Chinese teachers’ perceptions of early childhood school readiness

Abstract

Children's school readiness, especially in the early school years, is a significant indicator for school success as it establishes a positive school trajectory. However, less is known about the generalizability of these findings to contexts outside the United States. The present study examined kindergarten teachers' perceptions of school readiness in China. We surveyed 101 third-year preschool teachers and 160 first-grade teachers in China, asking about their perceptions of school readiness. Results suggested that third-year preschool and first grade teachers in China viewed many of their students as not ready for school and also thought that the students had difficulties with academic and social-emotional skills. In addition, Chinese teachers placed a higher value on social-emotional skills versus academic skills. Our interpretation of the current findings also includes preliminary comparisons between our data set and one from 531 American kindergarten teachers using the same survey.

Exploring the Accuracy and Consistency of a School Readiness Assessment Tool for Preschoolers: Reliability, Validity and Measurement Invariance Analysis

“…The result highlights the significance of cognitive and socioemotional abilities, as well as family support, in terms of a child's preparedness for school and their social achievements during the transition to for-mal education. Chinese teachers' perceptions were also collected for their children's school readiness in one study (An et al 2018). The study used the Chinese Teachers' Judgments of Children's Behavior Survey which has 32 questions in total.…”

Diagnostic Assessment of School Readiness

“…The result highlights the significance of cognitive and socioemotional abilities, as well as family support, in terms of a child's preparedness for school and their social achievements during the transition to formal education. Chinese teachers' perceptions were also collected for their children's school readiness in one study (An et al, 2018). The study used the Chinese Teachers' Judgments of Children's Behavior Survey which has 32 questions in total.…”