Being shy or having withdrawal behaviour reduces the children's ability to excel academically, researchers say.
According to the findings of the study published in the Journal of School Psychology, preschool children who show shy or withdrawal behavior during the beginning of their school years are more likely to score low in literacy and mathematics at the end of the year.
"Preschool children who are very introverted tend to 'disappear within the classroom,'" New York Daily News quoted Elizabeth R. Bell co-author of the study, as saying. "It appears that while these children are not causing problems in the school, they are also not engaging in classroom activities and interactions, where almost all learning occurs during this age."
Bulotsky-Shearer and colleagues included 4,420 pre-Kindergarten children aged between three and five for their analysis. Emotional and behavioral features of the students were recorded and compared with their academic performance during the beginning, middle and end of the year.
Researchers found 12 percent of total children mildly or extremely disengaged.
Shy and withdrawn children "started and ended the year with the lowest literacy and mathematics scores of all children," The Star quoted the authors as saying.
Through their study, the investigators expect to help parents and teachers in better identification of the children who are at greater risk of falling behind.
"The point is we can't just pay attention to the disruptive kids," lead author Dr. Rebecca Bulotsky-Shearer told the Star. "The shy children are so easily overlooked."
Now Bulotsky-Shearer is planning to study the reasons behind the occurrence and the impact.
Earlier, in June researchers from Umea University and Stockolm University studied 16 year-old children for 27 years and found children who were isolated and unpopular during school days suffering from a series of health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and bad blood fats later in life.
