The Impact of Georgia Pre-K Program on the Achievement Gap between At-Risk and Not-At-Risk Students for Kindergarten Readiness as Measured by Teacher Perception and Student Assessments - Lamon , Candace Cooper (Valdosta State University, 2005)
The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the Georgia Pre K Program in bridging the achievement gap between at risk and not at risk students. Data were collected from a kindergarten teacher perception survey and student assessments. Analyses were done to determine if there is an achievement gap between groups. Kindergarten teachers perceptions about skill levels of entering students, both at risk and not at risk, were measured in pre academic, language, small and gross motor, and social and emotional skills. Paired t tests were run on the survey data. Student achievement, measured by the Boehm 3 and the Georgia Kindergarten Assessment Program Revised, was analyzed with a Mann Whitney and an independent t test. Variables of kindergarten experience and degree levels were run with an ANOVA. Teachers were found to perceive both at risk and not at risk students performing at similar levels in pre academic skills, with the exception of identifying shapes and spatial skills. At risk students were perceived as possessing higher skill levels for identifying colors, multitask sequences, alphabet usage, and phonemic skills. Numeracy skills had no statistically significant difference in means. Significant differences in means were found for language, motor, and social and emotional skills, with the not at risk group exhibiting higher skill levels. No statistically significant relationship existed between years of teaching experience or degree level and perceptions of student skill levels.
I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem .................................................................. 3 The Pre-K Teacher ............................................................................ 6 Theoretical Basis of the Study ........................................................... 8 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................... 10 Research Questions .......................................................................... 11 Hypotheses ........................................................................................ 12 Limitations of the Study...................................................................... 14 Definition of Terms ............................................................................. 15 Significance of the Study ................................................................... 16 Organization of the Study .................................................................. 16 II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE .............................................. 17 Historical Perspective of Early Childhood Education ......................... 17 School Readiness .............................................................................. 30 Achievement Effects of Kindergarten ................................................. 40 The Instrumentation ........................................................................... 48 Summary ........................................................................................... 50 III. METHODOLOGY .............................................................................. 54 Participants ........................................................................................ 55 Ethical Considerations ....................................................................... 56 Design of the Study ........................................................................... 57 Instrumentation .................................................................................. 57 Data Collection .................................................................................. 59 Data Analyses .................................................................................... 60 Limitations .......................................................................................... 65 Summary ........................................................................................... 65 IV. FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSES ................................................... 66 Instrumentation .................................................................................. 66 Data Collection Procedures ............................................................... 67 Sample ............................................................................................... 68 Data Analyses and Findings .............................................................. 68 Summary ........................................................................................... 87 V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, DISCUSSION, IMPLICATIONS FOR APPLICATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ....................................................................................... 89 Synopsis of the Study ........................................................................ 89 Conclusions ....................................................................................... 91 Discussion ......................................................................................... 93 Implications for Application ................................................................ 97 Recommendations for Further Research ........................................... 98 Summary ............................................................................................ 99 REFERENCES .............................................................................................101 Appendix A: Institutional Review Board Approval Form ...............................114 Appendix B: Superintendent Cover Letter and Study Permission Form for Student Data ............................................................................116 Appendix C: Superintendent Cover Letter and Study Permission Form for Kindergarten Teacher Perception Survey ................................119 Appendix D: Kindergarten Teacher Perception Survey Cover Letter ............122 Appendix E: Modified Shasta 5 Kindergarten Teacher Perception Survey ...124 Appendix F: Principal Cover Letter for Kindergarten Teacher Perception Survey ......................................................................................127
Keywords: Pre-K