Study: Readiness to learn at school among five-year-old children

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Girls and boys differed in important ways in their readiness to learn as they entered school at the age of five, with girls outperforming their male counterparts in several areas, a new study has found.

However, the child's sex was only one dimension on which children's readiness to learn varied, according to the study. Two other key dimensions were the level of income of the child's family and the home environment in which they grew up.

The study used data from the 2002/2003 data collection phase of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth to determine how ready children were to learn when they were five years old. It also looked back two years in time to determine if trends were already apparent when the children were three years old.

Some differences between girls and boys, and between children in various income levels, were already apparent when the youngsters were only three years old.

Early success in school has been linked to the abilities, behaviours and attitudes that youngsters bring with them as they go to class for the first time. Such information can provide important insights for developing educational policies and practices.

The study considered several different aspects of readiness to learn. It compared demographic groups on 11 measures that included language and communication skill, academic skill, self-regulation of learning, self-control of behaviour, and social competence and independence.

Girls were more ready to learn at age five

The study found that girls and boys at the age of five differed considerably in several dimensions of readiness to learn. In general, girls were more ready to learn at the age of five than boys were.

Girls scored higher than boys in communication skill, attention and self-control of behaviour, and were rated higher in independence in dressing. Boys were rated above girls on only one measure — curiosity.

On the other hand, the study determined that girls and boys entered school with equivalent abilities in several areas. They did not differ in receptive vocabulary, which is the vocabulary that is understood by the child when he or she hears the words spoken. Girls and boys were similar in work effort, cooperative play and independence in cleanliness as well.

The academic knowledge and skill that children bring to school may contribute to their early learning. The study assessed the children's knowledge of numbers and their ability to copy and use symbols, both of which are linked strongly to academic achievement.

Compared to boys, girls entered school with stronger abilities in copying and using symbols; however, girls and boys performed equally in number knowledge.

Children from lower income households were less ready to learn

Household income was a significant predictor of 6 of the 11 readiness to learn measures. In every case, children from lower income households scored lower than their counterparts who lived in more affluent households. In other words, children from lower income households were less ready to learn.

The aspects of readiness to learn where children from lower income households did not do as well included: receptive vocabulary, communication skill, knowledge of numbers, copying and using symbols, attention and cooperative play.

However, the study found no differences in other measures. It found that household income level was not related to a child's work effort, level of curiosity, self-control of behaviour or independence in dressing or cleanliness.

Home environment linked to child's readiness to learn

The study found important links between measures of readiness to learn and several aspects of a child's home environment.

For example, children with high levels of positive interaction with their parents tended to have higher scores for receptive vocabulary and communication skill than other children. They also tended to be rated higher in both curiosity and cooperative play.

Children who were read to daily did better in receptive vocabulary and number knowledge than those who were not read to daily.

Participation in organized sports and physical activities was linked to several readiness to learn measures. Children who participated at least weekly in these activities showed stronger abilities in receptive vocabulary, communication skill, number knowledge, and copying and using symbols. Even children who participated regularly in unorganized sports were rated higher in cooperative play than children who did not.

Some activities were linked with higher scores on readiness to learn measures whether or not children lived in low-income or higher income households. These activities included: daily reading, high positive parent-child interaction, participation in organized sports, lessons in physical activities, and lessons in the arts.

However, the fact that the lower income children were less likely to experience the home environment factor may help to explain the difference in readiness to learn between the income levels.

It should also be noted that links found among income levels and home environment factors on the one hand, and measures of readiness to learn on the other, do not imply causality. However, the findings are consistent with other research that suggests a causal role.

Some differences already apparent at the age of three

The study looked back two years to determine whether differences in readiness to learn between girls and boys and between lower and higher income level children already existed at the age of three, or whether they emerged during the pre-school period between three and five.

These analyses were undertaken to determine at what ages policies and interventions designed to reduce disparities might be most effective for children.

The clear differences found at the age of five between girls and boys in communication skill and independence in dressing were already evident at three, with girls ranking higher than boys on both. Similarly, boys were already more curious at three.

On the other hand, differences in attention and in self-control of behaviour favouring girls were not apparent at three, but emerged over the two-year period.

In terms of household income, the clear differences found at the age of five in communication skill and attention that favoured children from more affluent households were already apparent when they were three. In contrast, the difference in cooperative play at five was not in evidence at three, but appeared over the two-year period.

Affluent children ranked higher than less affluent children in work effort and self-control of behaviour at the age of three, but these differences had disappeared two years later.

The lack of difference between income levels in curiosity, independence in dressing, and independence in cleanliness existed at both ages.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 4450.

The article "Readiness to learn at school among five-year-old children" (89-599-MWE2006004, free) is now available as part of the Children and Youth Research Paper Series. From the Publications module, choose Free Internet Publications, then Social Conditions.

For more information on related products and services, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-461-9050; 613-951-3321; fax: 613-951-4527; ssd@statcan.gc.ca), Special Surveys Division.