pathways of children with and without familial risk for dyslexia during the first years of life.

2002

Comparisons of the developmental pathways of the first 5 years of life for children with (N = 107) and without (N = 93) familial risk for dyslexia observed in the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal study of Dyslexia are reviewed. The earliest differences between groups were found at the ages of a few days and at 6 months in brain event-related potential responses to speech sounds and in head-turn responses (at 6 months), conditioned to reflect categorical perception of speech stimuli. The development of vocalization and motor behavior, based on parental report of the time of reaching significant milestones, or the growth of vocabulary (using the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories) failed t…

Self-regulatory efficacy and sources of efficacy in elementary school pupils: Self-regulatory experiences in a population sample and pupils with atte…

2019

In this study, we examined self-regulatory efficacy and sources of self-efficacy (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion and physiological/emotional states) and the relationships between self-efficacy and its sources among elementary school pupils. Two groups were compared: a population sample (PS, N = 1284) and pupils with difficulties in attention and executive functions (AED, N = 61). Data gathered from self-report questionnaires indicated that pupils in the PS group had more positive efficacy beliefs and mastery experiences and fewer negative physiological/emotional states than the AED group. Analyses showed strong connections between sources and self-regulatory e…

Reading self-efficacy and reading fluency development among primary school children: Does specificity of self-efficacy matter?

2019

Abstract Efficacy beliefs relate to effort and persistence devoted to learning. Therefore, efficacy beliefs might be especially important in achieving skills that require persistent practice, such as fluent reading. Although reading self-efficacy has been positively linked to reading comprehension, less is known about its relationship to reading fluency . The relationship between reading self-efficacy studied at three specificity levels and reading fluency development was examined among Finnish primary school students ( N = 1327). The results showed that self-efficacy related positively to reading fluency and its development. The association was dependent on the specificity of the self-effi…

Math anxiety and its relationship with basic arithmetic skills among primary school children

2017

Background Children have been found to report and demonstrate math anxiety as early as the first grade. However, previous results concerning the relationship between math anxiety and performance are contradictory, with some studies establishing a correlation between them while others do not. These contradictory results might be related to varying operationalizations of math anxiety. Aims In this study, we aimed to examine the prevalence of math anxiety and its relationship with basic arithmetic skills in primary school children, with explicit focus on two aspects of math anxiety: anxiety about failure in mathematics and anxiety in math-related situations. Sample The participants comprised 1…

Development of early motor skills and language in children at risk for familial dyslexia

2007

Differences in motor development and the relationship between motor and language development were studied in 88 children with familial risk for dyslexia (43 females, 45 males; at-risk group) and 88 children without familial risk for dyslexia (35 females, 53 females; control group; n=176) during the first two years of life. A structured parental questionnaire was used to assess motor development. Expressive language skills were assessed at the age of 18 months with the Reynell Developmental Language Scales and at 18 and 24 months with the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories. At group level, the motor development of children in both the at-risk and control groups was similar. Howe…

Benefits of Integrating an Explicit Self-Efficacy Intervention With Calculation Strategy Training for Low-Performing Elementary Students

2021

This study examined the malleability of math self-efficacy (SE) among children with poor calculation fluency via an intervention that targeted four sources of SE (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasions, and emotional and physiological states). The effect of pure strategy training was contrasted with an intervention that integrated strategy training and explicit SE support. Moreover, the changes in SE source experiences and their relation with math SE, as well as the relation between math-SE profiles and calculation fluency development, were examined. In a quasi-experimental design, 60 Finnish children with calculation fluency problems in Grades 2 to 4 participated in…

Motoriikka ja taitojen automatisoituminen dysleksiariskilapsilla 3-vuotiaana

1998

Suvussa esiintyvän lukemisvaikeusriskin yhteys motoriseen ja kielelliseen kehitykseen : tallaako lapsi kielensä päälle?

2006

Helena Viholaisen pitkittäistutkimus osoitti, ettei suomalainen kansanuskomus kielen päälle tallaamisesta pidä paikkaansa. Päinvastoin varhainen liikuntataitojen oppiminen edistää myös kielellisten taitojen oppimista. Tällainen kehityksen eri osa-alueiden kokonaisvaltaisuus toteutuu etenkin niillä lapsilla, joiden suvussa on ilmennyt lukemaan oppimisen vaikeuksia. Pulmat näyttävät lisäksi heijastuvan lukemisen ensivaiheisiin. Viholainen havaitsi myös, että varhain opitut liikkumisen taidot ennustavat melko hyvin myöhempiä liikuntataitoja.Liikuntataitojen oppimisen ongelmat ja kielellisten taitojen oppimisen ongelmat ilmenevät usein samoilla lapsilla. Samoin liikunnan ongelmat yhdistyvät use…

Sand Play for 0–8-Year-Old Children’s Health and Development: A Systematic Review Protocol

2021

Sand play may be a significant determinant of health and development in early childhood, but systematically synthesised evidence is absent in the literature. The main objective of this study was to present a planned methodology to systematically review, and synthesise, the evidence regarding sand play and its associations with 0–8-year-old children’s health and development. The systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols statement was registered to PROSPERO (CRD42021253852). Literature searches will be conducted using information from eight electronic databases. Studies will be included when participating children were aged 0–…

Motoriikan havainnointilomake (MOQ-T) suomalaisille opettajille - Motor Observation Questionnaire for Teachers -lomakkeen kulttuurinen kääntäminen

2015

Motorisen oppimisen vaikeuksia kuvaava termistö on hyvin kirjavaa. Suomessa ongelmien diagnosoinnissa käytetään käsitteitä kehityksellinen koordinaatiohäiriö ja motoriikan kehityshäiriö. Lapsia, joilla on motorisen oppimisen ongelmia, arvioidaan olevan noin 5–6 prosenttia ikäluokasta; jokaisessa koululuokassa on siis keskimäärin yksi oppilas, joka tarvitsee motoriseen oppimiseensa tukea. Vaikka häiriö on yleinen, liikuntaa opettavilta opettajilta puuttuu työkalut motoriikan oppimisvaikeuden tunnistamiseen kouluympäristössä. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tehdä kulttuurinen käännös hollantilaisesta opettajille kehitetystä Motor Observation Questionnaire for Teachers (MOQ-T) -lomakkeesta…

Cognitive Skills, Math-Related Emotions, and Beliefs Explaining Response to Arithmetic Fluency Intervention

2023

We examined the associations of cognitive skills, math-related emotions and beliefs, and gender with responses to an arithmetic fluency intervention. Elementary school children with dysfluent arithmetic skills (N=69) participated in an arithmetic fluency intervention (with and without self-efficacy support) implemented in small groups in schools for 12 weeks. Hierarchical regression models including cognitive skills or math-related emotions and beliefs predicted 21% to 50% of the variation in the intervention response, i.e., improvement in arithmetic fluency. Cognitive skills were associated with the response mainly among boys, whereas math-related emotions and beliefs explained more among …

Suspected motor problems and low preference for active play in childhood are associated with physical inactivity and low fitness in adolescence

2011

Background - This prospective longitudinal study investigates whether suspected motor problems and low preference for active play in childhood are associated with physical inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescence. Methodology/Principal Findings - The study sample consisted of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (NFBC 1986) composed of 5,767 children whose parents responded to a postal inquiry concerning their children's motor skills at age 8 years and who themselves reported their physical activity at age 16 years. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured with a cycle ergometer test at age 16 years. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the lev…