A study of the relationship between age at entrance to Grade I and later reading achievement

Pittman, Margaret (1969) A study of the relationship between age at entrance to Grade I and later reading achievement. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between age at time of entrance to Grade I and later reading achievement. In most schools of the Province of Newfoundland, children who are six years old by December 31 of the school year are eligible for admission to Grade I. The early entrants, ranging in age from five years eight months to five years eleven months, are expected to participate with the late entrants, ranging in age from six years to six years eight months. Some educators are of the opinion that the lack of maturity of many early entrants is a major cause of the failure of many of these children to make satisfactory progress during the elementary school period. -- Since other variables, if not controlled, might influence the findings, the extent to which such factors as kindergarten experience, sex, and the socio-economic status of the family influence reading achievement was also investigated. -- Data for the study were gathered from selected elementary schools in the city of St. John’s. The subjects were 320 eight-year-olds who had entered school in 1965, and who were at time of testing in Grade III, and 273 eleven-year-olds who had entered school in 1962, and who were at time of testing in Grade VI. Both age groups included a number of children who had begun school at the same time as their respective groups, but who had repeated a grade. -- Children who were six years old during the period September to December following entrance to Grade I were classified as early entrants. Children who were six years old during the period January to April preceding entrance to Grade I were classified as late entrants. Each group was further divided according to sex, kindergarten experience, and socio-economic status. The Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Test and the Revised Nelson Reading Test were administered to all the children in the sample. -- Although data are given for the sample as a whole, statistical analysis was performed on a random sample of 160. -- The research hypotheses were tested by analysis of covariance. None of the interactions between the various factors - age, sex, kindergarten experience, and socio-economic status - were found to be significant. Significant differences were found between the reading achievement of early and late entrants, favouring the late entrants. Significant differences were also found between the reading achievement of children in the high and low socio-economic brackets, favouring those from high socio-economic backgrounds. Differences in reading achievement due to kindergarten experience and to sex were not significant.

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