A SIGNIFICANT GAP EXISTS in the Australian literature in the disproportionate over-representation of boys in grade repetition in early schooling. The current study aims to contribute to the evidence-based research in grade repetition in early schooling in Australia by drawing on, and offering an analysis of, data from Queensland's state education department, the Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE). Descriptive statistics and relative risk ratio were the methods employed to analyse the data and assess the relative risk of grade repetition for boys. Findings show that boys are over-represented in grade repetition in the year prior to schooling and in all year levels of early schooling (Prep to Year 3). Contributing factors to the disproportionate over-representation of boys in early grade repetition are discussed and recommendations for future policy and practice are suggested.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AckermanD. J., & BarnettW. S. (2005). Prepared for Kindergarten: What does ‘readiness’ mean? National Institute for Early Education Research Policy Report. Retrieved 15 January, 2015, from http://nieer.org/resources/policyreports/report5.pdf.
2.
AllowayN. (1995). Foundation stones: The construction of gender in early childhood.Carlton, VIC: Curriculum Corporation.
3.
AndersonR. (2008). Ready, set, don't go: Pre-school retention practices that restrict children's access to school. (Unpublished PhD dissertation). James Cook University of North Queensland, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
4.
Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). (2012). National Quality Framework. Retrieved 15 January, 2015, from www.acecqa.gov.au/national-quality-framework.
5.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2010). Australian curriculum. Retrieved 16 January, 2015, from www.australiancurriculum.edu.au.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2014). National assessment program. Retrieved 16 January, 2015, from www.nap.edu.au/about/about-acara.html.
8.
Australian Early Development Census (AEDC). (2014). About the AEDC. Retrieved 16 January, 2015, from www.aedc.gov.au/researchers.
BrophyJ. (2006). Grade repetition.Paris, France/Brussels, Belgium: International Academy of Education/International Institute for Educational Planning.
11.
CannonJ. S., & LipscombS. (2011). Early grade retention and student success evidence from Los Angeles. Retrieved 12 January, 2015, from www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_311JCR.pdf.
ChildsG., & McKayM. (2001). The influence of family background on teachers' ratings of children starting school. Australian Journal of Psychology, 49(1), 33–41.
14.
ConnollyP. (2004). Boys and schooling in the early years.London, UK: Routledge Falmer.
15.
DaviesB. (1989). Frogs and snails and feminist tales: Preschool children and gender.Sydney, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
DockettS., & PerryB. (2007). Transitions to school: Perceptions, expectations, experiences.Sydney, NSW: University of New South Wales Press.
22.
DockettS., & PerryB. (2013). Trends and tensions: Australian and international research about starting school. International Journal of Early Years Education, 21(2–3), 163–177.
23.
EiversA. R., BrendgenM., & BorgeA. I. H. (2010). Stability and change in prosocial and antisocial behaviour across the transition to school: Teacher and peer perspectives. Early Education and Development, 21(6), 843–864. doi: 10.1080/10409280903390684
24.
GrahamL. J. (2012). Disproportionate over-representation of Indigenous students in New South Wales government special schools. Cambridge Journal of Education, 41(4), 163–176.
25.
HongG., & RaudenbushS. (2005). Effects of kindergarten retention policy on children's cognitive growth in reading and mathematics. Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 27(3), 205–224.
26.
HongG., & YuB. (2006). Kindergarten retention and children's cognitive growth in reading and mathematics: Four years of follow-up. Paper presented at the Public Policies and Child Well-Being Conference, Evergreen Marriott Conference Centre, Stone Mountain Park, Atlanta, GA, May 15–16, 2006.
27.
HughesJ. N., ChenQ., ThoemmesF., & KwokO. (2010). An investigation of the relationship between retention in first grade and performance on high stakes test in 3rd grade. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 32, 166–182.
28.
JimersonS. R. (2001). A synthesis of grade retention research: Looking backward and moving forward. California School Psychologist, 6, 47–59.
29.
JimersonS. R. (2004). Is grade retention educational malpractice? Empirical evidence from meta-analyses examining the efficacy of grade retention. In WalbergH.J., ReynoldsA.C. & WangM.C. (Eds.), Can unlike students learn together?: Grade retention, tracking and grouping (pp. 71–96). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
30.
McGrathH. (2006). To repeat, or not to repeat. WAPPA words (Western Australia Primary Principals' Association, Perth), 26(2), 39–46.
31.
MeiselsS. J. (1999). Assessing readiness. In PiantaR.C. & CoxM.J. (Eds.), The transition to kindergarten (pp. 39–66). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECSSDE). (2000). Still unacceptable trends in kindergarten entry and placement: NAECS/SDE position paper. Retrieved 16 January, 2015, from www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Psunacc.pdf.
34.
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved 16 January, 2015, from www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/position%20statement%20Web.pdf.
RebackR. (2008). Teaching to the rating: School accountability and the distribution of student achievement. Journal of Public Economics, 92(5–6), 1394–1415.
38.
Townsville North and West District Office, Department of Education, Training and the Arts (DETA), Education Queensland. (personal communication, 14 October, 2006). Tele-conference regarding the introduction of the Prep year in 2007.
XiaN., & KirbyS. N. (2009). Retaining students in grade: A literature review of the effects of retention on students' academic and non-academic outcomes. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. Retrieved 12 January, 2015, from www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2009/RAND_TR678.pdf.
