Objective: To investigate the developmental pathway of school failure from
age 8 to age 11 by gender when the main effects and interactions of family adversity
and the level of kindergarten disruptive behaviour were accounted for.
Method: A population sample of boys (n = 862) and girls
(n = 985) were followed from kindergarten up to age 11. Family adversity
and disruptive behaviour were measured in kindergarten and school failure was
assessed from ages 8 to 11. Results: A logit-linear analysis on the
patterns of school failure revealed that there was no significant difference in the
proportion of boys and girls transferred from an age-appropriate regular class by
the end of elementary school. However, the age at which this transfer occurred
differed by gender: Girls were found to experience failure later than boys do. The
results also indicated that both family adversity and kindergarten disruptive
behaviour had an effect on the proportion and age at which children were transferred
from an age-appropriate regular class. Conclusion: Findings underline that
the academic performance and delinquency relationship may be developmentally
different by gender. Further research focused on understanding the impact of school
failure by gender is needed to clarify these issues.
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