儿童学业成功的最重要因素与家庭背景无关

For years, scientists have documented the downsides of growing up poor.

多年来，科学家不断发现贫穷家庭给儿童造成的负面效应。

Studies have shown kids from low-income families are generally less ready to start school. They score lower on vocabulary tests and have more trouble concentrating in class. What's more, being chronically hungry, unsafe, or neglected can re-shape a developing child's brain, dosing it with toxic stress.

多项研究表明：低收入家庭的儿童在起跑线上就输了——他们的词汇测试分数更低，在课堂上更难集中注意力;另外，长期饥饿、不安全、被忽视会重塑儿童的大脑，给儿童带来压力。

New research published in the journal Pediatric Research in April suggests there may be one simple trait that can help kids learn and succeed in school, regardless of their socioeconomic background.

但如今，密歇根大学的一项新研究发现：无论儿童的社会经济背景如何，有一种特质能够帮助他们获得学业成功。

Researchers who looked at the reading and math scores of 6,200 kindergarteners in 2006 and 2007 found that those kids whose parents rated their children's behavior as most curious did the best in school, regardless of socioeconomic status. The results were consistent for both boys and girls, too.

研究人员分析了6,200名幼儿园儿童在2006年和2007年的阅读和数学成绩，结果发现：那些被父母评价为“行为最好奇”的儿童的在校成绩最棒——无论儿童是男是女，也无论他们的社会经济背景如何。

The high-performing kids from all walks of life liked trying new things, and were rated as more imaginative in both work and play by their parents.

这些来自各个阶层的优等生喜欢尝试新事物。无论在学习中还是在玩耍中，他们都被父母评价为“更具想象力”。

The kids' reading and math scores were consistently better the more curious they were. That was true even when the students weren't very good at a self-control measure called "effortful control," which tracks how attentive and persistent students are when completing tasks. The findings suggest that while traits like paying attention, controlling impulses, and delaying gratification may be important for young learners, being curious might matter more when it comes to learning new things.

孩子越好奇，阅读和数学成绩就越好——即便他们在“主动控制力”这项自控测试中表现不佳(该测试反映学生在完成任务时的专注程度和毅力程度)。研究结果显示：虽然注意力、冲动控制、延迟满足等特质对儿童的学习非常重要，但就学习新事物而言，好奇心可能更加重要。

As early childhood pioneer Jean Piaget once put it, kids are not "empty vessels to be filled with knowledge." Instead, they're "little scientists who construct their own theories of the world," he said.

正如儿童心理学家让·皮亚杰曾经说过，孩子不是“等待填充知识的空洞容器”，而是“自行构建世界观的小小科学家”。

Developing a sense of wonder, trying new things, and asking novel questions of the world are not the only ways that little ones across the socioeconomic spectrum can get better at learning their letters and numbers.

无论社会阶层如何，发展好奇心、尝试新事物、提出关于世界的新颖问题都能够帮助儿童更好地掌握数学和阅读。然而，这并非唯一的渠道。

For years, studies have shown that early childhood learning and preschool programs like the Head Start program can lead to better educational outcomes for a lifetime. Kids who attend Head Start are more likely to graduate high school, go to college, and develop better self-control and self-esteem, eventually becoming better parents themselves.

多年来，不断有研究表明：某些早教项目能够提高孩子的终身教育状况，例如：Head Start项目能够提高孩子的高中毕业率和大学入学率，提升孩子的自控力和自尊感，最终使他们成为更好的父母;

And a treasure trove of studies about kids who watch Sesame Street when they're young has also shown that singing along with Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch is a great way to develop literacy, emotional wellbeing, and respect.

观看《芝麻街》节目有助提高儿童的读写能力、情绪幸福感、自尊感。