Transition of children from preschool and home contexts to grade 1 in two township primary schools in South Africa

Abstract

Abstract:In South Africa, the development of the 2001 White Paper No. 5 on Early Childhood Development (ECD) has been an instrumental policy in the development of changes to assist in preparing children for formal schooling, along with a strong focus on early childhood education. However the extent to which these are being enacted is relatively unknown. This study investigated understandings and practices of stakeholders involved in the transition of children moving from preschool or home into primary school in South Africa. A case study approach was adopted focusing on two schools situated in economically disadvantaged provinces of South Africa. School principals and teachers were interviewed to determine their knowledge of, and relationships with preschools, and practices around school transition. Grade 1 teachers were also asked about the factors influencing children's transition to school. Parents were asked about their views of transition and how their children were supported as they started school. Taking note of the children's own voices was imperative in determining how they experienced transition to school. While case study findings cannot be generalised, the results suggest that much needs to be done to increase awareness of early childhood education and for the government to move beyond universal accessibility to ensuring the quality of provision at the local level.Résumé: En Afrique du Sud, l'élaboration du Livre blanc n° 5 de 2001 sur le Développement de la petite enfance (DPE) constitue une politique essentielle dans le cadre de l'élaboration de nouvelles orientations pour préparer les enfants pour l'enseignement formel, mettant un fort accent sur le développement de la petite enfance. Toutefois, l'étendue de l'application de ces mesures est relativement peu connue. La présente étude s'est penchée sur les entendements et les pratiques mis en oeuvre par les partenaires impliqués dans la transition des enfants de la maternelle ou du foyer vers l'école primaire en Afrique du Sud. La méthode des cas a été adoptée pour étudier deux écoles situées dans des provinces économiquement défavorisées en Afrique du Sud. Des directeurs d'école et des instituteurs ont été interviewés pour établir leurs rapports avec les maternelles et les pratiques autour de la transition vers la scolarisation. Les instituteurs de la première année du primaire ont également été interrogés sur les éléments ayant une incidence sur la transition vers la scolarisation. Les parents ont été interrogés sur leurs vues concernant la transition et le soutien fourni aux enfants en début de scolarisation. Il était important de prendre en compte les opinions des enfants eux-mêmes pour établir comment ils vivaient cette transition. Bien qu'il n'est pas possible de généraliser à partir des constations d'études de cas, les résultats suggèrent que beaucoup reste à faire dans le cadre de la sensibilisation au développement de la petite enfance et l'État doit, au-delà de l'accessibilité universelle, assurer une prestation au niveau local de meilleur...

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