Ontogeny of School Failure: Classification of First-Grade Children

Abstract

The ontogeny of school failure was addressed by examining the characteristics of 112 first-grade children, 63 of whom were considered at risk for school failure. Measures of achievement, intelligence, behavior, language, and learning potential were used with cluster analysis techniques to identify six empirically derived clusters that were replicated across two samples. Three profiles represented variations of normal performance, and three represented atypical patterns suggestive of learning disabilities, mild mental retardation, and language problems. These interpretations were validated by cluster differences on the degree of risk for referral, observed classroom behavior, and achievement variables not used in the cluster analysis. The variability of skills evident across the clusters, in addition to the composition of the clusters, suggested that teachers cope with a high degree of heterogeneity in their classrooms, that their referrals are not based solely on one dimension of children’s psychometric performance, and that certain multivariate profiles are associated with higher risk of referral. By capturing this variability it may be possible to design interventions that ameliorate the risk of failure for some groups of children.