Comparison of Preschool and First Grade Teachers' Views about School Readiness

Educational Consultancy, Ltd (EDAM). Kisikli Mh. Alemdag Cd. Yan Yol Sk., SBK Is Merkezi No:5 Kat:1, Uskudar-Istanbul, 34692 Turkey. Tel: +90-216-481-30-23; Fax: +90-216-481-31-36; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.edam.com.tr/estp.asp

Y

6

Foreign Countries; School Readiness; Qualitative Research; Comparative Analysis; Teacher Attitudes; Preschool Teachers; Elementary School Teachers; Semi Structured Interviews; Preschool Evaluation; Credibility; Family Role; Preschool Education; Definitions; School Effectiveness; Teacher Effectiveness

Turkey; Turkey (Ankara)

1303-0485

School readiness is an important concern for parents and teachers because it is a multifaceted process which encompasses all the developmental areas and various skills of children rather than only focusing on cognitive and literacy skills. In particular, preschool and first grade teachers experience the positive and negative sides of the process of school readiness. In this study, basic qualitative research was used to compare teachers' views about school readiness. The participants were 35 preschool and 35 first grade teachers and a semi-structured interview protocol developed by the researchers was used to collect data. Qualitative analysis was performed at the end of the study and according to the findings, the following five main themes were determined: definition of school readiness, the effective people and institutions in the school readiness process, preschool education for school readiness, the difficulties encountered in the school readiness process and suggestions for effective school readiness. Also, the findings showed that preschool and first grade teachers tended to have similar views related school readiness.

As Provided

43

2014

EJ1017735