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This study examined the associations between intrinsic motivation and achievement in mathematics in a sample of 1,478 Canadian school-age children followed from Grades 1 to 4 (ages 7-10). Children self-reported their intrinsic motivation toward mathematics, whereas achievement was measured through direct assessment of mathematics abilities. Cross-lagged models showed that achievement predicted intrinsic motivation from Grades 1 to 2, and from Grades 2 to 4. However, intrinsic motivation did not predict achievement at any time. This developmental pattern of association was gender invariant. Contrary to the hypothesis that motivation and achievement are reciprocally associated over time, our results point to a directional association from prior achievement to subsequent intrinsic motivation. Results are discussed in light of their theoretical and practical implications.

Home environment quality is a well-known predictor of school readiness (SR), although the underlying processes are little known. This study tested two hypotheses: (a) child language mediates the association between home characteristics (socioeconomic status and exposure to reading) and SR, and (b) genetic factors partly explain the association between language and SR. Data were collected between 6 and 63 months in a large sample of twins. Results showed that home characteristics had direct effects on SR and indirect effects through child language. No genetic correlation was found between language and SR. These results suggest that home characteristics affect SR in part through their effect on early language skills, and show that this process is mainly environmental rather than genetic in nature.School readiness (SR) is a multidimensional construct that includes behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and knowledge components that make the child ''ready to learn'' at school entry (Blair, 2002;Chew, 1981). As SR assessments are quite heterogeneous in content, their predictive validity regarding future school achievement tends to vary greatly (for a review, see LaParo & Pianta, 2000). Some have argued that fluid cognitive skills, such as executive functions and memory, are better predictors of future school achievement (Blair, 2006). However, more crystallized preacademic knowledge components typically assessed in SR batteries, such as number, letter, and color knowledge, have been shown to predict early school achievement over and above general cognitive ability Hess, Holloway, Dickson, & Price, 1984;Lemelin et al., 2007). Children who lack the underlying basic knowledge of the early curriculum may experience difficulties in keeping up. Moreover, preacademic knowledge likely reflects both the underlying fluid cognitive skills needed for early learning, as well as the exposure to basic knowledge (Blair, 2006). Therefore, focusing on preacademic knowledge is a valid way of assessing SR.It is generally assumed that SR can be traced back to prior influences in the home environment (Hess et al., 1984;Melhuish et al., 2008; NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, 2000). Indeed, many characteristics of the home environment, including attachment security and continuing sensitive care, verbal stimulation, access to educational material in the home, and specific parental practices such as reading with the child, have been linked to SR (Belsky & Fearon, 2002;Bradley & Caldwell, 1984;Britto, Brooks-Gunn, & Griffin, 2006;Connell & Prinz, 2002;McLoyd, 1998;Reese, Cox, Harte, & McAnally, 2003;Stipek & Ryan, 1997). In addition, the gains in SR by children of head start were shown to be greater when parents were more involved in the program (Parker, Boak, Griffin, Ripple, & Peay, We are grateful to the parents and the twins participating in the Quebec Newborn Twin Study. We also thank Hélène Paradis and Bei Feng for their assistance in data management and preparation, and Jocelyn Malo for coordinating the data collection. This rese...

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