According to a study, American children born in September are more likely to succeed in school. But in France, the determining month for the academic success of young schoolchildren is not the same, according to Vincent Joly, psychologist and psychotherapist.
Have you already made the connection between your child’s month of birth and his or her intellectual skills? An American study dating from 2017, carried out by researchers from the University of Toronto, the University of Florida and Northwestern and published in the magazine National Bureau of Economic Research, seriously considered the issue. They analyzed the academic performance and cognitive abilities of 1.2 million school children in Florida, aged 6 and 15. All were classified according to their month of birth. Researchers found that children born in September had better grades than others. They would generally be more likely to succeed in school than others, to pursue higher education and even to have better self-confidence. But in France, it is not the month of September…
According to the researchers, the main explanation lies in the fact that American children born in September are the ideal age to start school. In the case of the United States, children born in September are the oldest in a school year. As a result, they have “advanced” cognitive abilities, which allow them to learn easily and perform better, compared to other children who started school early. They also develop a certain self-confidence.
In France, the start of the year is decisive
If in the United States, the month of September is dedicated to little geniuses, in France, it is the month of January which is decisive. For the simple reason that in our country, it is the calendar year (from January 1 to December 31) that counts when entering CP, for example. Consequently, in our country, it is children born in January who are more likely to succeed in their studies. A recent investigationbased on data from the international program for monitoring student achievement at the OECD level and produced by economist Pauline Givord, demonstrated this.
For Vincent Joly, psychologist and psychotherapist for children and adolescents in Paris, the month of birth has a real impact on a child’s academic success. “The oldest children are those who succeed the best, particularly in primary school. Being born in January, therefore being a year older than a student born in December, has a significant impact. We have an IQ, thinking skills and emotional maturity of one year more. On the other hand, this is less true in middle or high school.” the expert explains to us.
Of course, the month of birth is not everything. Other factors are also determining, such as the sex of the child, the type of school they attend, the city in which they live, the level of education of their parents or even their socio-professional category. “The two main factors being the level of education and the social background of the parents”, specifies the psychologist. This is what a new France Stratégie reportan organization working for Matignon, published on Wednesday September 6, 2023: social origin “has the greatest impact on student trajectories” French.