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ERIC Number: ED581842
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 153
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-0-3554-9939-1
ISSN: EISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Teachers' Perceptions of Kindergarten Readiness Indicators
Boylan, Tronya E.
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Widener University
The study of school readiness is multifaceted, encompassing an understanding of many developmental areas and skills. In the current educational culture of high-stakes testing, increased rigor, and high learning expectations, parents may be concerned about a child's readiness to begin kindergarten. With increased accountability, teachers may also be concerned about the level of readiness students demonstrate upon entering the kindergarten classroom. One concern teachers might have is that they will be judged based on their students' success; if the children enter kindergarten before they are ready to succeed, this will reflect poorly on the teachers. The purpose of this study was to identify the components teachers perceived to be important indicators of readiness for kindergarten entrance to promote improved student achievement of our youngest learners. Kindergarten teachers employed in public school districts located in a suburban county of southeastern Pennsylvania during the 2016-2017 school year were the target population for this study. A survey and interviews were used to collect data to gather teachers' perceptions of readiness following the 2010 adoption of the Pennsylvania Common Core standards. The researcher compared teachers' perceptions reported on this survey and the results from a similar survey conducted in 1993 to determine if changes in expectations for readiness have occurred. In summary, the researcher used descriptive statistics and themes discovered through interviews to determine that teachers overall rated Attitude Toward Learning (ATL), Social and Emotional Development (SAED), and Physical and Motor Development (PAMD) as the multidimensional perspectives that children should have in place in order to be considered ready for kindergarten and its increased curricular expectations. Additionally, teachers suggested that independence, social skills, and fine motor skills are also important indicators of kindergarten readiness. Based on this study, teachers agreed that although the expectations for kindergarten students have become more academic in 2017, it is not necessary for students to have mastered academic skills to be ready for admission. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Kindergarten
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Pennsylvania
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A