Reconstructing readiness: Young children’s priorities for their early school adjustment

O’Farrelly, Christine; Booth, Ailbhe; Tatlow-Golden, Mimi and Barker, Beth (2020). Reconstructing readiness: Young children’s priorities for their early school adjustment. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 50(2) pp. 3–16.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.12.001

Abstract

Young children in communities facing socioeconomic disadvantage are increasingly targeted by school readiness interventions. Interventions are stronger if they address stakeholders’ priorities, yet children’s priorities for early school adjustment are rarely accounted for in intervention design including selection of outcome measures. The Children’s Thoughts about School Study (CTSS) examined young children’s accounts of their early school experiences, and their descriptions of what a new school starter would need to know. Mixed-method interviews were conducted with 42 kindergarten children in a socioeconomically deprived suburb of Dublin, Ireland. First, inductive thematic analysis identified 25 priorities across four domains: feeling able and enthusiastic for school; navigating friendships and victimisation; supportive environments with opportunities to play; bridging school and family life. Second, deductive analysis compared children’s priorities at item level against a school readiness outcome battery. Children’s priorities were assigned to three groups: (1) assessed by outcome measures (core academic competencies, aspects of self regulation); (2) partially assessed (self-efficacy, social skills for friendship formation and avoiding victimisation, creative thinking, play); and (3) not assessed by outcome measures (school liking, school environment, family school involvement). This analysis derived from children’s own perspectives suggests that readiness interventions aiming to support early school adjustment would benefit from considering factors children consider salient. It offers recommendations for advancing conceptual frameworks, improving assessment, and identifying new targets for supporting children and schools. In doing so we provide a platform for children’s priorities to be integrated into the policies and practices that shape their early lives.

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About

• Item ORO ID
• 58141
• Item Type
• Journal Item
• ISSN
• 1873-7706
• Project Funding Details

• Funded Project Name	Project ID	Funding Body
  Children's Thoughts about School Study	Not Set	Children's Research Network
  Preparing for Life	Not Set	Northside Partnership
  Preparing for Life	Not Set	Department of Children and Youth Affairs, Ireland
  Preparing for Life	Not Set	Atlantic Philanthropies

• Keywords
• Children’s perspectives; school readiness; school experience; socioeconomic disadvantage; early intervention; school adjustment
• Academic Unit or School
• Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) > Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport > Childhood, Youth and Sport > Childhood and Youth
  Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) > Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport > Childhood, Youth and Sport
  Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) > Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport
  Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS)
• Research Group
• Childhood and Youth
  Centre for Children’s Wellbeing
• Copyright Holders
• © 2018 Elsevier Inc.
• Depositing User
• Mimi Tatlow-Golden