Children's Readiness Research Articles

Child Preparedness for Infertility Disclosure: A Diagnostic Tool for Supporting Parent and Child Mental Health

Infertility, often perceived as an adult issue, can also manifest in childhood, presenting unique challenges. Improper handling of infertility disclosures can strain parent–child relationships and potentially lead to significant psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, and long-term impacts on self-image. Despite the critical nature of these conversations, parents often report receiving little or no guidance from professionals on how or when to disclose this information to their child. This article introduces the Child Readiness for Infertility Disclosure (CRID) Assessment Tool, designed to empirically guide parents and marriage and family counselors in assessing a child's readiness for receiving information about infertility. The CRID tool integrates the concepts of Tiered Priming and Cognitive Preparedness strategies, providing structured recommendations grounded in Erickson's Stages of Psychosocial Development for age-appropriate and developmentally suitable disclosure along with an applied case study.

Implications of Positive Effects of Early Childhood Education for Education Policy

Emerging research on the benefits of early childhood education has sparked interest in making preschool education universal to improve children's readiness for school and their subsequent achievement of social, economic, and professional success. The implementation of early childhood education (ECE) programs, which aim to prepare 4-year-old children for school, has resulted in an increase in public funding. This increase can be attributed to the positive effects of the ECE program on children, as demonstrated by the academic skills of the children measured, which fall within the national average. These abilities include the ability to read and write, speak and understand mathematics, and recognize patterns in numbers. "Investing as early as possible, from birth through age five, in disadvantaged families yields the highest rate of return in early childhood development." Thus, the community and local government are required to actively involved in managing preschool structures, enhance the supervision and management of early childhood education. Common challenges encountered recorded nearly half of all teachers acknowledged to having significant levels of stress and burnout over the previous several years, mental health issues, low compensation, etc. Furthermore, NIEER research findings reveals only five states Hawaii, Michigan, Rhode Island, Alabama, and Mississippi meet all ten national program quality standards, which include putting child development guidelines into practice and offering professional development to teachers. Thus, this paper recommends that when formulating schools' improvement strategies, the Department of Education should take into account the enrollment rate in early learning and kindergarten institutions. All early childhood professional development programs aim to improve children's learning in the behavioral, social-emotional, communicative, and cognitive domains over the long run through indirect means.

Toilet Training Readiness Scale for 0-5-Year-Old Children: A New Measurement Tool Based on a Child-Centred Approach.

There is no standardised approach to toilet training in children. This study aimed to determine the factors affecting the duration of toilet training in children aged 0-5 years and to develop a tool to assess the child's readiness to start toilet training. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 409 children aged 0-5 years. Social, economic, behavioural, and developmental characteristics that are effective in toilet training in healthy children were evaluated. A scale assessing children's readiness for toilet training (Toilet Training Readiness Scale-TTRS) was developed and content validated. The mean age of the 409 children included in this study was 44.69 ± 13.07 months (min = 4; max = 60 months). The mean age of initiation of toilet training was 26.8 months. Most frequently, urine and faeces trainings were started together (52.1%). In the logistic regression analysis performed to evaluate the factors affecting the duration of toilet training, it was found that the TTRS score, mother's employment status, family type, child's first reaction, toilet type, and continuity of training were important predictors. The duration of toilet training showed a weak negative correlation with the scores obtained from the TTRS and the number of children in the family but a weak positive correlation with the age at the beginning of toilet training. The TTRS scores were inversely proportional to the duration of toilet training. Family characteristics, socioeconomic conditions, and readiness of the child for and no interruption in toilet training are important in completing toilet training in a short time and successfully. If a child-focused approach is adopted, evaluating the child from this point of view and initiating the training at the appropriate time may help to complete a more successful and shorter toilet training. We recommend that the scale we have developed be studied in other studies and different groups.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ROLE OF FAMILY AND THE READINESS OF FEMALE STUDENTS IN FACING MENARCHE

The current trend of decreasing menarche age has caused many high-grade elementary school students to experience menarche. Currently, the age of menarche tends to get younger with an average age between 9-12 years old, which causes children to need family roles to prepare themselves to face menarche. This research aimed to determine the relationship of family role with female students’ readiness in facing menarche at Kartika XVII-3 Sungai Raya Elementary School. This research was conducted from February 28 to March 2, 2024. This research was quantitative research, with a cross-sectional approach. The sample collection technique used a questionnaire. With a sample number of 39 using the total sampling method. Data analysis using the Spearman Rank test. The age range of respondents was 9-13 years, with the highest number aged 11 years as much as 46.2%. In the criteria for parental employment, 69.2% of respondents were IRT. As many as 74.4% of children get information sources from families. Family roles 61.5% of respondents have family roles that are not good. There are 69.2% of respondents are not prepared for menarche. The results of the Spearman Rank test found that the p-value < α (0.000 ≤ 0.005) and there was a relationship between the role of family and the readiness of female students in facing menarche at Kartika XVII-3 Sungai Raya Elementary School. The information obtained by the child from the family will further affect a child's readiness to face the first menstruation. Information about menstruation is not conveyed properly and correctly, it will affect the child's readiness to face menstruation. Future researchers are expected to be able to develop more deeply the relationship between family roles and the readiness of schoolgirls to face menarche and can develop other variables that affect the unpreparedness to face menarche so that they can be used for further research.

Teachers' Perceptions towards Needs in Children's Readiness for Kindergarten in Kelantan

Teachers' Perceptions towards Needs in Children's Readiness for Kindergarten in Kelantan

Judge's Considerations When Handing Down Marriage Dispensation Decisions in Aceh Singkil Regency for the 2019-2023 Period

This study aims to comprehensively examine the reality of the dynamics of marriage dispensation application cases at the Singkil Sharia Court, Aceh Singkil Regency, the judge's considerations in accepting or rejecting marriage dispensation applications, and the legal basis used by the judge in deciding marriage dispensation cases at the Singkil Sharia Court, Aceh Singkil Regency. This study uses a naturalistic qualitative approach with a field research method. Data collection techniques are carried out through observation, interviews, and documentation. This study is descriptive naturalistic, which aims to clearly and in detail describe the social reality at the Singkil Sharia Court, Aceh Singkil Regency. The results of the study indicate that the process of submitting a marriage dispensation application at the Singkil Sharia Court reflects the same requirements as the Supreme Court Regulation (Perma) No. 5 of 2019. The findings indicate that the main reasons for the application include parental concerns about indecent behavior, customary considerations and scheduling of wedding receptions, and premarital sexual relations. The judge's basis for deciding on a marriage dispensation application involves considerations such as the absence of parents in mediation, family pressure, and document inconsistencies. The judge's considerations in deciding on a marriage dispensation include the child's readiness to live in a household, psychological and financial capabilities, and approval from the extended family. This study emphasizes the importance of adjusting decisions to existing regulations to ensure fairness.

Assessing a Child's Readiness for Kindergarten Learners Based on Age and Skills: Views of Teachers

This phenomenological study unfolded the views of teachers in assessing a child’s readiness for kindergarten based on age and skills. The narratives reflected the lived experiences, challenges, coping mechanisms and insights of the kindergarten teachers. There were eight (8) teacher-participants who have experiences kindergarten assessment, and they are purposively selected as informants. The data gathering of information in this phenomenological inquiry had employed in-depth interview of participants through virtual conference and limited face-to-face subsequently observing strict compliance of standard health protocol. Using thematic analysis, the views of the teachers in assessing a child’s readiness for kindergarten based on age and skills were as follows: Diverse Developmental Levels, Social and Emotional Variances, and Language Development Evaluation. On the coping mechanisms they employed to address challenges, the following were the themes and findings of the study: Adaptability to Individual Needs, Professional Development and The importance of observation. Lastly, the following were the insights drawn from the findings of the study: Data-Informed Decision Making and Parental Involvement Strategies. The goal of this study was to understand the experiences of teachers in terms of assessing school readiness based on age and skills. The new knowledge drawn from this study is noteworthy for quality delivery of education in school.

The influence of rhythmic gymnastics on the mobile readiness of older preschool children

Preschool age is the most favorable period for the development of a child's personality, physical and motor qualities. One of the tasks of working with children of older preschool age is to prepare them for a successful transition to systematic, organized schooling. Children's readiness for schooling determines the set of morphophysiological and psychological characteristics of children of older preschool age. Children's physical and motor readiness for learning characterizes their functional capabilities and state of health. One of the main indicators of children's physical and motor readiness for learning is the level of development of physical qualities and the technique of performing motor actions. The goal is to determine the influence of artistic gymnastics on the level of motor readiness of children 5-6 years old. Material and methods: analysis and generalization of scientific and methodological literature and Internet resources, pedagogical observation, pedagogical experiment, pedagogical testing, methods of mathematical statistics. The study was conducted on the basis of preschool education institutions No. 355 and No. 123. 80 children of the control and experimental groups, 40 each, took part in the study. Research results. The initial level of motor readiness of almost half of the children in both the control and experimental groups was at a low level. After the experiment, the percentage increase in motor readiness was significantly better (p<0.05) in the experimental group (13.9%) than in the control group (5.6%). Thus, the indicators in the experimental group increased from a low level to the average in 10.0% of children, and in the control group this indicator was 12.5%. On the other hand, 12.5% of children from the experimental group increased their indicators from average to high levels, while only 5.0% of children from the control group.

유아 기질의 부정적 정서성과 수줍음이 취학 전 유아의 학습준비도에 미치는 종단적 영향

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine whether the negative emotionality and shyness of 3-year-old children's temperament have a longitudinal effect on the school readiness of 5-year-old preschool children mediated by sleep problems one year later. Methods Data from 1,415 households in the 5th (2012), 6th (2013), and 7th (2014) years of the Panel Study on Korean Children(PSKC) conducted by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education were used. Correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the descriptive statistics and relationships of the main research variables, and structural equation models were analyzed to determine the paths between the variables. Bootstrapping was also conducted to test the significance of the indirect effects. Results It has been found that the negative emotionality of 3-year-old children's temperament not only directly influences the school readiness of preschool children at the age of 5, but also indirectly affects their readiness through mediating the sleeping patterns of children. However, while shyness has a direct impact on preschool children's readiness for learning two years later, its indirect effect was found to be insignificant. Conclusions This study confirmed the longitudinal effects of the negative emotionality and shyness of 3-year-old children's temperament and the children's sleep problems one year later in explaining the school readiness of 5-year-old preschool children. These results can be used to raise the importance of sleep in early childhood and to develop a range of measures to support children's readiness to learn based on their temperament.

The Relationship Between Parental Communication Patterns and Children's Personal Social Development in Post-Pandemic COVID-19

The growth and development of preschool-aged children need to be considered by parent, one of which is their personal social development. Social development at the preschool age is considered important because it will be an introduction to children's readiness to enter school. incorporating parents into the social development of pre-school age children, one of which is through good communication patterns. One of the post-pandemic conditions of COVID-19 can cause communication between parents and children to be not optimal. The research objective was to determine the readiness of parents through communication patterns as a mitigation strategy in children's social development in the post-COVID-19 pandemic. The research method uses quantitative research with a cross-sectional study approach. the study group in this study was 38 parents of children in Kindergarten Al-Hidayah V Mangli-Jember Kindergarten. Bivariate analysis using the Pearson correlation test used for this research. There is a very strong relationship between parents' communication patterns and children's social development. Parents have good readiness as a form of strategic mitigation in improving children's social development through good communication patterns in the post-COVID-19 pandemic.

Pedagogical diagnostics of children's readiness to learn literacy at school

Pedagogical diagnostics of children's readiness to learn literacy at school

The Challenges of Managing Extracurricular Activities for Pre-Primary Children's Physical Development in Meru District Council-Arusha

Globally, extracurricular activities promote children's readiness to master their physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. This study assessed the challenges in managing extracurricular activities toward children's physical development. The Administrative management theory by Henry Fayol and Froebel's Play Theory was employed in this study. The study employed semi-structured interviews with five pre-primary teachers, five head teachers and five sports teachers. The findings suggest the existence of the following challenges: the shortage of playing facilities in schools, a lack of some children's interest in participating in extracurricular activities, a lack of in-service training on handling extracurricular activities which promote children's physical development, tight school timetables and schedules with no space for extracurricular the participants also shortage of funds to run extracurricular activities. To address the challenges, schools started small projects for fundraising, promoting teachers' mentorship and collaboration among schools to share knowledge and skills on how extracurricular activities encourage children's physical development. Schools frequently meet with parents to emphasise the importance of extracurricular activities to their children's physical development. The study recommended that the school management team educate parents on the importance of extracurricular activities. Further, research needs to be done on the influence of physical development on a child's academic achievement.

Improving The Learning Concentration Of Children Aged 4-5 Years Through The Tebona Game Method (Patting Colored Balls) In TK Aisyiyah Bustanul Athfal 3 Bulusidokare

Learning concentration is an important component in the learning process, with high learning concentration for each child, it will be able to support the child to be ready for further education. This research aims to increase the learning concentration of children aged 4-5 years through the tebona game method (patting colored balls) at Aisyiyah Bustanul Athfal 3 Bulusidoakre Kindergarten. This type of research uses classroom action research (PTK), the design used in this research is the Kemmis and Mc Taggrat model of classroom action research design. The subjects of this research were 10 students in group A3 aged 4-5 years, children. Data collection techniques by means of observation, documentation and interviews. The results of the research show that children's learning concentration increases in each cycle. Before the action, the concentration percentage only reached 46% in the pre-cycle, 66.5% in cycle 1 and 94.5% in cycle II. So it can be concluded that increasing the learning concentration of children aged 4-5 years through the tebona playing method at Kindergarten Aisyiyah Bustanul Athfal 3 Bulusidokare was declared successful. Highlights: Importance of Learning Concentration: Learning concentration is crucial for children's readiness for further education. Tebona Game Method: Tebona game method involves patting colored balls to enhance concentration. Classroom Action Research (PTK): PTK design allows for systematic observation and assessment of educational interventions. Keywords: Learning Concentration, Tebona Games, Early Childhood

Parental Involvement Influencing Academic Performance: A Study of Students’ Perceptions

Research studies demonstrate that when parents are maximally involved in their child's academics, it is likely to claim that the child is performing well and confidently at every stage of an academic journey. In the Pakistani context, this integral factor is not only failed to be noticed by the parents but also by the students themselves. Therefore, there seems a dire need to conduct a study that keeps the perceptions of students into account. The current study aims to analyze the perceptions of students about parental involvement influencing their academic performance at semi-government Middle level school of district Sukkur, Pakistan. The population of the study includes 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Convenient sampling strategy was used to select desired sample. The quantitative research approach was opted using a self-developed questionnaire reviewed by content and construct experts. The data were analyzed through descriptive analysis. The overall findings of this studies show that students perceived that parents should keep monitoring their child's studies, and there should be a parent-teacher communication and child-parent communication as regards the children’s academic performance. The respondents attached importance to parental involvement in school activities. This study recommends some actionable measures to increase parental involvement in Middle level students' academics such as schools should re-develop the (PTA) meetings; teachers must be trained to communicate effectively with parents regarding minute aspect like; child's readiness, and parents should limit the screen time of their child during their study hours. Lastly, the study presents implications for parents, school administrators, and students to bridge the gap.

Pengaruh Keterlibatan Orang Tua terhadap Kesiapan Belajar pada Anak di TK Al-Amien Jember

Parents have a crucial role in nurturing, supporting, and educating their children. In reality, Retnaningtya & Pararamitha (2015) found that most parents only make minimal efforts to control and educate their children's development, with very few being significantly involved in their children's education. The aim of this research is to determine the influence of parental involvement on children's readiness to learn at TK Al-Amien Jember. This research employs a descriptive quantitative method. The total population is 271, with 142 parents as the sample, representing all the students at TK Al-Amien Jember. The sampling technique used is simple random sampling. Data collection utilizes two scales adapted and modified from the parental involvement scale by Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (2005), consisting of 21 items, and the readiness to learn scale by Slameto (2010), consisting of 20 items. The analysis method involves testing the measurement tool, assumptions, and hypotheses using SPSS for Windows version 21 and MS Excel 2010. The correlation coefficient results indicate a 0.275 correlation between parental involvement and readiness to learn, with a two-tailed Sig value of 0.000. The findings show a positive relationship between parental involvement and readiness to learn. This suggests that the higher the parental involvement, the higher the children's readiness to learn, and conversely, lower parental involvement results in lower readiness to learn in children.

Patterns of children's readiness at school entry and their association with kindergarten academic and social-emotional outcomes: Do classroom interactions matter?

This study used a person-centered approach to identify school readiness profiles in a sample of kindergartners (n=1,826) from a large and diverse school district in the United States. Using latent profile analyses and multi-level modeling, we examined three aims: 1) whether patterns of readiness skills at kindergarten entry could be detected, 2) the extent to which detected patterns predicted gains in academic and social-emotional skills, and 3) whether the quality of teacher–child interactions moderated the associations between profile membership and end of kindergarten outcomes. Based on a comparison of fit indices, a 4-profile solution best represented the data. Eighteen percent of children were in the “High Risk” profile, 34 % were in the “Ready” profile, 20 % percent of children were in the “Social-Emotional Risk” profile, and 28 % of children were in the “High Readiness” profile. For all outcomes, we found that profile membership predicted spring scores, after controlling for fall scores of each skill, suggesting that the constellation of kindergarten readiness skills matters more than any one skill. We also found that the quality of teacher–child interactions moderated associations between profile membership and changes in achievement and problem behavior for children within some groups. Results suggest that children enter kindergarten with unique profiles of skills and that supports for children may need to be individualized based on profiles to maximize social, emotional, and academic development. Results also suggest that high-quality teacher–child interactions may serve as an important protective and promotive factor for children with certain clusters of readiness skills at kindergarten entry.

Keterlibatan Orang Tua dan Kesiapan Siswa Sekolah Dasar Negeri di Sidoarjo

This research is motivated by the phenomenon of low readiness of students to enter elementary school in grade 1 students of SD Negeri Sidokare 2 Sidoarjo. This study aims to determine the relationship between parental involvement and children's readiness to enter elementary school in grade 1 SD Negeri Sidokare 2 Sidoarjo. This type of research is correlational quantitative. The variables in this study are parental involvement as the independent variable and children's readiness to enter elementary school as the dependent variable. The population of this research is 66 students. The sampling technique used is non-probability sampling, namely saturated sampling. Data were collected using a psychological scale with the Likert scale model and the NST test kit, namely the parental involvement scale and the NST test kit for children's readiness to enter elementary school. Analysis of the data in this study used the Pearson Product Moment correlation technique with the help of the SPSS 26.0 for windows program. The results of the correlation analysis obtained a correlation coefficient of rxy = 0.461 (significance 0.000 <0.05) meaning that the research hypothesis was accepted, namely that there was a significant positive relationship between the variable parental involvement and the variable readiness of children to enter elementary school in grade 1 SD Negeri Sidokare 2 Sidoarjo.

Exploring the Accuracy and Consistency of a School Readiness Assessment Tool for Preschoolers: Reliability, Validity and Measurement Invariance Analysis.

This study focuses on examining the psychometric properties of the DIFER test, a widely used assessment tool for measuring school readiness. DIFER, which stands for Diagnostic Assessment Systems for Development, has gained prominence in Hungary and some European countries as an effective means of evaluating children's readiness for school. By investigating the reliability and validity of the DIFER test, this study aims to enhance the understanding of the suitability of the DIFER test for cross-cultural and longitudinal studies in assessing school readiness. Conducted as a survey study, the research involved 3050 Hungarian students from Slovakia and Hungary. Employing Rasch analysis and multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) aid in verifying the precision of the DIFER test as a valuable assessment instrument for determining school readiness. The results revealed a strong alignment between the difficulty level of the test and students' actual abilities, demonstrating its reliability and validity. Importantly, the analysis found measurement invariance across various factors, including country, gender, and age. This indicates the consistent performance of the DIFER test in assessing school readiness across diverse groups. However, mean differences in latent abilities were observed among different age groups, indicating that older students exhibited notably higher proficiency in pre-mathematical skills compared to their younger counterparts. The findings offer valuable insights to educators, providing a reliable tool for assessing school readiness and identifying areas for improvement.

What do the children and teachers say?: Voices on gender stereotyping in children's literature for MalaysianESLclassrooms

AbstractThis preliminary study analyses children's and teachers' views towards gender stereotyping in children's literature for Malaysian ESL (English as a Second Language) classrooms. We employed focus groups with 14 children (aged 10–12) and interviews with 6 experienced ESL teachers, in which children and teachers reflected on selected literature taught in schools. Our findings suggested that both children and teachers overlooked gender stereotyping in the selected children's literature as they focused more on the storyline and moral values. However, our focus groups with children showed their potential in adapting the reading materials to their social context, despite the typical belief that young children blindly learn and accept anything presented to them. Comparison between the boys and girls also showed different gendered responses towards gender stereotyping, with the boys showing stronger support for gender equality. The children insisted that men and women are equals and suggested more active male participation in domestic settings could indicate their readiness to discuss gender‐related issues. In addition, our interviews with teachers led to their call for more reading materials that reflect gender equality. The teachers admitted to a lack of explicit discussions about gender in their current teaching/learning process and expressed their willingness to include gender discussions with their students in the future. This study hopes to give voices to Malaysian children and teachers in the Global South, highlighting their potential for agency in pedagogical review and gender advocacy in education.Context and implicationsRationale for this studyThis study explores children's views' and teachers' strategies for addressing gender stereotyping in children's literature for Malaysian ESL classrooms.Why the new findings matterOur findings highlight the need for training for teachers and teaching/learning materials that reflect gender equality. Our findings signal children's readiness to discuss gender and the importance of teachers' role in fostering such discussions.Implications for practitioners and policy makersThis study is significant for teachers and curriculum reviewers in highlighting how children's literature may influence children and foster gender equality. There is a need for support materials, training for teachers and careful selection of suitable reading materials for children in terms of cultural and gender values.

Food intolerance in premature babies: possibilities of additional diagnostics

Due to the immaturity of the digestive system and gastrointestinal motility the preterm infants have a critical challenge in establishing adequate enteral nutrition, which is a frequent cause of gastrointestinal complications such as food intolerance and necrotizing enterocolitis. Modern clinical methods of assessing the maturity of the intestines and the child's readiness for enteral nutrition are subjective, this slows down the expansion of enteral nutrition, increases the duration of parenteral nutrition, and accordingly , period of a child`s hospitalizing. Objective methods of diagnosis are needed, which would contribute to the effective diagnosis and monitoring of food intolerance in preterm infants. Therefore, the purpose of our review was to search and summarize literature data on objective methods of diagnosing impaired food tolerance in premature baby, which could to provide daily monitoring, would be safe, cost-effective and easily accessible. Results and their discussion. Accordingly, three leading and most promising methods of examining the newborns gastrointestinal tract were analyzed. The were ultrasound examination (absence or reverse diastolic blood flow in the umbilical artery, high pulsation index in the fetal venous duct, indicators of blood flow in the upper mesenteric artery of the newborn), near-infrared spectroscopy (estimation of oxygen saturation of splanchnic tissue), and auscultation of intestinal sounds (phonoenterogram). Each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages, but to solve these existing problems, there has been recently an increasing amount of research on the bowel sounds using (namely their computerized assessment) as a new diagnostic tool. New research and further study of intestinal murmurs in premature newborns of different gestational ages with the development of clear criteria for data interpretation are needed to assess the maturity of the gastrointestinal tract, to create a diagnosis plan of food intolerance, and to develop an algorithm for early intervention.