The Effects of Various Early Learning Experiences on the Academic Achievement of Rural Elementary School Students: A Quantitative Study - Beeland, William David, Jr. (My University, 2014)
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.
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 Brief History of Early Learning .............................................................................. 3 Georgia’s Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) Program ........................................................ 4 Rationale for the Study ........................................................................................... 7 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................ 8 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................ 8 Definition of Terms................................................................................................. 9 Hypotheses ............................................................................................................ 11 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ...................................................................... 12 Early History of Preschool .................................................................................... 13 Preschool in the 20th Century ................................................................................ 16 Early Learning and School Readiness .................................................................. 21 School Readiness and Later Achievement ............................................................ 25 Quality of Early Learning Experiences................................................................. 30 Early Learning for Specific Demographics .......................................................... 36 Reviews of State Universal Prekindergarten Programs ........................................ 39 Rural Education .................................................................................................... 43 Summary ............................................................................................................... 45 III. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 49 Participants ............................................................................................................ 49 Independent and Dependent Variables ................................................................. 50 Research Design.................................................................................................... 53 Procedures ............................................................................................................. 54 Ethical Considerations .......................................................................................... 54 Limitations of the Study........................................................................................ 55 Hypotheses ............................................................................................................ 56 IV. PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE DATA ....................................... 60 Reading Achievement Results at the End of Kindergarten .................................. 60 Reading Achievement at the End of First Grade .................................................. 62 Reading Achievement at the End of Third Grade ................................................. 68 Reading Achievement at the End of Fifth Grade .................................................. 74 Math Achievement Results at the End of Kindergarten ....................................... 76 Math Achievement at the End of First Grade ....................................................... 78 Math Achievement at the End of Third Grade...................................................... 83 Math Achievement at the End of Fifth Grade ....................................................... 89 V. SUMMARY, DISCUSSION, LIMITATIONS, FUTURE RESEARCH, AND CONCLUSION ........................................................................................... 92 Summary ............................................................................................................... 92 Discussion ............................................................................................................. 92 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 98 Future Research .................................................................................................... 99 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 100 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 101 APPENDIX A: Permission to Conduct Study ............................................................... 109 APPENDIX B: Parent Letter on Prekindergarten Experience ........................................ 112 iv APPENDIX C: Parent Survey on Prekindergarten Experience ..................................... 114 APPENDIX D: Institutional Review Board Approval Form .......................................... 116
Keywords: Early learning; preschool; prekindergarten; pre-k; student achievement