Kindergarten Year Research Articles

Development of orientation sensitivity to Chinese characters in preschoolers: Evidence from a longitudinal study

Recent studies have shown that young children’s orientation sensitivity is correlated with their reading ability. However, the development of orientation sensitivity to Chinese characters with different complexities (e.g., simple characters and compound characters) in preschool children is unknown. To fill this gap, the current three-year longitudinal study aimed to investigate the development of orientation sensitivity to Chinese simple characters and compound characters. A total of 50 Chinese children were first tested at their first kindergarten years (T1: mean age = 3.62 years) and then tested annually on a variety of tasks for three years (T2: mean age = 4.63 years; T3: mean age = 5.58 years). Children’s orientation sensitivity to Chinese characters was assessed using two perceptual-matching tasks. The results showed that the inverted and mirrored orientation sensitivity to Chinese characters demonstrated different developmental trajectories. Specifically, children possessed inverted and mirrored orientation knowledge of Chinese simple characters at the age of 4. They also displayed sensitivity to inverted Chinese compound characters at the age of 5. However, mirrored orientation knowledge of Chinese compound characters did not emerge until the age of 5. These results suggest that children’s inverted orientation knowledge of Chinese characters developed earlier. Moreover, the complexity of Chinese characters affected the development of orientation knowledge of Chinese characters.

The Effect of Flashcard Learning Media in Developing Cognitive Children Aged 5-6 Years in Al-Mauizhah Kindergarten, Silau Jawa Village, Bandar Pasir Mandoge District, Academic Year 2022/2023

This study aims to determine the effect of using flashcard learning media in developing the cognitive development of children aged 5-6 years in Al-Mauizhah Kindergarten, Silau Jawa Village, Bandar Pasir Mandoge District, Academic Year 2022/2023. This type of research is a quantitative research (quasi experiment) with the form of One Group Pretest-Posttest Design. The population of this study were all class B children at Al-Mauizhah Kindergarten, Silau Jawa Village, Bandar Pasir Mandoge District, 2022/2023 Academic Year, with a total of 30 children. The sampling technique is by looking at the list of the lowest scores from the teacher's data, namely 10 children. The data collection instrument in this study used observation and documentation sheets. Data analysis technique using non-parametric statistical Wilcoxon test. The results showed that the flashcard media from the calculation of the Wilcoxon Rank-K Test, the Z value was close to -2.825b and the p value (Asymp.Sig 2-tailed) was close to .005. It can be concluded that the "Hypothesis is accepted" because the number .005 is smaller than 0.05. There are differences in the results between the results of the use of flashcard media in the pretest and posttest, so it can be concluded that the use of flashcard media has an effect. about the Cognitive Development of Children Aged 5-6 Years in Al-Mauizhah Kindergarten, Bandar Pasir Mandoge Village, Academic Year 2022–2023.

The Effectiveness of Nursery Rhymes Media to Improve English Vocabulary and Confidence of Children (4-5 Years) in Tutor Time Kindergarten

The Effectiveness of Nursery Rhymes Media to Improve English Vocabulary and Confidence of Children (4-5 Years) in Tutor Time Kindergarten

Steps Towards Increasing Kindergarten Readiness

This research to practice article accompanies a study involving focus groups of preschool teachers and kindergarten teachers investigating what is meant by the term kindergarten readiness. Participants within this study perceived school readiness as skills that students should exhibit on day 60 of kindergarten that would allow for them to have a successful kindergarten year. Some skills that would be typical on day 60 of kindergarten are that students are: able to control their emotions and understand the emotions of others, understand how to behave in familiar environments when routines and procedures do not change, and are able to discriminate the sound that an alliteration and rhyme make but may not be able to explain the reason for the alliteration or rhyme. This article delves more deeply into the daily practices of early childhood educators while working to better prepare children for kindergarten and beyond and recommends six concrete steps for educators and parents toward reaching this level of preparedness for kindergarten.

An Investigation of Kindergarten Readiness Based on Early Literacy Inventory Scores

The term “kindergarten readiness” lacks a formal definition. The need for a single, widely accepted definition for this term is necessary for teachers and educational leaders to prepare children and their families for the start of formal education. This study was conducted to understand the perceptions of preschool and kindergarten teachers concerning typically developing students on day 60 of kindergarten in the state of North Carolina. Focus groups were used to determine particular skills that a kindergartener should exhibit by that point in school in order to be successful during that year. Both groups of teachers were knowledgeable about the developmental continuum kindergartners should follow in order to achieve needed skills according to the North Carolina Early Learning Inventory. A second finding was that kindergarten teachers scored students lower than preschool teachers on the anticipated ability of their students to achieve a skill. All teachers considered some skills were introduced in the inventory prematurely. Participants within this study perceived school readiness as skills that students should exhibit on day 60 of kindergarten that would allow for them to have a successful kindergarten year. Some skills that would be typical on day 60 of kindergarten are that students are: able to control their emotions and understand the emotions of others, understand how to behave in familiar environments when routines and procedures do not change, and are able to discriminate the sound that an alliteration and rhyme make but may not be able to explain the reason for the alliteration or rhyme.

Identifikasi Kecerdasan Interpersonal Anak Usia 5-6 Tahun di TK Al-Muttaqin

<p>The purpose of this study was to measure the development of interpersonal intelligence in children aged 5-6 years at Al Muttaqin Kindergarten, Baradatu District, Way Kanan Regency. This research is motivated by the existence of children's behavior that has not led to the interpersonal intelligence of children at the age of 5-6 years. This research is a type of research with a quantitative descriptive approach. The subjects of this study were 22 children in Group B of Al-Muttaqin Kindergarten, Baradatu District, Way Kanan Regency. The object of this research is interpersonal intelligence. Data collection techniques used are observation and documentation. The research instrument was in the form of an observation sheet (checklist). The results of this study are that the interpersonal intelligence of children aged 5-6 years in Al-Muttaqin Kindergarten, Baradatu District, Way Kanan Regency is included in the good criteria. The development of children's interpersonal intelligence can be influenced by several factors, including the stimulation given to children, differences in individual characteristics, and the environment that influences differences in individual behavior. </p>

Number line estimation patterns and their relationship with mathematical performance

There is ongoing debate regarding what performance on the number line estimation task represents and its role in mathematics learning. The patterns followed by children’s estimates on the number line task could provide insight into this. This study investigates children’s estimation patterns on the number line task and assesses whether mathematics achievement is associated with these estimation patterns. Singaporean children (n = 324, Age M = 6.2 years, Age SD = 0.3 years) in their second year of kindergarten were assessed on the number line task (0-100) and their mathematical performance (Numerical Operations and Mathematical Reasoning subtests from WIAT II). The results show that most children’s number line estimation patterns can be explained by at least one mathematical model (i.e., linear, logarithmic, unbounded power model, one-cycle power model, two-cycle power model). But the findings also highlight the high percentage of participants for which more than one model shows similar support. Children’s mathematical achievement differed based on the models that best explained children’s estimation patterns. Children whose estimation patterns corresponded to a more advanced model tended to show higher mathematical achievement. Limitations of drawing conclusions regarding what performance on the number line task represents based on models that best explain the estimation patterns are discussed.

Pre‐K attendance and social development: The moderating role of kindergarten classroom experiences

AbstractAlthough academic benefits of pre‐K are well established, the associations between pre‐K attendance and social and learning behaviours are less clear. Some research suggests that pre‐K attenders may enter and exit kindergarten exhibiting less optimal social and learning behaviours than their non‐attending peers, and little attention has been paid to how aspects of kindergarten experiences, like academic rigour, activity settings and teacher–student relationships, may contribute to these patterns of development. The current study addresses these gaps in knowledge by using nationally representative data from the ECLSK:2011 (n = 14,260) to examine the social and learning behaviours of pre‐K attenders and nonattenders at kindergarten entry and exit. Our results reveal that pre‐K attenders are not consistently underperforming their non‐attending peers on social and learning behaviours in kindergarten. However, teachers reported that pre‐K attenders exhibited more externalising behaviour problems at kindergarten entry and exit, and non‐attenders made greater gains in learning behaviours over the kindergarten year. We also found no evidence of moderation when examining our focal classroom experience variables.

Learning Two Languages: Dual Language Learning Patterns, Predictors, and Outcomes

ABSTRACT This secondary analysis study examined patterns, predictors, and outcomes of dual language learners’ (DLLs’) development in Spanish and English. Research Findings: Latent profile analysis identified three groups of DLLs: Balanced Bilinguals (54%), English-Dominant Bilinguals (25%), and Spanish-Dominant Bilinguals (21%). These groups had fairly comparable Spanish skills at Head Start (HS) entry but showed distinct learning patterns in English and Spanish during the 2.5 years in HS and kindergarten (K), which resulted in group differences in dual-language skills at K. When their home and classroom environments were compared, Balanced Bilinguals had more Spanish exposure than English-Dominant Bilinguals and more English exposure than Spanish-Dominant Bilinguals. Spanish-Dominant Bilinguals generally had more Spanish exposure at home and in the classroom, less English exposure at home, and had parents with lower English proficiency. English-Dominant Bilinguals had fewer home literacy materials in Spanish and had fewer opportunities for Spanish exposure in their first HS classrooms. Balanced Bilinguals presented the highest K achievement; the other two groups showed comparable skills. Practice or Policy: This study demonstrated variations in dual-language learning among DLLs in HS and indicated the need for tailored strategies that address the unique needs of diverse DLLs presenting varying proficiency in their two languages.

Description of Leader Kids: Study of children aged 5-6 years in Kindergarten

This study analysed the description of Leader kids. The formulation of the problem in this study is how to develop the soul of a leader in early childhood. This study aims to describe the soul of leader kids from an early age so that children can become leaders for themselves and others in the future. The method used is a qualitative type with a phenomenological approach. With observation data collection techniques, interviews and documentation. While the validity of the data using triangulation. The research subjects were three children with 7-grade teacher informants with the following criteria: 1) Aged six years and over, 2) Male sex, 3) Have complete parents. In the research results of informants, 57 % say that the spirit of leadership appears before entering school so that it does not entirely affect school activities. In comparison, informants 43 % stated that the soul of the leader kids appeared when they entered school.

The Effect of Mother’s Parenting stress on Socio-Emotional Development in Early Childhood

Parenting is one of the most important factors in the formation of social emotional development in early childhood. Often the parenting role is borne by the mother and this makes the mother vulnerable to parenting stress. Surabaya is a city with a high density, reaching 8612 people/square kilometer. Based on this, this study aims to determine the effect of parenting stress on mothers in social emotional early childhood in Surabaya City Kindergarten. In this study, the type of research used was ex-post facto, with a purposive sampling technique with a total of 100 respondents, mothers and children aged 5-6 years in Kindergarten in Surabaya City. The analytical method used in this study is a simple linear regression test. Based on the results of the hypothesis testing carried out, it was found that the results of a significance level of 0.000, which is 0.000 <0.05, which means that parenting stress on the mother and social-emotional development meets the criteria for the regression equation. The magnitude of the effect of parenting stress on this mother was tested for the coefficient of determination or R square which had a result of 0.296. This means that the parenting stress variable has an influence of 29.6% on the social-emotional development variable, while 70.4% is influenced by other factors. This means that parenting stress that occurs in mothers can affect how the social-emotional development of children in the future, therefore it is important to manage parenting stress and the school can provide support facilities for mothers and children in the social-emotional development of children and mothers.

Attained body mass index among children attending rural outdoor or urban conventional kindergartens.

This study aimed to examine whether children in rural outdoor kindergartens had attained a lower body mass index z-score (BMIz) and were at lower risk of overweight after school entrance compared to children in urban conventional kindergartens. This is a longitudinal observational study of 1,544 children from outdoor kindergartens and 1,640 from conventional kindergartens. The mean age at kindergarten enrolment was 3.5 years (SD: 0.9) in the outdoor kindergartens and 3.6 years (SD: 1.0) in the conventional kindergartens. Anthropometry was measured after school entry by school health nurses when the children were 6 to 8 years old. Attained BMIz was included as the primary outcome. The risk of attaining overweight (including obesity) was included as a secondary outcome. Register-based information was available on potential confounding factors. Linear and logistic regression models were used to assess group differences in outcome measures. Our basic models, with information on outcome, kindergarten type, and birth weight showed a borderline statistically significantly lower attained BMIz (-0.07 [95% CI: -0.14, 0.00], P = 0.060) and a lower risk of overweight (adjusted risk ratio: 0.83 [95% CI: 0.72, 0.97], P = 0.016) among children attending outdoor kindergartens. However, when adjusting for sociodemographic factors and parental BMI, there was no evidence of differences in attained BMIz (P = 0.153) or overweight (P = 0.967). When considering confounding factors, our findings indicate no differences in attained BMIz or risk of overweight after school entry among children attending rural outdoor kindergartens compared to those attending urban conventional kindergartens.

Pulsatile modulation greatly enhances neural synchronization at syllable rate in children

Neural processing of the speech envelope is of crucial importance for speech perception and comprehension. This envelope processing is often investigated by measuring neural synchronization to sinusoidal amplitude-modulated stimuli at different modulation frequencies. However, it has been argued that these stimuli lack ecological validity. Pulsatile amplitude-modulated stimuli, on the other hand, are suggested to be more ecologically valid and efficient, and have increased potential to uncover the neural mechanisms behind some developmental disorders such a dyslexia. Nonetheless, pulsatile stimuli have not yet been investigated in pre-reading and beginning reading children, which is a crucial age for developmental reading research. We performed a longitudinal study to examine the potential of pulsatile stimuli in this age range. Fifty-two typically reading children were tested at three time points from the middle of their last year of kindergarten (5 years old) to the end of first grade (7 years old). Using electroencephalography, we measured neural synchronization to syllable rate and phoneme rate sinusoidal and pulsatile amplitude-modulated stimuli. Our results revealed that the pulsatile stimuli significantly enhance neural synchronization at syllable rate, compared to the sinusoidal stimuli. Additionally, the pulsatile stimuli at syllable rate elicited a different hemispheric specialization, more closely resembling natural speech envelope tracking. We postulate that using the pulsatile stimuli greatly increases EEG data acquisition efficiency compared to the common sinusoidal amplitude-modulated stimuli in research in younger children and in developmental reading research.

The Arabic Diglossia Reality: The Effect of Specific Story Reading in Kindergarten on Reading Acquisition in First Grade

ABSTRACT Due to the diglossic nature of the Arabic language, Arabic-speaking children enter their first year of school with immaturity in literary language and word representations in their mental lexicon. This study examined the effects of interactive story reading in kindergarten on future reading skills and whether this effect can be generalized to reading skills of infrequent words. 102 Arabic-speaking kindergarten children were divided into two groups: 1) the intervention group was based on a first-grade textbook; 2) the control group was based on classic stories from the kindergarten library. The program was implemented for three months during the kindergarten year. The findings show that the intervention group’s scores were higher than the control group in measures of represented/practiced and unfamiliar items. Additionally, the gain of the intervention group in reading unfamiliar items provide evidence for a generalization effect of the intervention program. We conclude that the negative impact of diglossia on reading acquisition in Arabic can be reduced during kindergarten.

Increasing Ability to Recognize Letters Through Animation Media in Children Aged 5-6 Years in Kindergarten

The ability to recognize letters is the first step for children to be able to read, the ability to recognize letters well then the child tends to have the ability to read well too. This research is a classroom action research, with the object of Group B TK Dharma Wanita Persatuan Plaosan totaling 12 children. The writing of this study aims to determine the ability to recognize letters and the results of their improvement. Data collection techniques were carried out by means of observation, interviews and documentation. This research was conducted in 3 cycles, namely pre-cycle, cycle I and cycle II. Based on the results of the research that has been done, it can be seen that with animation media, the ability to recognize letters in children can be improved well with a significant increase in each cycle. The percentage value obtained in the first cycle reached a percentage of 56.5% but had not reached the success target, therefore it was carried out again in the second cycle which achieved a success percentage of 82.2%. Thus, it can be concluded that there is an increase in the ability to recognize letters through animation media in Dharma Wanita Persatuan Plaosan Kindergarten with a percentage reaching 82.2%.

Seeking Racial and Ethnic Parity in Preschool Outcomes

Montessori pedagogy is a century-old, whole-school system increasingly used in the public sector. In the United States, public Montessori schools are typically Title I schools that mostly serve children of color. The present secondary, exploratory data analysis examined outcomes of 134 children who entered a lottery for admission to public Montessori schools in the northeastern United States at age 3; half were admitted and enrolled and the rest enrolled at other preschool programs. About half of the children were identified as White, and half were identified as African American, Hispanic, or multiracial. Children were tested in the fall when they enrolled and again in the subsequent three springs (i.e., through the kindergarten year) on a range of measures addressing academic outcomes, executive function, and social cognition. Although the Black, Hispanic, and multiracial group tended to score lower in the beginning of preschool in both conditions, by the end of preschool, the scores of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students enrolled in Montessori schools were not different from the White children; by contrast, such students in the business-as-usual schools continued to perform less well than White children in academic achievement and social cognition. The study has important limitations that lead us to view these findings as exploratory, but taken together with other findings, the results suggest that Montessori education may create an environment that is more conducive to racial and ethnic parity than other school environments.

Potential impact of extra education on the development of executive functions within a year in preschool children: an exploratory research.

Executive functions have been shown to develop through various extra classes in preschool age. But the optimal for executive functions development system of such classes has not yet been explored. The present exploratory study aimed to examine the difference in the executive functions development within a year between children attending the system of extra classes (music, choreography, art, foreign language, literacy, math, computer science, and science) twice a week for 4 h in a preschool education center and children who did not take no extra classes. There were 60 children who attended extra classes and 64 children who did not take extra classes. In each group, approximately 17% were boys. The first assessment of executive functions was performed in the penultimate year of kindergarten, when the children were 5-6 years old. The second was performed 1 year later. The executive function level was assessed using NEPSY-II subtests "Inhibition," "Statue," "Memory for Designs," "Sentences Repetition," and "Dimensional Change Card Sort." Mothers also reported about their children's attendance in extra classes, their children's screen time, the level of maternal education, and the level of family income. The study revealed that children attending the system of the extra classes showed a higher verbal working memory development within a year than the children taking no extra classes. The obtained data plays an important role for the design of further research of the topic and for the practical recommendations for parents and teachers.

The relationship between number line estimation and mathematical reasoning: a quantile regression approach

Number line estimation has been found to be strongly related to mathematical reasoning concurrently and longitudinally. However, the relationship between number line estimation and mathematical reasoning might differ according to children’s level of performance. This study investigates whether findings from previous studies that show number line estimation significantly predicting mathematical reasoning replicate, and whether this relationship holds across several points of the mathematical reasoning distribution. Participants include 324 Singaporean children (162 girls, Mage = 74.1 months, SDage = 4.0) in their second year of kindergarten who were assessed on the number line estimation task (0–10 and 0–100) and mathematical reasoning skills. The results replicate previous findings showing that higher accuracy on the number line estimation task is predictive of higher mathematical reasoning, for both the 0–10 and 0–100 number line. Quantile regressions show that performance on the number line task similarly predict mathematical reasoning across the performance distribution. Possible differences between the 0–10 and 0–100 number line’s predictive capacity are discussed.

Young children and families’ home literacy and technology practices before and during COVID-19

The home is an important setting for young children’s learning and development. We examined home literacy practices and technology usage among families with children ages 5–6 years old ( N = 47) before as compared to during COVID-19 with bivariate analyses. Variations by household income were also investigated. Parents completed surveys on home literacy and technological practices and demographic information in the spring of transitional kindergarten and the following kindergarten year. Results demonstrated an increase in child technology usage for school related educational programs, from pre-COVID-19 to COVID-19 and a decrease in home book reading, storytelling, writing, and playing games during COVID-19 home learning. Transitional kindergarten parents from the upper-income bracket reported significantly lower technology use of educational games compared to those in the lower-income group pre-COVID-19. Kindergarten parents from the upper-income bracket reported significantly higher technology use of educational games and lower technology use in watching TV to fall asleep, compared to those in the lower-income group during COVID-19. Findings suggest that there are few differences in home learning environments across family income groups. By characterizing how parents utilize technology and literacy practices with their children, we can better understand how to support families through COVID-19 and beyond.

Project-Based Learning Model Improves Ability to Understand Environmental Cleanliness in Early Childhood

An understanding of environmental cleanliness is an important element in achieving early childhood learning related to the habituation of clean and healthy living behavior (PHBS), one of the elements of early childhood development assessment, namely the element of identity in the implementation of the independent curriculum. This study aims to analyze the project-based learning model on the ability to understand environmental hygiene in children aged 5-6 years in Kindergarten. This type of research is quantitative. The experimental method with a one-group pretest-posttest design was used in this study. The sample is 38 children. Data collection techniques through observation with assessment instruments. Data analysis techniques using descriptive qualitative analysis, quantitative and inferential statistics. The study results are that the project-based learning model significantly affects the ability to understand environmental hygiene in early childhood by creating quality interactions between teachers and children and increasing thinking skills (Higher Order Thinking Skills- HOTS). The ability to understand is included in HOTS, while data on the ability to understand cleanliness related to Clean Healthy Lifestyle (PHBS) collected include; the child's ability to understand the cleanliness of the room/toilet/latrine; do not litter; understand self-protection from mosquito larvae, the importance of planting trees in creating clean air; and cleanliness of the gutters around the child's environment.