Exploring the Connection Between Behavior and Achievement

A 2006 study that demonstrates the connection between kindergarten behavior and academic achievement is “The Impact of Kindergarten Learning-Related Skills on Academic Trajectories at the End of Elementary School” by Megan M. McClelland and Alan C. Acock of the University of Oregon and Frederick J. Morrison of the University of Michigan. These researchers sought to find the connection between how children are rated on a whole set of abilities that are deemed necessary for school success, which they refer to as “learning-related skills”, and their abilities in math in reading from kindergarten through sixth grade. They discovered that there is a significant correlation between how kindergarten students rate on a measure of learning-related skills and their scores on math and reading assessments all the way through the sixth grade. Students with lower ratings of learning-related skills had lower scores on the assessments than their peers that were rated higher on learning-related skills, with the difference between the two groups increasing through second grade and remaining steady through the sixth grade.

Five hundred thirty eight children participated in the study. The researchers used the work-related portion of the Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scale to assess learning-related skills. The teacher had to rate the participating students on a 7-point scale on 16 different work-related qualities. Some of skills that this measure assessed were self-control, social skills, attending to directions and collaborating in group work. For the math and reading assessments, they used the Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised for the kindergarten through second grade years and the Carolina End-of-Grade tests for third through sixth grades.

The researchers found, through using latent growth curve analyses, that kindergarten ratings of learning-related skills significantly predicted the results of the math and reading tests as well as growth between kindergarten and second grade. They also determined that the ratings of learning-related skills and kindergarten through sixth grade readings scores correlated at levels ranging from 0.44 to 0.66 and for math scores from 0.59 to 0.67.

This study shows that the behaviors and social abilities of young children can have a powerful effect on their learning throughout the elementary years. Some students arrive at school already possessing certain characteristics and abilities that will enable them to be successful learners, while others simply do not have these characteristics and abilities. For those students who lack these “learning-related skills”, it is essential that the early education teachers find ways to engage and maintain their attention and minimize off-task behaviors. I believe that for those students that find the school transition difficult, the incorporation of movement into the learning experience can be a powerful engagement tool that can help these students overcome the academic disadvantage they may face.

McClelland, M. M., Acock, A. C., & Morrison, F. J. (2006). The impact of kindergarten learning-related skills on academic trajectories at the end of elementary school. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21.