Parental Conceptions of School Readiness: Relation to Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Children's Skills

The Importance of Supply and Demand to Policymaking Designed to Alter Preschool Attendance

“…Barbarin et al (2008) offers a thorough example of the qualitative approach through its use of interviews conducted in 2001 of 452 families with children enrolled in 40 different preschools in seven different states. The researchers qualitatively coded into nine clusters a household's open-ended responses to a question on " [w]hat knowledge or ability must a child possess to be ready for school"?…”

Inclusive education and insufficient school readiness in Grade 1: Policy versus practice

“…Emotional readiness at school entry implies that learners should be able to deal with, regulate, and appropriately express their own emotions, as well as respond appropriately to the feelings of others (Barbarin et al 2008;Janus & Duku 2007). McClelland and Morrison (2003) note independence, responsibility and self-regulation as important social-emotional skills for school readiness.…”

“…They are expected to work independently, complete learning tasks, follow a strict class routine and acquire literacy and mathematics skills (Li-Grining, Votruba-Drzal, Maldonado-Carreño & Haas 2010). Criteria for the personal readiness of the learner at school entry, as proposed by the National Education Goals Panel in 1991, include physical well-being and motor development; social-emotional development; approaches to learning; language usage and communication skills; and cognitive skills and general knowledge (in Barbarin, Early, Clifford, Bryant, Frome, Burchinal, Howes & Pianta 2008). These criteria for school readiness, as well as the effect of poverty and deprivation on the personal school readiness of Grade 1 learners, will be discussed briefly in the following section.…”

“…Approaches to learning as the third criterion for the personal school readiness of the Grade 1 learner refers to learning-related behaviour that enables the learner to engage in classroom activities, including motivation; a positive attitude towards learning; the ability to tolerate frustration (Vitiello, Greenfield, Munis & George 2011); and "curiosity, initiative, persistence and imagination" (Barbarin et al 2008). Pagani, Fitzpatrick, Archambault & Janosz (2010) refer to these aspects of school readiness as the classroom working habits of a learner, which, together with cognitive skills, determine academic progress and success.…”

“…Readiness to learn requires physical health and fitness, including adequate energy levels for classroom and playground activities (Barbarin et al 2008;Janus & Duku 2007). Ravid, Afek, Suraiya, Shahar and Pillar (2009) found that insufficient sleep results in low energy levels, a shortened attention span, a tendency to fall asleep during class time, mood swings, oppositional behaviour and a lack of motivation.…”