London - Children from large families do worse in the classroom, according to a study.
Results in reading and numeracy were up to five percent worse for children with two or more siblings than for those with one or none. Boys from larger families were found to be affected more than girls.
Having more siblings also raised the risk of falling into the bottom two-fifths of the class and reduced the chance of featuring in the top two-fifths.
The researchers, who will present their findings to the Royal Economic Society’s annual conference, warned that parents rarely recognised the problem.
The academics at the University of Melbourne in Australia examined the results of more than 1 800 children aged eight to 11.
They said the findings amounted to strong evidence of a “quantity-quality trade-off” in child-rearing.
“Educational penalties for children from larger families occur – and the effect is greater for boys than girls,” said Julie Moschion, who co-authored the study.
“The size of a family is an often neglected issue in the discussion of educational outcomes.”
A separate strand of the study examined teachers’ attitudes and found a “negative bias” against children growing up in larger family units. - Daily Mail