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The effect of relative age on achievement in middle school
Author(s) -
Hauck Anne Logan,
Finch A. J.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6807(199301)30:1<74::aid-pits2310300112>3.0.co;2-e
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , demography , academic achievement , reading (process) , middle class , significant difference , mathematics education , mathematics , statistics , sociology , political science , law
To determine the relationship between relative age and achievement in middle school, standardized math and reading scores for a sample of middle‐class, suburban middle school students ( N = 933) were examined. Analysis of variance revealed a significant difference among relative age groups in only one area, sixth‐grade reading, F (2, 146) = 3.1, p < .05. There was no main effect for gender and no interaction between age and gender in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade. When the birth month of students who had repeated one or more grades was examined, it was revealed that a large percentage of these students would have been the youngest in the class when beginning school. Results suggest that a relationship between relative age and achievement may exist in the lower grades but diminishes or disappears by seventh or eighth grade because of the retention of a larger proportion of the youngest children.