Predicting reading, spelling, and mathematical skills: a longitudinal study from kindergarten through first grade

This 2-yr. longitudinal study contributes to the debate between the school readiness and emergent literacy approaches, individuating early markers for reading, spelling, and mathematical skills. 202 Italian children participated in this study (M age = 5.6 yr., SD = 0.3). In kindergarten, a wide range of children's domain-general and domain-specific skills were assessed through standardized tests. In primary school, children's reading, spelling, and mathematical competences were assessed through standardized tests. Results showed that domain-specific predictors contribute to the explanation of reading, spelling, and mathematical performances more than domain-general predictors do. Each primary school skill is mainly predicted by their respective domain-specific kindergarten skill, although some cross-domain relations exist, e.g., phonological awareness contributing to both reading and mathematical performances.