The opposite of assertive is, meek. Secondly, when you look at the statistics in this bit of witch-doctoring, you'll see that the facts are far less compelling than the presumed conclusions. Let's step back. If we are seriously worried about aggressive, assertive or defiant behavior in our children, why not devote attention to the conspicuous, not the dubious. On America's fields of play, aggressive behavior is glorified.
Intimidation is considered an attribute.
Maybe we should worry more about taking kids to the playoffs than taking them to day care. Too narrow because the nature of our children cannot be discerned from some discreet, eight-hour interval of their weekdays. And so have you. The study is too broad because it generalizes about day care. The premise seems to be that day care is an economic contrivance forced on us when Ozzie couldn't pay the bills and Harriet had to go to work instead of stay home where she belonged.