“Type of Preschool Preparation and its Impact on Kindergarten Readiness”

Research Proposal

Jamie Bruemmer

Research Methods, MAL 514

Professor Joseph Volker, Ph.D., L.P

June 29, 2010

 “Type of Preschool Preparation and its Impact on Kindergarten Readiness”

Jamie Bruemmer

Introduction

The means by which a child is considered “ready” for Kindergarten has drastically
changed over the years. What began as a place where play based learning was the
emphasis, Kindergarten has now become more academically and educationally based.
Preschools have become more academically and educationally based. Five year olds
entering Kindergarten today must be able to do more than just tie their shoes, say their
name, and color within the lines. Because of the change that is occurring within the
system, Early Childhood Education teachers must be able to prepare their students to
ensure that they are meeting new expectations for Kindergarten readiness. Early
Childhood Education teachers and Preschool programs act as agents in preparing their
children for Kindergarten and overall academic success (Spodek, 1998).

According to President Barak Obama, “Children in early childhood education

programs are more likely to score higher in reading and math, more likely to graduate
from high school and attend college, more likely to hold a job, and more likely to earn
more in that particular job” (Obama, 2009). Children begin their preparation for school
at an early age. According to the National Association for the education of Young
Children, three main approaches to early childhood education are typically seen in
today’s society. These approaches to learning and Kindergarten preparation are center
based care, informal care, and no extra care (www.NAEYC.org).

Center based care is defined as a setting where care and education is provided in a
location such as a business or religious program. These programs include nationally
funded programs such as Head Start, locally funded programs within the school district,
and privately run center-based care. Informal care can be defined as care provided for a
small group of children through family care, in-home care, and relative care. Family care
is identified as care provided for a group of children in a private home by nonrelatives.
In home care is provided by a person other than a parent or relative within the child’s
home. This would include such care as from a nanny. Relative care is defined as child
care provided by a person related to the child other than a parent. The final approach to
learning, no extra care, is defined as having none of the above experiences prior to
Kindergarten entry (Fantuzzo et al. 2005).
 Whatever the approach may be to early childhood education, all experiences
whether center based, home based, or relative based are educational for children and aide
in preparing a child for Kindergarten.

According to Barnett, participation in preschool programs has a direct correlation

between short and long term increases in achievement and school success (Barnett,
1995). This research proposes to investigate the relationship between center-based, home
based, and relative based preschool education and its impact on Kindergarten readiness
and overall academic success. Through the research process, the studies will identify
what type of care has a greater impact on Kindergarten readiness. The findings of this
study will also help identify what contributions preschool attendance has, and its
relationship to Kindergarten readiness.

Literature Review:

The literature review for this research proposal includes a summary and critical
analysis of three empirical research studies conducted and published between 1991 and
2005. Each of these research studies evaluates the relationship between preschool
attendance and Kindergarten readiness.

In a study conducted by Kathryn Kees Taylor, Albert Gibbs, and John Slate,
research was done to investigate the relationship between preschool attendance and
school readiness. The study was conducted to determine if there was a direct relationship
between preschool participation and school readiness, and whether there was a difference
in readiness based on the type of preschool that a child attended (Taylor et al. 2000).

One hundred and seventy one students participated in the study. Of these students
ninety one were boys and eighty were girls. The students who were involved with the
study attended kindergarten in a rural town in South Georgia during the 1996/1997
school year. The total number of students who participated in the study were placed into
two categories, students who attended preschool (n=81) and students who did not enter
preschool (n=90).

The students were assessed using the Georgia Kindergarten Assessment Program
(GKAP; Georgia Department of Education, 1993). The purpose of this tool was to
measure Kindergarten readiness. The GKAP assessed five areas: Communicative,
Logical-mathematical, Physical, Personal, and Social. Within the assessed areas, key
indicators were used to further analyze the students’ abilities. When being assessed in
the key five areas, a teacher would respond “yes” if the child demonstrated a satisfactory
level, and “no” if the child experienced difficulty in the area. The GKAP assessment tool
was scored through teacher observation of child’s behaviors (Taylor et. al, 2000).
 The results of the research concluded that the students who participated in a
preschool program possessed higher scores than students who did not participate in a
preschool program. For the students who attended preschool, 96.3% exhibited
proficiency in the communication area, 95.1% in the logical-mathematical, 100% in the
physical, 98.8% in personal, and 97.5% in the social capability. Students who did not
attend preschool demonstrated 93.3% proficiency in communication, 93.3% in logical-
mathematical, 93.3% in the physical, 93.3% in the personal, and 91.1% in the logical-
mathematical areas. Overall, students who attended preschool prior to Kindergarten
passed at 93.8%, whereas students who did not attend preschool demonstrated a passing
score of 84.4% (Taylor et. al, 2000).

Because this study examined test scores of a small sample of a group of students
in one particular elementary school in one small town in a rural county, there is a
limitation to generalizing the results. Another limitation to this study is that there is no
random assignment. Within this study, the students were already assigned the group of
preschool or non-preschool. There is no conclusion that these results directly reflect
Kindergarten readiness due to preschool attendance. It does, however, suggest that
preschool attendance may be directly related to better overall Kindergarten readiness.
Because of these results, one can conclude that preschool attendance may result in
students being better prepared for Kindergarten.

In a study of 2314 children in California entering Kindergarten, researchers

examined whether attendance in center-based preschool programs yielded gains in early
learning and social skills (Bridges et. al, 1998). This study was conducted by the
National Center for Educational Statistics during the 1998/1999 school year. The
students chosen for the sample were selected from 139 California schools. The students
were chosen through a random drawing from 139 California schools that had
Kindergarten classes. From these 139 schools, 2314 kindergarten students were selected
to partake in the study. From the 139 schools, the 2314 Kindergarten students were
randomly drawn from the Kindergarten rosters. During this research, The National
Center for Educational Statistics interviewed parents of Kindergarten children. The
interviews conducted asked parents to describe their backgrounds, and overall practices
with their children. A research team was also formed to directly assess and ask teachers
to gauge the selected children’s cognitive and linguistic proficiencies, early knowledge of
numbers and mathematical understandings. An assessment was given by a field
researcher sitting with an individual child. The assessment included items testing
vocabulary, letter recognition, and understanding of the structure of children’s story
books (Bridges et. al, 1998).
 The results of the study concluded that the children who attended center-based
programs enter kindergarten at an average of two months ahead in pre-reading and
approximately one month ahead in early math (Bridges et. al, 1998). The study also
concluded that there is a direct correlation between the length of time a child is enrolled
in a center-based program before the age of four and test scores. Children who entered
center-based programs at an earlier age showed higher pre-reading and language skills.
They also demonstrated higher math proficiencies compared to students who entered
center-based programs later in their childhood.

According to the results of the study conducted by the National Center for
Educational Statistics, it attempts to show that children benefit educationally by being
enrolled in a center-based program before the age of four. The limitations of this study
are as follows. This study is a sample of only 2314 students in California schools. The
research indicates that there may be a relationship between center-based attendance and
school readiness in California, but it does not take into account other areas.

In a 1994 study sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and human
Development examined the influence of center-based early education on Kindergarten
outcomes for children entering Kindergarten. A sample of 3,969 Kindergarten students,
in a large urban school district participated in the study. Children were equally
distributed between males and females. Sixty-four percent were African American, 17%
Caucasian, 15% Hispanic, 4% Asian, and1% Native American. The students were from
172 elementary schools, all operating with full day Kindergarten. Nearly two thirds of
the children entering Kindergarten had formal, center-based care before entering
Kindergarten. One of five had no extra child care experiences, and 15% had informal
home-based experiences.

Standardized performance assessments were used to measure entry level readiness

and progress during Kindergarten. The assessments were conducted by the Kindergarten
teachers in the district. Five performance assessments were used: Language Arts skills,
mathematics skills, social knowledge, motor skills, and work habits.

The study demonstrated that that the students who participated in formal center-
based preschools performed at higher academic levels compared to students who did not
attend center-based preschool. Students who entered Kindergarten with previous center-
based preschool performed significantly higher in language arts, mathematics, motor
skills, social knowledge, and attendance (Fantuzzo et. al, 2005).
 This research study supports the relationship between children’s experiences prior
to entering Kindergarten and overall academic success. The limitations of this study
would be the programs that were evaluated. This study does not assess the quality of the
programs that the children attended before entering Kindergarten. Another limitation to
this study is the reliability of the expert judges. There may be a bias or non-universal
way of evaluation.

In summary, this literature review suggests that there is a direct correlation

between preschool attendance and Kindergarten readiness. Studies throughout the United
States indicate that center-based preschool education has a positive impact on
Kindergarten readiness and continued academic success. According to RMC Research
Corporation, “many studies find at least short-term effects and there is accumulating
evidence of long-term benefits from some efforts, such as comprehensive, intensive
preschool programs for children (Transitions to Kindergarten in American Schools,
1992). It is also stated that it is statistically shown that students who attended preschool
tend to score higher on achievement tests, and are less likely to be repeat a grade or be
placed in a special education program if they attended a preschool program (Frede and
Barnett, 1992). Through preschool attendance, students will be more prepared for
Kindergarten, and thus have higher academic success.

Methodology

This research study will sample children who will be entering Kindergarten
during the 2010/2011 academic school year. The children will be tested on their
Kindergarten readiness level using the Phelps Kindergarten Readiness Scale, Second
Edition (PKRS-II). This test accesses the academic readiness of children prior to entering
Kindergarten. The Phelps Kindergarten Readiness Scale is designed to test children in
three domains, verbal processing, perceptual processing, and auditory processing. Each
processing domain has a mean of 10 and a standard deviation of 3. Through these three
domains, a total readiness score is obtained to test the level of readiness of the student.
The verbal processing domain tests a child’s knowledge of word meanings, and
the ability to identify and comprehend verbal relationships. The three subtests in the
verbal processing domain are vocabulary, verbal reasoning, and analogies .The
perceptual processing domain assesses the child’s ability to compare shapes visually and
reproduce designs. These designs become increasingly more complex as the test
progresses. There are two subtests included in the perceptual processing domain. These
subtests are visual discrimination and perceptual motor. The auditory processing domain
assesses a child’s ability to differentiate between sounds and remember material
presented auditorily. The subtests in the auditory processing domain include auditory
discrimination, auditory digit memory, and memory for sentences/stories (Phelps, 2003).
The score to determine if a child is academically and developmentally ready for
Kindergarten will be obtained through the total readiness score. The total raw score is
converted to a standard score which will result in a mean of 100, and a standard deviation
of 15. The higher the score will indicate greater readiness to begin Kindergarten.
A minimum of 500 children will participate in this study. The independent
variable in the study will be the type of pre-Kindergarten experience the children had
prior to entering Kindergarten. The students will be assigned to three groups based on
their pre-Kindergarten experiences. The three groups will include children who attended
a center-based preschool, children who attended home-based preschool, and children who
have no form of preschool upon entering Kindergarten.
The children who participate in the study that attended either center-based or
home-based preschool will be recruited through various child care centers and home day
care centers throughout the state of Minnesota. The children that did not attend either
center-based or home-based preschool will be recruited through various moms’ groups in
Minnesota. The children that participate in the study will be recruited through written
permission from their parents. Upon agreement, the parents will provide the child’s
preschool background, gender, and race.
Upon selection, the subjects will participate in the Phelps Kindergarten Readiness test.
The Phelps Kindergarten Readiness test is widely used among schools to predict the
readiness of students entering Kindergarten. According to a study to determine the
reliability and validity of the Phelps Kindergarten Readiness tests, it is conclusive that the
Phelps Kindergarten Readiness test indicates good concurrent and predictive validity of
the PKRS-II. School professionals may use the Phelps Kindergarten Readiness test with
confidence to screen children entering school (Duncan, 2005).

The test will take approximately twenty minutes to complete. Upon completion,
test scores will be calculated. Once the tests have been calculated, the results will be
grouped according to preschool background.
The study in correspondence with the Phelps Kindergarten Readiness Scale will
determine the correlation between preschool participation and Kindergarten readiness.
The results of the test will also aide in the determination if one type of preschool better
prepares its students for Kindergarten.
References
Barnett, W.s. (1995). Long-term effects of early childhood programs on cognitive and

school outcomes. The Future of Children, 5, 25-50.

Bridges, Margaret (1998). Preschool for California’s Children. PACE Child Development

Projects.

Duncan, Jennifer (2005). Concurrent and predictive validity of the Phelps kindergarten
readiness Scale-II. Psychology in the Schools, Vol. 42, 4.

National Association for the Education of Young Children. www.naeyc.org

Nurss, Joanne (1987). Readiness for kindergarten. ERIC Digest. Retrieved June 10, 2010
from The World Wide Web: http://www.erigdigests.org/pre_928readiness.htm.
Obama, Barak. “Remarks at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on a Complete and
Competitive American Education.” Washington DC. 10 Mar. 2009.

Spodek, Bernard. The implicit theories of early childhood teachers. Early Childhood

Development and Care, Vol. 38, Issue 1, 1998.

Taylor, Kathryn Kees (2000). Preschool Attendance and Kindergarten Readiness. Early
Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 27, No. 3, 2000.