Children with attention problems in early chi...

试题详情

Children with attention problems in early childhood were 40% less likely to graduate from high school, says a new study from Duke University.

The study included 386 kindergarteners from schools in the Fast Track Project, a multi-site clinical trial in the U.S. that in 1991 began tracking how children developed across their lives. With this study, researchers examined early academic attention and socio-emotional skills and how each contributed to academic success into young adulthood. They found that early attention skills were the most consistent predictor of academic success, and that likability by peers (同龄人) also had a modest effect on academic performance.

By fifth grade, children with early attention difficulties had lower grades and reading achievement scores than their peers. As fifth-graders, children with early attention problems obtained average reading scores at least 3% lower and grades at least 8% lower than those of their peers. This was after controlling for IQ, socio-economic status and academic skills at school entry.

Although these may not seem like large effects, the impact of early attention problems continued throughout the children’s academic careers. Lower reading achievement scores and grades in fifth grade contributed to reduced grades in middle school, thus contributing to a 40% lower high school graduation rate.

Social acceptance by peers in early childhood also predicted grades in fifth grade. Children not as liked by their first-grade peers had slightly lower grades in fifth grade, while those with higher social acceptance had higher grades.

“This study shows the importance of so-called non-cognitive’ or soft skills in contributing to children’s positive peer relationships, which, in turn contribute to their academic success,” said Kenneth Dodge, director of the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy.

The results highlight the need to develop effective early interventions (干预) to help those with attention problems stay on track academically and for educators to encourage positive peer relationships, the researchers said.

“We’re learning that student success requires a more comprehensive approach, one that includes not only academic skills but also social, self-regulatory and attention skills,” Dodge said. “If we ignore any of these areas, the child’s development struggles. If we attend to these areas, a child’s success may strengthen itself with positive feedback.”

1.What is the focus of the new study from Duke University?

A.The contributors to children’s early attention.

B.The predictors of children’s academic success.

C.The factors that affect children’s emotional well-being.

D.The factors that determine children’s development of social skills.

2.What do we learn from the findings of the Duke study?

A.Modest students are generally more attentive than their peers.

B.There are more children with attention difficulties than previously thought.

C.Attention problem accounts for most academic failures.

D.Children with worse attention skills are less likely to succeed academically.

3.What does the Duke study find about children better accepted by peers?

A.They do better academically. B.They are teachers’ favorites.

C.They are easy to get on with. D.They care less about grades.

4.What can we conclude from the Duke study?

A.Children’s success is related to their learning environment.

B.School curriculum should cover a greater variety of subjects.

C.Social skills are playing a key role in children’s development.

D.An all-round approach should be adopted in school education.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题