TY - JOUR
T1 - Classroom sex composition and first-grade school outcomes
T2 - The role of classroom behavior
AU - Pahlke, Erin
AU - Cooper, Carey E.
AU - Fabes, Richard
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for this project was provided by the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University as part of the Lives of Girls and Boys Enterprise (http://livesofgirlsandboy.org) and the Challenged Child Project. Support for Richard A. Fabes was provided, in part, by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (1 R01 HD45816). Support for Erin Pahlke was provided, in part, by a grant from the National Science Foundation (DRL-1138114).
PY - 2013/11
Y1 - 2013/11
N2 - Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (N= 21,409; 10,452 girls and 10,957 boys; mean age. = 7.24. years), the association between first-grade classroom sex composition (CSC), measured as the percentage of female students, and end of the year academic (reading, mathematics) and socio-emotional (externalizing problems, internalizing problems, self-control, interpersonal skills) outcomes was examined. Using multilevel modeling techniques and controlling for prior achievement levels, CSC was positively associated with children's reading achievement at the end of first grade; students performed better in reading in classes with a higher percentage of female students. CSC was also associated with three of the socio-emotional outcomes; controlling for prior levels, students in classrooms with a higher percentage of girls had better self-control and interpersonal skills and fewer internalizing problems. Classroom behavior mediated the effects of CSC on reading achievement and the socio-emotional outcomes. Implications for the composition of first-grade classrooms are discussed.
AB - Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (N= 21,409; 10,452 girls and 10,957 boys; mean age. = 7.24. years), the association between first-grade classroom sex composition (CSC), measured as the percentage of female students, and end of the year academic (reading, mathematics) and socio-emotional (externalizing problems, internalizing problems, self-control, interpersonal skills) outcomes was examined. Using multilevel modeling techniques and controlling for prior achievement levels, CSC was positively associated with children's reading achievement at the end of first grade; students performed better in reading in classes with a higher percentage of female students. CSC was also associated with three of the socio-emotional outcomes; controlling for prior levels, students in classrooms with a higher percentage of girls had better self-control and interpersonal skills and fewer internalizing problems. Classroom behavior mediated the effects of CSC on reading achievement and the socio-emotional outcomes. Implications for the composition of first-grade classrooms are discussed.
KW - Achievement
KW - Classroom behavior
KW - ECLS-K
KW - First grade
KW - Sex composition
KW - Socio-emotional outcomes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84882712231&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2013.07.009
DO - 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2013.07.009
M3 - Article
C2 - 24090858
AN - SCOPUS:84882712231
SN - 0049-089X
VL - 42
SP - 1650
EP - 1658
JO - Social Science Research
JF - Social Science Research
IS - 6
ER -