THE EFFECTS OF PRESCHOOL

ON KINDERGARTEN
LITERACY

Donna Moore
Department of Counseling & Education, Longwood
University
READ 650 Evaluation of Literacy Research
Dr. Angelica D. Blanchette
April 29, 2023
Abstract:

Kindergarten teachers know how important it is for students to come to

them prepared for the rigors of Kindergarten. That work begins with the

Preschool teacher. Allow us to show you what the research says about the

alignment beliefs between Preschool and Kindergarten teachers.

What is Literacy?
 LITERACY IS THE ABILITY TO READ, WRITE,

SPEAK, AND LISTEN IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS

US TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY AND

MAKE SENSE OF THE WORLD (“WHAT IS

LITERACY?”, N.D).
 What is Literacy?

YouTube. (2015). What is Literacy? YouTube. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpjMcbft2vQ.
 Primary school teachers play an important role in laying the

foundation of literacy. They are integral to the transition to

Kindergarten, and the literacy success of those students.

 How do Preschool and Kindergarten teachers view readiness?

 Kindergarten teachers report that at least ⅓ of the children in

kindergarten are not ready for school. Kindergarten teachers also

reported that children start school up to 1.5 years behind their peers in

reading, math, and vocabulary skills. (Ma, Nelson, et al., 2014).

 Take a moment to pause this video and discuss your thoughts on this

data.
 Research shows that state-funded preschool programs are

beneficially associated with the reduced likelihood of repeating

kindergarten. (Huang, Invernizzi, & Drake, 2012)

Evidence on Preschool Effectiveness:
 Alignment between preschool and kindergarten curriculums may be particularly

important given research linking a poor transition experience to later adjustment

problems (Lloyd, Steinberg, & Wilhelm-Chapin, 1999).

 What this means is, preschool and kindergarten curriculums, which do not align,

cause further literacy problems later in the students’ academic career.

  How do Preschool and Kindergarten teachers differ in
their views of curriculum alignment?

 MANY CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT FEATURES REMAIN UNEXAMINED. TEACHER BELIEFS

ARE ONE EXAMPLE. PRESCHOOL AND KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS HOLD BELIEFS ABOUT

WHAT CHILDREN NEED TO KNOW AND BE ABLE TO DO IN ORDER TO BE BEST-PREPARED

TO ENTER KINDERGARTEN (HARRADINE & CLIFFORD, 1996; KNUDSEN-LINDAUER & HARRIS, 1989; KOWALSKI,

PRETTI-FRONTCZAK, & JOHNSON, 2001; LIN, LAWRENCE, & GORRELL, 2003; WEST 1993). RESEARCH POINTS TO A

MISALIGNMENT IN PRESCHOOL AND KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS’ BELIEFS REGARDING

THE IMPORTANCE OF ACADEMIC COMPETENCIES AT KINDERGARTEN ENTRY.

 TEACHER BELIEFS IS AN ALIGNMENT FEATURE WORTHY OF EXAMINATION (HAINS, FOWLER,

SCHWARTZ, KOTTWITZ, & ROSENKOETTER, 1989; PIOTRKOWSKI, BOTSKO, & MATTHEWS, 2000).
  Early Childhood Longitudinal-Birth Cohort Study

 Early Childhood Longitudinal-Birth Cohort data was used to examine the extent to

which preschool and kindergarten teachers aligned their beliefs regarding the

importance of school competencies at kindergarten entry. (Abry, Latham, Bassok, and

LoCasale-Crouch, 2015).

 The study examined whether children’s exposure to preschool and kindergarten

teachers, with differing beliefs about school competencies, predicted their academic

adjustment to kindergarten, and whether they were affected by this belief

misalignment.
 From this study, a clear pattern of misalignment in preschool and kindergarten teachers’

beliefs has emerged. Although both groups of teachers rated academic skills lower than other

competencies, preschool teachers tend to emphasize social skills and self-discipline over

academics, when compared to their kindergarten counterparts (Hains et al., 1989; Piotrkowski et al.,

2000).

 Even though preschool and kindergarten teachers share some agreement on the overall

prioritization of early school abilities, there likely remain discrepancies in the extent to which

the two groups endorse a particular set of skills necessary for literacy (Abry, Latham, Bassok, and
LoCasale-Crouch, 2015).
 A Comparison of Preschool and Kindergarten Teacher Expectations for School Readiness Study

 THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ON A VARIETY OF SCHOOL

SKILLS THAT PRESCHOOL AND KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS EXPECT CHILDREN TO

DEMONSTRATE IN REGULAR KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS.

 THE SKILL EXPECTATION SURVEY FOR KINDERGARTEN READINESS (SESKR) WAS

ADMINISTERED TO 21 PRESCHOOL TEACHERS AND 28 KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS.

 THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT PRESCHOOL TEACHERS HAD HIGHER EXPECTATIONS

THAN KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS FOR KINDERGARTEN ENTRY SKILLS. THE SURVEY MAY

BE MOST USEFUL IN PROVIDING A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHERS TO DISCUSS SCHOOL

READINESS EXPECTATIONS (HAINS ET AL., 1987).

 Pause the video and discuss the differences in the Early Childhood
Longitudinal-Birth Cohort Study, and the Comparison of Preschool
and Kindergarten Teacher Expectations for School Readiness Study.
In conclusion, given the importance of this topic, more research is needed to validate

the importance of alignment beliefs between preschool and kindergarten teachers.

Teacher’s actual expectations may not match the standards assessed by school

readiness tests. Understanding the differences in beliefs among preschool and

kindergarten teachers will help to better educate this population.

 References

Abry, T., Latham, S., Bassok, D., & LoCasale-Crouch, J. (2015). Preschool and kindergarten teachers’ beliefs about early school competencies: Misalignment matters for

kindergarten adjustment. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 31, 78–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.01.001

Bogard & Takanishi, 2005; Kraft-Sayre & Picanta; LoCasale-Crouch et al., 2012; Reynolds, Magnuson, & Ou, 2010, as cited in Abry, Lathan et al., 2015.

Charlesworth, Hart, Burts, & Hernandez, 1991; Fang, 1996; Staub & Stern, 2002; Stipek & Byler, 1997; Vartuli, 1999; West, 1993, as cited in Abry, Latham, et al., 2015.

Hains, A. H., Fowler, S. A., Schwartz, I. S., Kottwitz, E., & Rosenkoetter, S. (1989). A comparison of preschool and kindergarten teacher expectations for school readiness. Early

Childhood Research Quarterly, 4(1), 75–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0885-2006(89)90090-2

Harradine & Clifford, 1996; Knudsen-Linauer & Harris, 1989; Kowalski, Pretti-Frontczak, & Johnson, 2001; Lin, Lawrence, & Gorrell, 2003; West, 1993, as cited in Abry, Latham et

al., 2015.

Huang, F. L., Invernizzi, M. A., & Drake, E. A. (2012). The differential effects of preschool: Evidence from Virginia. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 27(1), 33–45.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2011.03.006

Lloyd, Steinburg, & Wilhelm-Chapin, 1999, as cited in Abry, Latham, et al., 2015.

Ma, X., Nelson, R. F., Shen, J., & Krenn, H. Y. (2014). Effects of preschool intervention strategies on school readiness in Kindergarten. Educational Research for Policy and Practice,

14(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-014-9163-y

National Literacy Trust. (n.d.). What is Literacy? National Literacy Trust. Retrieved April 2, 2023

https://literacytrust.org.uk/information/what-is-literacy/#:~:text=Literacy%20is%20the%20ability%20to,make%20sense%20of%20the%20world .

Piotrkowski, Botsko, & Matthews, 2000, as cited in Arby, Latham, et al., 2015.

YouTube. (2015). What is Literacy? YouTube. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpjMcbft2vQ.
For questions, contact:
Donna Moore
Cumberland County Public Schools
Donna.moore@live.longwood.edu
818-919-5095