The transition from kindergarten to the first grade of elementary school is a crucial developmental period that can significantly influence pupils' academic trajectories. This study aimed to examine whether adaptation to the school environment moderates the relationship between skill-specific performance and academic achievement in two core…

Elementary school students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are likely to experience social difficulties and challenges with peer relationships (e.g., victimization, rejection, isolation, and negative peer influence). A particularly salient influence on students' classroom-based social experiences is how they are…

Poor reading has been linked to negative outcomes on a wide range of emotional-behavioural dimensions in children. However, little is known about the time course of these associations. In this study we analyse data from a sample of Finnish children (N = 199; 106 boys) which included measures of reading fluency in grade 1 (age 7 or 8), and…

Parental knowledge is often the result of parents soliciting information from their child and their child's disclosure of that information. Although child disclosure is most closely (and negatively) associated with behavior problems in adolescence, it is not yet known whether this is also the case in childhood. The aim of this study was to examine…

Relations of reading and math skills are well-documented. Using open randomized reading intervention data, we examined a reading intervention's impact on math fluency and problem-solving as well as the mechanisms of reading intervention's relation to math fluency. Twenty-eight teachers and 511 first-grade students (82% White, 6% Hispanic, 53%…

Imagination is often relegated to the margins of African American children's schooling experiences. Furthermore, the varied role of children in liberation struggles and their centrality in ushering in just futures remain underexplored. This article examines five African American first graders' sociopolitical knowledge and how they used their…

As digital integration transforms modern society, equipping young learners with computational thinking (CT) skills has become an essential educational goal. However, many education systems face challenges in adapting curricula to include CT, particularly in early childhood education where resources, teacher preparedness, and instructional design…

Problem-based learning (PBL) offers a powerful approach to engage students in meaningful learning experiences by connecting classroom content to real-world challenges. This Spotlight explores how PBL can be implemented across K-12 to foster critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. From preparing students for the workforce…

As early as first grade, some children are more likely than others to perform arithmetic using inefficient or other overt counting strategies. To partially address this problem, the primary investigator developed a skill hierarchy with procedures based on applied behavior analysis. The novel early-intervention program included a combination of…

This study examined the new self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-S), SDQ-Kids, in primary school children regarding internal consistency, teacher-child agreement, and validity. Data from 2,655 children in Grades 1 to 3 and their teachers were analyzed. Children completed SDQ-Kids, previously piloted (n = 896),…

Children's word problem competence is a major determinant of their career prospects. Abstract word (AW) comprehension and equal sign knowledge (ESK) are considered the foundation of discourse comprehension and pre-algebra skills, respectively. However, the link between AW and ESK in relation to the meaningful agent representative information…

Bias influencing teachers' classroom management is increasingly clear, but the circumstances that influence the likelihood of relying on those biases are less understood. This study employed Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis, resulting in four models examining how teachers' appraisals of first-grade students' externalizing problem…

The aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between students' classroom behaviour and word reading (decoding), considering the role of students' engagement in learning (defined as on-task behaviour, OTB, as part of the more global 'behavioural engagement' sensu Fredricks) as a mediator between behaviour and reading. A wide range of…

This study investigated Korean children's negative emotionality trajectories from infancy to age 4 and their learning (i.e., executive functioning), behavioral, and self-esteem outcomes in first grade. Using nationally representative data from the Panel Study on Korean Children, negative emotionality trajectories were explored to determine whether…

We created and tested a family-based intervention with a sample of U.S. families of children in Grades 1 and 2 with reading and behavioral difficulties to investigate its impact on text comprehension. Developed with input from parents, reading experts, and behavior specialists, Family-RISE (Reading Intervention with Supports for Engagement)…