Can we predict non-response in developmental tasks? Assessing the longitudinal relation between toddlers' non-response and early academic skills

Sybren Spit*, Hanna Mulder, Carolien van Houdt, Josje Verhagen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

To date, virtually no studies have examined toddlers' non-response in developmental tasks. This study investigates data from 3667 toddlers to address (1) whether two aspects of non-response (completion and engagement) are separable, (2) how stable these aspects are from ages two to three, (3) how non-response relates to background characteristics, and (4) whether non-response at ages two and three predicts early academic skills at age six. Structural equation modelling shows that completion and engagement are separable constructs, relatively stable across age, and related to several background characteristics. Especially engagement predicts later academic performance. Results show that non-response in behavioural tasks in toddlers is not random, increasing the likelihood of sampling bias and lack of generalizability in developmental studies.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2376
Pages (from-to)1-18
JournalInfant and Child Development
Volume32
Issue number1
Early online date17 Oct 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Infant and Child Development published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Keywords

  • early academic skills
  • non-response
  • representativity
  • task completion
  • task engagement
  • toddlers

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