Starting School Age (Coursework Sample)

Read the article "Starting School Age: the Evidence" found at the following link:
http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/discussion/school-starting-age-the-evidence
Do you agree with what the researchers are saying? Are we starting formal education too early? Why or why not? Be sure to backup your initial post using developmental theories and/or research.
Give resoponse to the following 2 post. (at least one reference for each response)
(1st post)
by Mariette 
Hi everyone, I disagree with the researchers' argument here for a number of reasons. First, much of the research on this area has found conflicting results as to whether children who begin school at a later age are at an advantage compared to younger peers. The researchers are basing their argument on the premise that students who begin school at a later age are more likely to have academic success compared to their younger peers. However, some research suggests that the factor that actually influences future academic achievement might be the child's readiness for school, rather than their actual age at school entry (Furlong & Quick, 2011). Young children with an enriched home and social environment are as likely to succeed academically as older children. Furthermore, a study by Sakic, Burusic and Babarovic (2013) found that, although children who begin school at a later age might be academically advanced in the early years of elementary school, these differences decrease near the end of elementary school and disappear as children move beyond elementary school.
Similar to Piaget's cognitive development belief that children are active agents in their development, I think that even young children can take an active role in their education. As Piaget argued, we tend to underestimate children's roles and their abilities to influence their education. I think that even young children will progress well if provided with an enriched environment. Thus, starting school at an early will not be disadvantageous to the children and may actually allow them to become more autonomous as they begin to learn about academic and behavioural responsibilities. 
Vygotsky's social development theory also fits here because he proposes that children's cognitive development is highly influenced by social interactions with their peers. I think that an early formal education offers the best opportunity for peer interactions as children interact socially with their peers, learn about acceptable social behaviours and take cues from their peers from an early age. This early exposure may help them navigate future social interactions with their peers as they age. 
I also think that children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds will benefit from an early start to formal education because they are already at a disadvantage. An early education gives them more time to catch up to their peers. 
Furlong, M., & Quirk, M. (2011). The relative effects of chronological age on Hispanic students' school readiness and grade 2 academic achievement. Contemporary School Psychology15, 81-92.
Sakic, M., Burusic, J., & Babarovic, T. (2013). The relation between school entrance age and school achievement during primary schooling: Evidence from Croatian primary schools. British Journal of Educational Psychology83 (4),651-663.
(2nd post)
by Christina
I do not agree with this article and I will provide the following literature to support the importance of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and the alteration in natural development and success of intervening early.
As of right now in England children start learning literacy and numeracy techniques at the age of four (University of Cambridge, 2013). Normally, children start counting shortly after learning to speak. By the age of three to four children can count accurately, and by four and a half he/she understands the concept of cardinality (Shaffer, Kipp, Wood, & Willoughby, 2013). Cardinality can be defined as the understanding that the last number in a set is the actual number of items in that set (Shaffer et al., 2013). Furthermore, at the age of seven our school curriculum states that children would be learning daily physical activities in school along with early reading and early math strategies (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2015). I believe delaying the start of formal school will delay and alter natural pathways such as arithmetic strategies and reading strategies in later years.
Lewis Terman developed a method for measuring intelligence using a ratio measure known as an intelligence quotient (IQ). An important aspect in scoring a high IQ is the importance of intervening early. This was demonstrated through the Carolina Abecedarian Project (Shaffer et al., 2013). The purpose of the Carolina Abecedarian Project was to demonstrate the effects of early intervention on intellectual and academic achievements in high-risk children. Results showed that with the intervention of special daycare programs, children who were at high-risk for being mildly retarded scored higher on the IQ test at the age of 12 compared to the control group (Shaffer et al., 2013). This project demonstrates the importance of implementing education at a young age in order to develop intellectually and academically. If these high-risk children did not receive any interventions until the age of 7, I believe their ability in developing cognitively would be substantially decreased. Therefore, I do not believe we are starting education too early. In fact, I believe starting education early can intervene and help identify children with learning disabilities, ultimately providing them with the extra help they need in developing academically.
Lastly, this article states the importance of childrens’ development through the value of playtime. However, theories such as Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory demonstrate the significance of childrens’ development through interaction with more knowledgeable members of society. Vygotsky developed the sociocultural theory, a theory in which children develop cognitively through beliefs, actions, values, and interaction with other knowledgeable members (Shaffer et al., 2013). School provides the opportunity for children to develop values and problem-solving skills while interacting with teachers or other children. Providing school at an early age allows children to develop and learn from knowledgeable individuals.
References 
Ontario Ministry of Education. The Ontario Curriculum: Elementary. (2015). Retrieved October 21, 2015, from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/grade2.html
Shaffer, D.R., Kipp, K., Wood, E., & Willoughby, T. (2013). Developmental psychology: Childhood and adolescence (4th Canadian ed.). Scarborough, ON: Nelson/Thomson.
University of Cambridge. School starting age: The evidence. (2013). Retrieved October 21, 2015, from http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/discussion/school-starting-age-the-evidence