1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«Since children’s engagement is an important factor in their continued educational success, it appears necessary to examine its progression during early childhood and to determine the variables that would make it possible to predict its level at ages 3 and 5. However, very few longitudinal studies have been conducted on this subject. Based on these findings, this article aims to (1) describe the evolution of children’s level of engagement at 3 and 5 years of age in ECC [early childcare centers], and (2) explore the variables that may explain the transition from one engagement profile to the other between these two measurement times.» (p. 2632)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«The present study is part of a larger study that compares the impact of attendance at Quebec and French educational services during early childhood on child development between 3 and 5 years old. […] The original sample consisted of 205 children (n = 104 females) who were attending an ECC full-time (20h per week) at the time of recruitment at age 3. Of these, 151 children (n = 78 girls) were still participating in the research at age 5. The majority of the children (67.5%) had French as their first language.» (p. 2633)

Instruments :
-Grille d’analyse
-Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«With respect to the first objective, the latent transition analysis identified three child engagement profiles at ages 3 and 5: 1) a Low Engagement profile, characterized by scores generally in the lower range of the inCLASS scale, 2) a Low Engagement + profile with a mix of low scores and mid-level scores, and 3) a Medium Engagement profile, whose scores were more in the mid levels of the inCLASS scale. […] Thus, young children tend to exhibit positive engagement in early childcare services (low negative engagement), but their engagement is more pronounced toward the activities that are offered than toward the people with whom they interact. […] At the same time, the analysis showed that regardless of the child’s engagement profile at age 3, participants were more likely to transition to the Medium Engagement profile at age 5. […] Regarding the second objective of the study, our analyses showed that the socioeconomic status of the child’s family at age 5 was the only variable that predicted the transition from one profile to the other between the two measurement times.» (p. 2640)