SELF-talk in children, MATHEMATICS education (Elementary), SELF-efficacy in students, CLASSROOM dynamics, ACADEMIC achievement, LEARNING strategies, SCHOOL children, ELEMENTARY education
Abstract
Much research has been conducted on children's self-talk and its use to regulate thinking and behaviour, but research has typically been conducted on audible self-talk when undertaking specific tasks designed by researchers and in laboratory situations. Addressing the need to study self-talk in the classroom and by students of an age when self-talk is largely internalised, this study investigated the association of self-talk with children's self-regulatory behaviour and academic performance. The findings reported in this paper are based on the data from self-report questionnaires on self-talk completed by eight-to-nine-year-olds, national mathematics achievement test results, and a teacher-completed behaviour rating scale. Based on the previous research, results were somewhat unexpected, including that self-talk may not have a very strong role in children's behavioural self-regulation and calling into question an effect of self-talk on children's learning in the classroom. Possible reasons are provided and the need for future research is acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
KINDERGARTEN, ENGLISH language education, FOREIGN language education, SECOND language acquisition, LITERACY, MATHEMATICS, ACADEMIC achievement, EARLY childhood education
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of full- and half-day kindergarten programmes on English language learners (ELL) and English-only-speaking children's literacy and mathematics performance in a large urban school district. Considerations were given to how the length of the school day, children's language status (ELL and non-ELL), and children's attendance patterns influenced achievement. Results reveal that all children in full-day kindergarten settings performed significantly better on spring literacy assessments and mathematics when compared to children in half-day settings. Non-ELL children performed significantly higher on spring literacy assessments than ELL children. Children who missed fewer than 10 days of kindergarten had significantly higher spring literacy and mathematics scores than children with more than 10 absences. Findings from this study have significant policy and practice implications related to the overall quality, availability, and the effect of kindergarten programming in the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]