The effect of preschool on children’s school readiness

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of preschool on children’s school readiness in connection with their intellectual abilities, language competence and parents’ education. The sample included 219 children from 68 to 83 months old attending the first year of primary school, differentiated by whether or not they had attended preschool before starting school. Children’s intellectual ability was determined using Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices, language competence using the Lestvice splošnega govornega razvoja–LJ (Scales of General Language Development) and school readiness with the Preizkus pripravljenosti za šolo (Test of School Readiness). The results indicate that children’s intellectual ability and language competence have high predictive value for the school readiness because they explain 51% of the variance in children’s scores on the Preizkus pripravljenosti za šolo. Preschool enrollment has a positive effect on school readiness for children whose parents have a low level of education, but not for those whose parents are highly educated. The results obtained indicate that enrollment in preschool is able to compensate for deficiencies in children’s development if the parents have a lower level of education. Preschool is not an important factor in school readiness for children whose parents are highly educated. These parents probably already offer their children quality stimulation in the family environment that preschool activities do not surpass.