Progress 07/01/04 to 06/30/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Professional Presentations: Lindauer, S.L.K. & Miller, K.H. Children's Transition to Kindergarten: A Survey of Utah Kindergarten Teachers' Perspectives. National Association for the Education of Young Children, December 2005. Lindauer, S.L.K., Wright, R., & McEuen, M. Factors Associated with Kindergarten Teachers' Developmentally Appropriate Beliefs and Practices and their Perceptions of Children's Kindergarten Readiness. National Association for the Education of Young Children, November, 2006. Lindauer, S.L.K., Darnell, M. M., Wright, R. E., & Groutage, F. A. Kindergarten Teachers' Developmentally Appropriate Beliefs and Practices and Their Perceptions of Children's Kindergarten Readiness: Comparing the Beginning and the End of the School Year. National Association for the Education of Young Children, November, 2007. Lindauer, S.L.K. The Gap Between Children's Readiness and Teachers' Expectations: Perspectives of Kindergarten Teachers. National Association for the Education of Young Children, November, 2008. Completed Theses: K. Marie Mecham (M.S., 2007). Kindergarten Teachers' Developmentally Appropriate Beliefs and Practices and Perceived Problems of Kindergarten Transition. Mary McEuen Darnell (M.S., 2008). A Study of Utah Teachers' Developmentally Appropriate Beliefs and Practices as Related to Perceptions of Kindergarteners' Successful School Entry. Trisha Hawes (M.S., 2008). Student Teachers' Beliefs and Practices About Developmentally Appropriate Practice for Infants and Toddlers. Submitted Manuscripts: Lindauer, S.L.K. Factors Associated with Kindergarten Teachers' Developmentally Appropriate Beliefs and Practices. Lindauer, S.L.K. Kindergarten Teachers' Developmentally Appropriate Beliefs and Practices: A Comparison Between the Beginning and the End of the School Year. Lindauer, S.L.K. Factors Associated With Children's Transition to Kindergarten: Teachers' Perceptions of Readiness. Additional Students Currently Writing M.S. Theses Using Data: Tiscia Westerman Rachelle Wright Ruth Liebschutz PARTICIPANTS: The participants in the study were kindergarten teachers in 36 of 40 Utah school districts. 863 surveys were distributed, with 455 pretest (48%) and 304 (35%)posttest surveys being returned. There are currently 212 matched sets of data (25%). TARGET AUDIENCES: There are several target audiences which can be identified. Particularly interested in this study are school district administrators (superintendents and principals) who are grappling with issues of resolving conflicts between developmentally appropriate practice and testing/standard demands of No Child Left Behind. A recent panel to examine the efficacy of the Early Childhood Education licensure in Utah has been very interested by this study's findings. Of particular note has been the finding that teachers in this study with Early Childhood Education endorsements had significantly higher developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices both at the beginning and the end of the school year. This finding was in part responsible for the decision to include additional Early Childhood Education courses and practica for students pursuing the newly developed K-6 licensure. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Because this is a terminal report, there are no changes in project objectives.
Impacts
Findings from this study indicate that only about 50% of children are judged as making a very successful transition to kindergarten, while over a fifth were judged by teachers as making a very difficult transition to kindergarten. Teachers responded that a mean of 25% of children were not ready when they entered kindergarten. Further, 18% of teachers said that at least one half of the class was not ready, while 7.5% of teachers responded that over 75% of their class was not ready for kindergarten. Interestingly, there was tremendous variability in teachers' perceptions of both success and readiness, with responses in both cases ranging from 1-100. Over one third of teachers reported that a lack of academic skills was a problem for at least one half of their class of entering kindergarteners, while over one fourth of teachers said that lack of a formal preschool experience was a problem for at least half of their children. Other characteristics of entering kindergarteners that teachers frequently mentioned (more than 25% of teachers reported as a problem for at least half the class) included behavioral and emotional regulation problems such as difficulty working as part of a group, difficulty getting along with others, difficulty following directions, and difficulty working independently. Interestingly, despite these other reported difficult characteristics of children, few teachers reported immaturity was a problem for entering kindergarteners. It is curious that so many teachers felt a high percentage of children were not ready for kindergarten, but did not perceive children's immaturity to be a factor. As has been documented in the literature, teachers in this study had significantly higher developmentally appropriate beliefs than practices, and were most appropriate in working to develop children's self-esteem and helping children develop social skills. With regard to both beliefs and practices, teachers were the least developmentally appropriate in their literacy and mathematics-related teaching strategies. More developmentally appropriate beliefs on the part of teachers were related to a lower percentage of children who were judged as having a successful entry to kindergarten. Interestingly, more developmentally appropriate practices were related to larger kindergarten class size. As years of teaching experience in general, and kindergarten experience in particular, increased, developmentally appropriate practices, but not developmentally appropriate beliefs, increased as well. Less developmentally appropriate beliefs were related to teachers' greater years of teaching experience above the kindergarten level, and a larger percentage of children judged as not ready for kindergarten. Higher number of special needs children and children qualifying for free school lunch in a class were related to higher percentages of children that teachers said were not ready for kindergarten and had a difficult entry into kindergarten. The findings have implications for teacher preparation and in-service training programs, for parents of young children, and public education administrators.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07
Outputs
OUTPUTS: All three waves of data collection have been completed. 863 surveys were distributed to teachers in 36 of Utah's 40 school districts. 455 pretest (48%) and 304 (35%) posttest surveys were returned. 186 fully completed matched sets of surveys were returned. Partial findings from all waves and the matched data set have been presented at four national professional conferences. Final analyses are ongoing. Findings to date indicate that only about 50% of children are judged as making a very successful transition to kindergarten, while almost 1/6 were judged by teachers as making a very difficult transition to kindergarten. Teachers responded that a mean of 20% of children were not ready when they entered kindergarten. Over 1/3 of teachers reported that a lack of academic skills was a problem for at least 1/2 of their class of entering kindergarteners, while over 1/4 of teachers said that lack of a formal preschool experience was a problem for at least 1/2 of their children. Other
characteristics of entering kindergarteners that teachers frequently mentioned (more than 25% of teachers reported as a problem for at least 1/2 the class) included behavioral and emotional regulation problems such as difficulty working as part of a group, difficulty getting along with others, difficulty following directions, and difficulty working independently. As has been documented in the literature, teachers in this study had significantly higher developmentally appropriate beliefs than practices. An unexpected finding, however, was that teachers' developmentally appropriate beliefs were significantly higher at the beginning of the year as compared with the end of the year, while their developmentally appropriate practices were significantly higher at the end of the year than at the beginning. These changes over the course of the school year may reflect growing independence on the part of the children, but also pressure teachers feel about having to meet stringent outcome goals
set for children at the district level. With regard to both beliefs and practices, teachers were the least developmentally appropriate in their literacy and mathematics-related teaching strategies. More developmentally appropriate beliefs were related to percentage of children who were judged as having a successful entry to kindergarten, and more developmentally appropriate practices were related larger kindergarten class size. In addition teachers with Early Childhood Education endorsements had higher developmentally appropriate beliefs. At the beginning of the year, teachers with ESL and Reading endorsements had significantly lower developmentally appropriate practices than those without these endorsements. Less developmentally appropriate beliefs were related to more years of teaching experience above the kindergarten level, and the percentage of children teachers judged not ready for kindergarten. The number of special needs children and the number of children qualifying for free
school lunch in a class were related to the percentage of children that teachers said were not ready for kindergarten and the percentage of children who had a difficult entry into kindergarten.
PARTICIPANTS: The participants to date are kindergarten teachers in 36 of 40 Utah school districts. 863 surveys were distributed, with 455 pretest (48%) and 304 (35%)posttest surveys being returned. There are currently 186 matched sets of data (22%). There are continuing attempts being made to involve the four districts which earlier chose not participate.
TARGET AUDIENCES: There are several target audiences which can be identified. Particularly interested in this study are school district administrators (superintendents and principals) who are grappling with issues of resolving conflicts between developmentally appropriate practice and testing/standard demands of No Child Left Behind. A recent panel to examine the efficacy of the Early Childhood Education licensure in Utah has been very interested by this study's findings. Of particular note has been the finding that teachers in this study with Early Childhood Education endorsements had significantly higher developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices both at the beginning and the end of the school year.
Impacts
The findings from all three waves of this study and from the comparison of pre- and posttest data have important implications for teachers, families, and children. They demonstrate the need to make a quality preschool experience more widely available for many of Utah's children. The results also demonstrate the necessity of communicating more clearly to families about the valuable and important role that quality preschool experiences play in a child's positive transition and success in kindergarten. The findings underscore the importance of schools and teachers finding ways to bridge the gap between home and school. This is particularly true when communicating with lower income families, minority families, and families with children with special needs. The results of this study delineate the need for communicating that behavioral regulation skills, such as following directions, working independently, and working as part of a group, are important areas where parents and
other early childhood professionals can help children prior to school entry. Finally, the highly significant difference between teachers' developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices focuses on the need to provide kindergarten teachers with the training and tools to teach important literacy and mathematical concepts in developmentally appropriate ways.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06
Outputs
Currently 2/3 of kindergarten teachers (628) in Utah have been sent pre- and posttest survey packets. Surveys have been returned by 291 (47%), with 140 returning pre- and posttest matched packets. The third wave of pretest data collection is just being completed, with another 200 kindergarten teachers being surveyed this year (2006-2007). Coding of pretest data is underway. Posttest data for these teachers will be collected in the spring. Three large school districts that have been unwilling to participate to date will be invited to participate again next fall. There are currently four MS students working part time on this project, all of whom will be writing theses using these data. Wave one and two pretest data have been presented at two national conferences, and matched wave one and two pre- and posttest data have been presented at a third national conference. Findings to date indicate that only about 50% of children are judged as making a very successful
transition to kindergarten, while almost 1/6 were judged by teachers as making a very difficult transition to kindergarten. Teachers responded that a mean of 20% of children were not ready when they entered kindergarten. Over 1/3 of teachers reported that a lack of academic skills was a problem for at least 1/2 of their class of entering kindergarteners, while over 1/4 of teachers said that lack of a formal preschool experience was a problem for at least 1/2 of their children. Other characteristics of entering kindergarteners that teachers frequently mentioned (more than 25% of teachers reported as a problem for at least 1/2 the class) included behavioral and emotional regulation problems such as difficulty working as part of a group, difficulty getting along with others, difficulty following directions, and difficulty working independently. As has been documented in the literature, teachers in this study had significantly higher developmentally appropriate beliefs than practices.
With regard to both beliefs and practices, teachers were the least developmentally appropriate in their literacy and mathematics-related teaching strategies. More developmentally appropriate beliefs were related to percentage of children who were judged as having a successful entry to kindergarten, and more developmentally appropriate practices were related to kindergarten class size. Less developmentally appropriate beliefs were related to teachers' years of teaching experience above the kindergarten level, and the percentage of children teachers judged not ready for kindergarten. The number of special needs children and the number of children qualifying for free school lunch in a class were related to the percentage of children that teachers said were not ready for kindergarten and the percentage of children who had a difficult entry into kindergarten.
Impacts
The findings of this study to date have clear implications for teachers, families and children. They demonstrate the need (1) to make quality preschool experiences available for a wider range of children, and to communicate more clearly to families the value of quality preschool experiences: (2) for schools and teachers to focus additional efforts on helping bridge the gap between home and school for lower income families and families with children with special needs; (3) for communicating that areas of behavioral regulation (following directions, working independently, and working as part of a group) are crucial areas where parents and other early childhood professionals can help children prior to school entry; and (4) for providing kindergarten teachers with the necessary training and tools to teach important literacy and mathematical concepts in developmentally appropriate ways.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05
Outputs
To date, one third of Utah's kindergarten teachers have been sent pre- and posttest survey packets. Approximately 180 teachers (about a 50% return rate) completed the pretest packet in Fall 2004, and about 110 completed the posttest packet in Spring 2005. Of these respondents, there are about 60 matched sets of data. The second wave of pretest data collection is just being completed, with another 300 Utah kindergarten teachers in six districts being surveyed this year (2005-2006). These same teachers will receive posttest packets in Spring 2006. The final third of Utah's kindergarten teachers will be surveyed during the 2006-2007 school year. Currently there are three MS students working part time on this project, all three of whom will be writing theses using these data. One is examining the relationship between school and teacher demographics and developmentally appropriate practice as well as teachers' reports of children's problems during kindergarten transition.
A second student is investigating the relationship between these teachers' developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices and teachers' perceptions of children's problems on kindergarten entry. The third student is examining the changes in teachers' developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices over the course of the school year, and well as the changes in teachers' perceptions of children's kindergarten readiness. Fall 2004 pretest data have been analyzed (and were recently presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children annual conference), and analysis of Spring 2005 posttest data and wave one pretest/posttest comparisons are underway. Findings to date show that there are a considerable number of kindergarteners who are judged by teachers as not ready for kindergarten (about 20%) and/or having a difficult time transitioning to kindergarten (about 16%). Only about 50% were judged as making a very successful transition into kindergarten. Notably,
almost 25% of teachers reported that the lack of a preschool experience was a problem for at least half of their children. Children with special needs and those qualifying for free lunch were the children significantly more likely to be judged as not being ready for kindergarten or as having a difficult time transitioning. In general, teachers reported that the most children had the greatest difficulty in the areas of academic skills, following directions, working independently, and working as part of a group. As has been documented in the literature, teachers' beliefs were more developmentally appropriate than their practices. In the areas of both beliefs and practices, teachers were the least appropriate in their specific strategies for teaching literacy and mathematics related concepts. Interestingly, teachers' developmentally appropriate practices were significantly related to kindergarten class size. Kindergarten class size was also significantly related to the percentage of
children judged as not ready for kindergarten
Impacts
The findings of this study to date have clear implications for teachers, families and children. They demonstrate the need (1) to make quality preschool experiences available for a wider range of children, and to communicate more clearly to families the value of quality preschool experiences: (2) for schools and teachers to focus additional efforts on helping bridge the gap between home and school for lower income families and families with children with special needs; (3) for communicating that areas of behavioral regulation (following directions, working independently, and working as part of a group) are crucial areas where parents and other early childhood professionals can help children prior to school entry; and (4) for kindergarten teachers to be provided with the necessary training and tools to teach important literacy and mathematical concepts in developmentally appropriate ways.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04
Outputs
This project is designed to survey all kindergarten teachers in Utah over a period of three years. Since the beginning of the project in July, survey packets (containing the Teacher Beliefs and Practices Survey and the Transition Practices Survey) have been sent to about one third of all Utah kindergarten teachers: 389 kindergarten teachers in eight school districts (Cache, Logan, Box Elder, Nebo, Alpine, Washington, Carbon, Weber). These districts were chosen to represent large and small, urban and rural, and culturally diverse districts. Approximately one half of the distributed survey packets have been completed and returned, and all teachers have received two post card reminders (mailed at two-week intervals) to return their surveys as soon as possible. Survey coding and initial data analyses will begin in January. Two M.S. students are working on this project and will complete their theses using these data. Both students seek to complete their theses by August
2005. Specifically, one student will be examining the relationships between teacher demographic variables (teachers' age, years of experience teaching kindergarten, and educational background) and teachers' developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices, and between teacher demographic variables and teachers' perceptions of children's transition to kindergarten (problems on kindergarten entry). The second student will investigate the relationship between teachers' developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices and teachers' reports of children's problems upon kindergarten entry. This student will also examine the relationships between school demographics (urban/rural, SES level, level of cultural/ethnic diversity) and both teachers' developmentally appropriate beliefs/practices and teachers' perceptions of children's kindergarten transition. Posttest survey packets for this group of teachers will be sent during the first week of May.
Impacts
The Utah kindergarten teachers surveyed so far report increasing numbers of children are not ready for school when they enter kindergarten. Teachers report feeling highly frustrated by the conflict between what they know to be "best practices" and what/how they are pressured to teach. However, teachers with more developmentally appropriate beliefs/practices report fewer problems with entering kindergarteners. This finding may have critical economic implications for schools, as kindergarten teachers with the most developmentally appropriate beliefs/practices may be less likely to refer children to expensive special education and resource services. The preliminary data demonstrate a need to craft programs which build communication between legislators, school administrators, teachers, families, and child care providers, and clarify issues of kindergarten readiness and kindergarten practices. These findings may enable children to be more prepared for kindergarten, and to
help teachers provide more appropriate programming for entering kindergarteners.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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