Continuities, discontinuities and transition in early childhood literacy education at digital time

Abstract

Introduction. This paper reports the results of a study concerning the views and the expectations of primary teachers for the transition from kindergarten to primary school. 
 Goal. In a recently new educational environment, in which all educators “forced” to continue their educational practices as to ensure for their students a smooth transition from one level to another, two transitions processes implemented. The first one concerns the move from in-person to virtual delivery of the language classroom and the second one concern the preschoolers’ transition from kindergarten to primary school.
 Methods of the Research. In this context, 16 Greek first grade primary school teachers' views about their (previous preschoolers) students' literacy development and elements of literacy knowledge after remote teaching (in a preschool setting) were collected with semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. 
 The Results. The results showed that support for the transition of young children from preschool to primary school settings and literacy development was inevitably affected into this new educational environment. Therefore, teachers propose the continuity between early childhood and primary school literacy programmes as the key for a smoother transition. Based on evaluations of experiences, a smooth transition and continuity from one level to another could be also facilitated and intermediated by collaboration of preschool and primary school teachers and other stakeholders. Furthermore, discontinuities in early childhood literacy education and development could be disappeared if policy makers try to bridge and sculpt “distances” via effective transition programmes. 
 Conclusions. The knowledge of current practice, priorities, challenges, and opportunities will help language educators to adjust their education offer, their syllabi, expectations, or pedagogical approaches to facilitate a more positive and smooth transition process for each and every learner.

Preschool teachers' perceptions of preschool education during Covid-19 in Greece: a diary-interview study

“…The teachers expressed their lack of preparedness to engage in this type of learning and their disappointment with the possibilities offered by remote teaching to effectively prepare children for the demands of primary school-particularly regarding written language. The primary school teachers who participated in Apostolou's (2022) study further confirmed these findings, as according to participants, the language activities implemented in preschools during ERT were not effective in preparing children for the literacy requirements of the first grade of primary school.…”

“…While this is problematic in itself, it can also make the transition to primary school more difficult (e.g. Papandreou & Vellopoulou, 2023;Apostolou, 2022Apostolou, , 2023.…”

“…Furthermore, teachers worldwide faced difficulties in teaching topics that they considered to be important, and assisting students to gain the skills necessary for the transition to primary education. This issue has been reported in the contexts of Greece, Germany, Turkey, the US and the UK (Quenzer-Alfred et al, 2021;Yildirim, 2021;Gonzàlez et al, 2022;Apostolou, 2022;Wythe, 2022;Bakopoulou, 2022;Gelir, 2023). Finally, preschool teachers have internationally reported on their difficulties to replicate the aspects of traditional education such as inquiry-based teaching when teaching remotely (Timmons et al, 2021), which led them to have doubts on the effectiveness of remote teaching and learning for preschoolers (Atiles et al, 2021;Duran, 2021;Negrette et al, 2022).…”

“…Significant problems with the implementation of ERT in preschool classrooms have been reported in a number of Greek studies as well as the international literature for teachers, children and parents alike. Prominent issues reported by Greek preschool teachers include lack of training and insufficient technological skills (Foti, 2020;Apostolou & Lavidas, 2021;Markaki & Kostas, 2022;Dadatsi & Koukouriki, 2022;Gkoros & Papageorgiou, 2023;Apostolou, 2023;Tympa et al, 2023), difficulties in developing appropriate materials for online learning in a limited period of time (Foti, 2020;Chalari & Charonitis, 2022;Markaki & Kostas, 2022;Nikolopoulou, 2022), the inability of ERT to meet children's emotional and educational needs (Apostolou, 2022(Apostolou, , 2023Gkoros & Papageorgiou, 2023) and the lack of internet and technological equipment in preschools and children's homes (Markaki & Kostas, 2022;Nikolopoulou, 2022;Gkoros & Papageorgiou, 2023;Apostolou, 2023).…”

Literacy: A Lifelong Process Through a Balanced Literacy Approach

“…It is essentially a proposal that is not described as equal teaching of phonemes and texts, but according to which the teaching aimed at developing reading comprehension must be complex as it contains the development of decoding skills, whole word recognition, vocabulary enrichment, specific reading comprehension skills and use in a sociocultural context (Aidinis, introduction to Smith, 2006). The tendency to balance the basic principles of earlier theoretical approaches is not accidental today (Apostolou, 2022), as the content of the concept of literacy has expanded towards a broader conceptual framework, with reading and writing being studied based on their socio-historical dimension and being able to be understood within the respective social, political, economic and historical context (Baynham, 2002;Gee, 2002;Snyder, 2008). Tracey and Morrow (2007) note that in order for teachers to choose a method of enhancing literacy, they must first of all take into account that:…”