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A Quantitative Study of Head Start Children’s Strengths, Families’ Perspectives, and Teachers’ Ratings in the Transition to Kindergarten

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Abstract

This study examined the association between preschool children’s social-interpersonal skills and their transition to school in the beginning months of kindergarten. One hundred and thirty-three preschool children participated in this study. During the spring of the pre-kindergarten year, children’s social-interpersonal skills were assessed as well as rated by teachers. In the follow-up year, parents/guardians and teachers reported on children’s adjustment to kindergarten. The results of this study found no association between parents’/guardians’ and teachers’ reports of children’s adjustment and readiness in kindergarten. Children’s social-interpersonal skills were negatively associated with teachers’ reports of children’s kindergarten readiness difficulties. The findings of this study indicate that children’s early social skills, developed prior to entering kindergarten, are important for children’s readiness for school.

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Notes

  1. In this paper, we use “parents” to refer to mothers, fathers, and children’s guardians.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Grant RO1HD046091 from the Interagency School Readiness Consortium administered by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development to Indiana University with a subcontract to Purdue University.

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Correspondence to Chanele D. Robinson.

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Robinson, C.D., Diamond, K.E. A Quantitative Study of Head Start Children’s Strengths, Families’ Perspectives, and Teachers’ Ratings in the Transition to Kindergarten. Early Childhood Educ J 42, 77–84 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-013-0587-4

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