Description:
The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a South Central Pennsylvania public school's pre-kindergarten program in preparing young children for the transition to kindergarten. Despite the growing interest in pre-kindergarten education, no researcher had yet seriously examined the efficacy of providing a minimal amount of pre-kindergarten experience and support to improve the readiness of students as they prepared to transition to kindergarten. The study employed a transformative mixed method approach to the research in order to address the problem of creating public school pre-kindergarten opportunities that effectively assist children in the transition to kindergarten in a South Central Pennsylvania public elementary school. Specifically, the study answered the following research questions: 1. What components of the pre-kindergarten program do teachers perceive as effective in supporting the transition needs of young learners? 2. What components of the pre-kindergarten program do parents perceive as effective in supporting the transition needs of young learners? 3. What are the statistically significant differences in kindergarten readiness, among students who attended the pre-kindergarten program when compared to those who did not attend any pre-kindergarten program, as measured by the DIAL-3 assessment? (author abstract)
Resource Type:
Reports & Papers
Country:
United States
State(s)/Territories/Tribal Nation(s):
Pennsylvania