The Relative Age Effects in Educational Development: A Systematic Review

Abstract

There is a large number of variables, studied in the literature, that affect the integral development of students in the educational stage, but few research analyze the effects that relative age can have on development. The aim of this study is to review and summarize the results obtained, on this subject, in recent research. The methodology used has followed the PRISMA declaration. The final sample is composed by 21 articles, which use data from 24 countries and 32 assessments. The main conclusions indicate that relatively younger children in same class groups: (a) obtain significantly lower mean scores in cognitive and motor tests, (b) have a higher repetition rate, and (c) have a less capacity of socialization. Finally, it should be noted that considering the results obtained by the research on relative age effect on child development, some authors propose to adapt educational practices to minimize these effects.

Comparative Analysis of Physical Activity, Performance-Related Health, and Academic Achievements in 11-to-13-Year-Old Schoolchildren in Qatar

“…Globally, research on how age affects school-age children’s cognitive, motor, and emotional skill development has accelerated in recent decades [ 77 ]. This is partly because public policies that aim to enhance the teaching and learning processes that are part of every educational system have been implemented and revised.…”

Associations between biological maturation, physical performance, postural control, and mathematical achievement in youth soccer players

“…Urruticoechea et al [ 77 ] reported a significant relationship between relative age effect and academic achievement in their meta-analysis. Urruticoechea et al [ 77 ] asserted that relatively older schoolchildren in a primary school class (6–12 years) exhibitedgreater academic achievement than their relatively younger peers. Based on the existence of the relative age effect on child development, it is essential that future studies observe its prevalence and long term consequences in the educational sphere related to academic performance, taking into account these factors to determine importance of relative age in the integral development of the subject.…”

Neighborhood-level socioeconomic factors moderate the association between physical activity and relative age effect: a cross-sectional survey study with Japanese adolescents

“…Previous studies have reported that relatively younger adolescents are likely to spend less time playing sports [ 28 ] and more likely to have poorer physical fitness [ 8 , 9 , 40 ] and lower noncognitive skills (e.g., self-efficacy, ability belief) [ 4 , 5 ]. Considering these previous studies, relatively younger adolescents may be more likely to be reluctant to play sports.…”

“…4 Department of Human Nutrition, Tokyo Kasei Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan. 5 Faculty of Nutrition, Kagawa Nutrition University, Sakato, Japan. 6 Department of Medical Science and Technology, Faculty of Health Science, Hiroshima International University, Higashihiroshima, Japan.…”

“…This may occur as children born between January 1 and April 1 may exhibit poorer physique and physical fitness. Many previous studies showed that those who were born later are likely to have poor scholastic ability and poor socio-emotional development [ 4 , 5 ]. Ultimately, the relative age effect remains until adulthood.…”