Children’s behaviour in their first year at school and links to learning

• In Event: Roundtable Session (Tuesday V)
  In Refereed Round-Table Session: The first year at school

Proposal

Young children’s educational attainment and progress during their first year of school is influenced by a myriad of factors, including their personal and social development and their behaviour. With regards to behaviour, which is the focus of this paper, previous studies have found links between inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive behaviour and educational attainment. Inattention, even at a mild level, has been linked to poor academic outcomes (Merrell and Sayal, 2018; Merrell et al., 2017) whilst the link with hyperactivity is less significant (Merrell et al., 2017) and impulsivity has, on occasion, been found to be positively linked to educational attainment (Tymms and Merrell, 2011).
Individuals who show symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity at severe and persistent levels may be diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. ADHD has been found to have face validity across cultures, including the existence of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity as two separate factors (Canino and Algeria, 2008). However, the identification and interpretation of behavioural difficulties can be influenced by cultural expectations. Also, there is differential exposure between countries and cultures to environmental risks associated with these behaviours such as drug and alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Whilst the prevalence of young children with inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive behaviour have been extensively studied in some countries, predominantly Europe, US and Australia, there are fewer studies in other countries, including Africa and Russia. Polanczyk (2018) has studied prevalence rates of ADHD and found consistency in ratings of behaviour between North America, Europe, Oceana and Asia. He found more variation when comparing ratings from North America with Africa and the Middle East. On the basis of these findings, he has suggested that more research is required to explore cultural influences and that standardised instruments should be used in order to learn more about these behaviours, their prevalence in different cultures and the strength of the links with educational and health outcomes.
This paper reports analyses of iPIPS data collected during children’s first year of school from England, Russia, Scotland and South Africa. Children’s early reading and mathematics development were assessed when they first started school. At the end of that first school year, these were reassessed and at the same time, teachers were asked to rate their learners’ behaviour using a scale based upon the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). The assessments were standardised across countries as far as possible so that comparisons of the data could be made. Firstly, the prevalence of inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive behaviour in each of the countries is examined, following Polanczyk’s recommendations. Next, the links between educational attainment, progress during the first year of school and behaviour are explored for the four samples. These findings provide a valuable insight into similarities and differences between the countries that could inform future educational and health policies.

Authors

• Christine Rose Merrell, Durham University

• Alina Ivanova, HSE, Moscow

• Elena Kardanova, National Research University Higher School of Economics