Children struggling in school could benefit from peers
Young schoolchildren who struggle to pick up vital language and literacy skills may benefit more from higher-skilled peers, a new study has found.
Research from the School of Teaching and Learning at Ohio State University, US, found that children placed in low-academic classes failed to improve their skills over one academic year but showed improvements when joined with children in higher class levels.
"The way preschool works in the United States, we tend to cluster kids who have relatively low language skills in the same classrooms and that is not good for their language development," said Laura Justice, lead author of the study.
Children of varied skills in language were part of the study including 338 youngsters in 49 different classrooms. They were asked to complete a standard set of tests in autumn and spring to see whether a change in learning occurred.
Ms Justice added that children from poorer backgrounds are often put in lower classes, but this could restrict their learning. She advised that classes should always be mixed ability to ensure peers can help each other.
A recent report from the Department for Education in the UK showed that one in five boys under the age of five struggle with simple literacy tasks.
