Factors Affecting the Reading Readiness of Kindergarten Pupils in Relation to Classroom Performance /
Villanueva, Lilibeth Marcos.
- 177 p. ; 27 cm.
- FACTORS AFFECTING READING READINESS OF KINDER GARTEN PUPILS IN RELATION TO CLASSROOM PERFORMANCE .
This descriptive study aimed to identify the influence of teacher and parent-related factors and reading readiness to the classroom performance of the kindergarten pupils among selected Kindergarten Schools in the City of Balanga, Bataan during School Year 2014-2015. The research locale of the study were the following: Balanga Elementary School, Cupang Elementary School, Cataning Elementary School, M. Delos Reyes Memorial Elementary School, T. Cmacho Sr. Elementary School, Tenejero Elementary School and Bo. Central Elementary School. These schools were chosen from the eighteen (18) schools in the Division of City of Balanga. A total of 296 parents and 26 teachers served as respondents of the study. The sample from each chosen school were determined using the Slovin's Formula at .95% level of confidence. The sample pupil respondents were chosen using random sampling applying fishbowl method. As the pupils were selected, automatically their parents became the respondents also. Specifically, the study described the teacher-related factors in terms of age, sex, trainings and seminars attended, early childhood education background and attitude towards children. Also, the parental involvement in terms of home-based involvement, school-based involvement and home-school conferencing was described. Likewise, the readiness to read of the kindergarten pupils was measured along phonological awareness, reading comprehension, print awareness and book handling. The classroom performance of the kindergarten pupils was also discussed in terms of gross motor, fine motor, self-help, receptive, expressive, cognitive and socio-emotional. The data were gathered, tallied and treated using appropriate statistical methods. Frequency and percentage distribution were used to present the teacher-related factors in vi terms of age, sex, trainings and seminars attended, early childhood education background. Mean and descriptive rating were used to present the teacher-related factors in terms of attitude towards the children, parental involvement and the classroom performance of the kindergarten pupils. To test the significant relationship between the teacher-related factors and parental involvement and the reading readiness of the kindergarten pupils and their classroom performance, Pearson r was used. Based on the data gathered in the study, majority of the kindergarten teachers have a mean age of 31 years old, female, have attended one Early Childhood Training only, have finished Baccalaureate Degree (Non-Kindergarten Degree) only and mostly agreed on the attitude towards students. The parental involvement in terms of home-based involvement, school-based involvement and home-school conferencing were all rated as very often. The readiness to read of the kindergarten pupils along phonological awareness, reading comprehension, print awareness and book handling were very satisfactory. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that the there is a significant relationship between the following teacher-related factors and parental involvement and the classroom performance of the kindergarten pupils: sex and gross motor; attitude of the teachers towards students and fine motor; age and relevant trainings and seminars and self-help; age and educational attainment and receptive skills; educational attainment and cognitive skills and educational attainment and attitude towards students and socio-emotional skills; and school-based conferencing and fine motor and expressive skills; home-school conferencing and receptive and socio-emotional skills. Also, there is a significant relationship between the following reading readiness of the kindergarten pupils and their classroom performance: book handling and fine motor; print awareness and vii self-help skills; phonological and print awareness and receptive skills; and phonological awareness and book handling and cognitive skills. The study concluded that continuing professional education of the teachers handling kindergarten classes must be appropriately funded and supported so that kindergarten teachers may have proper and adequate seminars, trainings and academic preparation to sustain quality teaching among kindergarten pupils. Parental participation in terms of home-based involvement, school-based involvement and home-school conferencing must be sustained by educating the parents on their special role as external stakeholders of the school. These can be accomplished by strengthening the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) by involving all parents and allowing them to exercise leadership positions in the organization and using the PTA to mobilize the parents of the kindergarten pupils. The readiness to read of the kindergarten pupils along phonological awareness, reading comprehension, print awareness and book handling must be sustained and strengthened through a periodic review and assessment of the kindergarten curriculum vis-a-vis the identified learning needs of the kindergarten pupils. The review of the curriculum should take into account the results of the classroom performance as magnified by the use of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Checklist. Classroom performance in terms of gross motor, fine motor, self-help, receptive, expressive, cognitive and socio-emotional though prescribed by the Department of Education must be continuously reviewed yearly by the committee of the Division to update the skills that are inappropriate to their chronological age. The school must encourage the parents to be more active in volunteering and frequent school visitation and conferencing with teachers to enhance their relations and make a close supervision of the viii academic growth of the pupils. These can be done by reinforcing the functions of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) to make it more relevant to the needs of the pupils, parents and teachers. Teachers of pupils in the kindergarten level should endeavor to include activities that develop a variety of phonological awareness, reading comprehension, print awareness and book handling. These undertakings can be realized by appropriating relevant reading activities in various play methods that teachers used to reinforce learning at the level of the kindergarten.