The relationship between school-entry age and academic achievement in Lebanon. (c2011)

Abstract

This ex post facto correlational study investigated the relationship between children's age when they started kindergarten and their academic achievement in school. Two samples of students of a Lebanese private school were used in the study. In Part 1 of the study, the sample included all kindergarten II children (150 girls and 179 boys) who were enrolled in the school over a 5 year period beginning in October 2005. Teachers' ratings were used as the academic achievement variable. A two-tailed Spearman correlation test revealed a significant positive correlation of moderate strength between school-entry age and academic achievement in kindergarten (rs = .241, p < .001). Controlling for sex revealed a stronger positive correlation among boys (rs = .301, p < .001) than among girls (rs = .175, p < .032) In Part 2 of the study, the sample included all students who were enrolled in Grade 9 over a 10 year period beginning October 2000 (321 girls and 355 boys). A twotailed Pearson correlation test revealed a weak but statistically significant negative correlation between school-entry age and school grades in Grade 9 (r = -.083, p = .030). Students’ school-entry age was similarly correlated with their Brevet exam scores (r = - .087, p = .023). Further analysis revealed that the negative correlation was limited to a subsample of Grade 9 students who had delayed school entry beyond the age of eligibility (r = -.125, p = .046). No correlation was found between the age of school entry and achievement among Grade 9 students who had enrolled in kindergarten when they were age-eligible (p > 0.05). The study agrees with the findings of the general research that children, especially boys, who start school when they are older achieve more in kindergarten than their younger peers but finds no evidence of a school-entry age advantage at the Grade 9 level. The findings, therefore, do not support delaying school entry beyond the age of eligibility. Recommendations for future research are discussed.