Pre-K and Kindergarten Teacher Perception of School Readiness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a mandatory shift from in-person instruction to online learning for many young children. Teachers needed to adjust to virtual teaching, children were isolated from their peers, and parents played a bigger role in learning during the pandemic. In 2021, the shift back to in-person learning occurred. Research has already shown the negative influence COVID-19 had on students' mental health; however, limited research has examined the impact of the pandemic on school readiness. In this study, using the Head Start domains of school readiness, 154 Kindergarten and Pre-K teachers compared current student school readiness to the readiness of their students prior to the pandemic. Results showed that nearly 80% of teachers felt that overall student functioning was Worse or Much Worse than before the pandemic; no teachers reported functioning was overall much better. Teachers most frequently identified the Ready to Learn and Social-Emotional Development domains as the areas of greatest struggle for their students; Physical Development was the least frequently reported. Chi-square tests were used to examine the association between teacher demographics and overall school readiness and domain of greatest struggle; no significant relationships were found. Future directions and limitations of these results are discussed.

Preliminary Evaluation of a Mobile, Web-Based Coaching Tool to Improve Pre-K Classroom Practices and Enhance Learning

“…Studies on the effects of the pandemic for early learners suggest that there have been significant negative effects on students' social-emotional development and kindergarten readiness [51]. However, we also know that educators encountered stressors that undoubtedly affected their ability to participate in this research with consistency.…”

COVID‐19 school closures and Chinese children's school readiness: Results from the natural experimental data

“…In Chile, a comparison of general development, language development, social-emotional development and executive functioning between a pre-COVID cohort (2017) and a cohort of children ( 2020) who experienced a one-year school closure showed a loss of .25 standard deviation in language development (Abufhele et al, 2022). In the United States, a survey of 154 Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten teachers by Murphy et al (2023) revealed that many teachers reported children were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of readiness to learn and social-emotional development. However, children's physical development was rarely reported as a concern.…”

“…A careful inspection of the literature revealed that across existing studies, the associations between school closures and different domains of school readiness skills ranged from negative (e.g., attitudes towards learning, math and working memory; González et al, 2022;Hentschel et al, 2023;Kilenthong et al, 2022;Lau & Li, 2021;Lynch et al, 2023;Murphy et al, 2023), nonsignificant (e.g., quantity comparison and physical development; Kilenthong et al, 2022;Lynch et al, 2023;Murphy et al, 2023), to positive (e.g., language and literacy, González et al, 2022). However, contradictory findings were also reported across studies.…”

‘I feel like the Wicked Witch’: Identifying tensions between school readiness policy and teacher beliefs, knowledge and practice in Early Childhood Education

“…Extensive research has found that teachers have beliefs about school readiness and the types of skills and behaviours that are important to ensure a smooth transition into school (Dockett & Perry, 2007; Kay, 2018; Murphy et al., 2023; Rouse et al., 2023; Smith & Glass, 2019). These beliefs are often shaped by social and cultural factors, specifically teachers' personal experiences and their professional knowledge (Kay, 2018).…”