The Effects of Various Early Learning Experiences on the Academic Achievement of Rural Elementary School Students: A Quantitative Study
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Authors
Beeland, William David, Jr.
Issue Date
2014-02-24
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Early learning , preschool , prekindergarten , pre-k , student achievement
Alternative Title
Abstract
This quantitative study researched the effects of various early learning experiences on the academic achievement of 510 students residing in a rural Georgia community. The four types of early learning experience were no prekindergarten experience, participation in Head Start, state-funded prekindergarten programs, and private prekindergarten programs. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to conduct between-subjects one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) to analyze reading and math scores at the end of kindergarten using the Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (GKIDS) assessment. The scores were compared based on the early learning experiences of the students. The results indicated that students who attended a state-funded or private prekindergarten program had statistically higher mean scores in reading than students who did not participate in a prekindergarten program. A similar pattern was not found to exist in math. Additional ANOVAs were conducted on the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT) scores of the students to determine if the difference in reading achievement continued to exist at the end of first, third, and fifth grades. The results indicated that a statistically significant difference in reading achievement continued to exist at the end of first and third grades between students who did not attend prekindergarten and those students who attended a state-funded or private prekindergarten program. The analysis of scores at the end of fifth grade indicated that a statistically significant difference in reading mean scores only existed between students who did not participate in a prekindergarten program and those students who attended a private prekindergarten program.