Implementation of Kindergarten Curriculum and the Pupil’s Acquisition of Basic Competencies

Abstract

The term kindergarten came from a German origin that means “children’s garden. It serves as a transition period from home or preschool to formal education. The main purpose of kindergarten is to provide foundation for the child’s wholistic development. In Kindergarten program, children are engaged in different activities that are age appropriate. These activities are designed to promote the physical, cognitive, emotional and social development of children . Many research have shown that during the early years, rapid brain development occurred forming the foundation for future academic success. This stage is crucial because it is during this time that they develop the essential skills to prepare them for Grade 1 . This study sought to find out how the implementation of a kindergarten curriculum affects the readiness of our young learners for formal education. Several variables related to curriculum were considered in this study. These were the objectives of kindergarten curriculum in the Philippines, the Budget of Work provided by DepEd, the instructional materials used, the teacher’s competencies, learning environment and lesson planning. It was then correlated with the basic competencies expected from kinder pupils in terms of health and well-being, socioemotional development, language, literacy and communication (listening/viewing, speaking, reading, writing), mathematics and understanding the physical and natural environment. This research was conducted in the Schools Division of San Pablo wherein 70 kindergarten teachers from public schools were the respondents. The research method used wasa quantitative descriptive method with Pearson product-moment correlation. The result showed that there was a significant relationship between the implementation of the curriculum and the pupils acquired basic competencies.