School Entry Plays an Insignificant Role in Attention Performance, Impulse Control, and Motor Activity of Same-Aged Children from Preschool and Elementary School

Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie, vol. 51, pp. 93–104

Abstract

Abstract. The transition from preschool to elementary school places demands on children to pay attention, control their impulses, and avoid fidgeting. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have investigated whether these characteristics are influenced by elementary school entry. The current study compares same-aged preschool and elementary-school children regarding their attention performance, impulse control, and motor activity. A total of 60 children (30 preschool and 30 elementary school; 6 years old) underwent the Quantified Behavior (Qb) Test. The children’s parents responded to a conventional questionnaire for measuring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. We found that formal schooling (mean: 3 months) did not significantly affect the examined variables ( p > .05). The results imply that improvements in questionnaire and computer test scores shown by previous studies are rather caused by maturation than the educational context. The assumption that inattention ratings increase after school entry because inattention can be better observed in an academic setting could not be verified either. Our study substantiates that the normative data used in clinical practice need not consider the educational context.

Authors 3

1. Annika Kirschenkern Aachen Child Neuropsychology Section Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Medical Faculty

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Germany

   Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Germany

2. Kathrin Hoberg Aachen Social Paediatric Centre Division of Neuropaediatrics and Social Paediatrics Department of Paediatrics, Medical Faculty

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Social Paediatric Centre, Division of Neuropaediatrics and Social Paediatrics, Department of Paediatrics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Germany

   Social Paediatric Centre, Division of Neuropaediatrics and Social Paediatrics, Department of Paediatrics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Germany

3. Thomas Günther Pomorski Aachen Child Neuropsychology Section Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Medical Faculty

   RWTH Aachen University · Zuyd University of Applied Sciences

   Affiliation as printed

   Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Germany

   Zuyd University, Faculty of Health, Heerlen, The Netherlands

   Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Germany

   Zuyd University, Faculty of Health, Heerlen, The Netherlands