Kindergarten Disruptive Behaviour, Family Adversity, Gender, and Elementary School Failure

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the developmental pathway of school failure from age 8 to age 11 by gender when the main effects and interactions of family adversity and the level of kindergarten disruptive behaviour were accounted for. Method: A population sample of boys ( n = 862) and girls ( n = 985) were followed from kindergarten up to age 11. Family adversity and disruptive behaviour were measured in kindergarten and school failure was assessed from ages 8 to 11. Results: A logit-linear analysis on the patterns of school failure revealed that there was no significant difference in the proportion of boys and girls transferred from an age-appropriate regular class by the end of elementary school. However, the age at which this transfer occurred differed by gender: Girls were found to experience failure later than boys do. The results also indicated that both family adversity and kindergarten disruptive behaviour had an effect on the proportion and age at which children were transferred from an age-appropriate regular class. Conclusion: Findings underline that the academic performance and delinquency relationship may be developmentally different by gender. Further research focused on understanding the impact of school failure by gender is needed to clarify these issues.