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This study examined the early interests of 109 children and their subsequent information contributions and pursuits in kindergarten. Four groups of children with similar interests were identified on the basis of the children's profiles of activities in the home, tracked bimonthly for over a year. Activity patterns reflected conceptual, social, procedural, or creative interests. The role of early interests in understanding academic engagement was investigated, with gender, cognitive skill, and temperament statistically controlled. Observational data from throughout the school year revealed differences in the types of information that children contributed to discussions and pursued in class related to children's early interests. Findings enrich understanding of young children's academic behaviors and extend theoretical models of academic self-instruction behaviors such as information exchanges and pursuits in classrooms.
