Relative Age Effects and Gender Differences in the National Test of Numeracy: A Population Study of Norwegian Children

Abstract

Relative age effect (RAE) refers to the phenomenon by which children born early in their year of birth perform more highly than children born later in the same cohort. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an RAE exists in the Norwegian numeracy test for 5th, 8th, and 9th graders (National sample of 175,760). The results showed that the RAE is consistent across 5th, 8th, and 9th graders for both boys and girls. Mean scores decreased systematically with month of birth for both genders, and the mean scores for boys were higher compared with girls. The most interesting result and novelty is the gender difference in RAE observed analyzing high- vs. low scorers. Boys born early in the year were overrepresented as high scorers (RAE advantage), whereas girls born late in the year were overrepresented as low scorers (RAE disadvantage). It would be beneficial for researchers, teachers and education policymakers to be aware of RAE, both in terms of the practical use and implications of test results and to help identify strategies to adjust for relative age differences in national tests.

Differences on Motor Competence in 4-Year-Old Boys and Girls Regarding the Quarter of Birth: Is There a Relative Age Effect?

“…In this sense, several strategies are proposed to take into account to implement Physical Education interventions according to our research questions: (1) designing and implementing Physical Education sessions based on the student’s motor competence levels, individualizing learning. Boys and girls achieve motor competence unevenly in different tasks (manual dexterity, grasping and throwing, and balancing) [ 20 , 21 , 22 ], and younger ones have less motor competence than older ones (within the same cohort) [ 29 , 38 , 39 ]; (2) design and implement Physical Education curricular tasks with a logical and organized progression that creates a challenge (we must propose tasks that are achievable by all: boys, girls, adults, and children) [ 57 ]; (3) increase motivation in physical education classes, contributing to the success of the proposed tasks (tasks should be attractive to everyone, respecting their individual tastes and motivations); (4) the time of motor experiences is a determining factor in the development of motor competence [ 58 ], so it is necessary to allow more free time to play and specific physical education during the school day for preschool children (variety of materials and appropriate practice locations) [ 6 , 59 , 60 ]; (5) use other school environments, such as recess and classroom breaks to carry out Fundamental Movement Skills-based programs [ 61 ], since the more time of practice, the better motor competence [ 32 , 33 ].…”

“…These discrepancies with respect to gender may be due to the fact that in these studies, the relative age of the children has not been taken into account, understanding by Relative Age Effect (RAE) the fact by which children born earlier, in the year calendar within a cohort, perform better than those born later [ 29 ]. These differences may also be due to different sports practices in different geographic areas (for example, baseball in the United States) that help or difficult the development of certain types of skills [ 30 ].…”

Exploring the Associations Between Delayed School Entry and Achievement in Primary and Secondary School

“…Despite this, studies that include an investigation of gender in the context of delayed school entry are surprisingly rare. One study of relative age, gender, and math achievement in Norway demonstrated that boys in the oldest quartile were over-represented in the highest achievement group, whereas girls in the youngest quartile were overrepresented in the lowest achievement group (Aune, Ingvaldsen, Vestheim, Bjerkeset, & Dalen, 2018). Similarly, Morrison et al (1997) demonstrated a significant interaction between gender and delayed entry group for mathematics achievement in Grade 1 with boys outperforming girls in the delayed entry group, but not among on-time entrants.…”

A Population Study of Relative Age Effects on National Tests in Reading Literacy

“…Consequently, all children born in the same calendar year start at the same time, yet the school year starts in August and ends in June. This means that the age difference in one single class or cohort can vary by up to a year (Aune et al, 2018). Studies have repeatedly found that differences in month of birth have a significant influence on academic achievement.…”

“…These differences are often referred to as the “birthday effect,” “month of birth effect,” “age at school entry effect,” “season of birth effect,” and/or “relative age effect” (Angrist and Keueger, 1991; Musch and Grondin, 2001; Robertson, 2011; Ponzo and Scoppa, 2014). Studies have found that relative age effects (RAEs) are both systematic and persistent in the schooling system (Jinks, 1961; Cobley et al, 2009; Aune et al, 2015, 2018; Dalen et al, 2017). More specifically, relatively younger children achieve lower scores and more often have special needs, including special education (Wallingford and Prout, 2000; Cobley et al, 2009).…”