Effects of early childhood education attendance on achievement, social skills, behaviour, and stress

Abstract

There is evidence that Early Childhood Education positively contributes to optimal performance in Elementary School, but there are few studies about its infl uence on socio-behavioral variables. This study aimed to explore the association between duration of Early Childhood Education attendance (one or two years) and developmental outcomes in the 3rd grade. A total of 151 students from public schools participated in the study and their academic performance, social skills, externalizing behavior and stress symptoms were assessed. Data analysis comprised group comparison and regression with control of socioeconomic background. The results showed that children who had attended Early Childhood Education for one more year showed better achievement and less stress symptoms. Duration of Early Childhood Education attendance was a significant positive predictor for achievement and a negative one for stress in the 3rd grade. We discuss the quality of Early Childhood Education and its influence on the variables assessed and point to the need for a systematic replication study to assess the generalization of the results.

The Relationship of Preschool Attendance with Academic Achievement and Socioeconomic Status in Turkey

“…Previous studies have shown that the relationship between academic achievement and preschool attendance decreases when the effect of socioeconomic level is controlled (Correia-Zanini et al, 2018).…”

“…The dissemination of preschool education has become a global education goal to maximize students' high learning capacity during this period (OECD, 2020). However, in countries where preschool education is not compulsory and is still expanding, children from socioeconomically advantaged families attend education at this level more frequently than their peers with lower SES (Bassok et al, 2016;Correia-Zanini et al, 2018).…”

“…The dissemination of preschool services is also important for societal benefits and welfare. In countries where preschool education is not universalized students from high SES backgrounds are more likely to attend this level of education than their low-SES peers (Bassok et al, 2016;Correia-Zanini et al, 2018). This increases the already significant advantages of children from higher-SES schools.…”