Repetition of the pre-primary year: The impact on literacy and socio-emotional outcomes in year 2

Davies and Fletcher reported on the practice of pre-primary grade repetition in Western Australia. The current study examines the longer- term academic and social outcomes for children who participated in the 2001 study. Its purpose was to determine whether significant longer- term differences existed between children who had repeated pre-primary, children who were considered at risk of not coping in year 1, and a control group of children who were considered competent at the start of year 1. The differences between the literacy levels, se/f-concept, and social skills of the 3 groups (n = 33) were examined at the end of year 2. The competent group had significantly better literacy skills than the at-risk group, while the retained group lay midway between the two groups on these measures. No significant differences were found between the 3 groups on measures of socio-emotional development. The implications of these findings for school policy on grade repetition are discussed