Exploring School Readiness and Transition Dynamics: Enablers and Disablers in Early Childhood Education Programmes of Zambia
Keywords:
Early Childhood Education, School Readiness, School Transition
Abstract
This qualitative study investigated the complex issues and dynamics associated with the transitions in early childhood education (ECE) within Kabwe, Kapiri, and Choma districts of Zambia. Utilising an exploratory methodology, the research thoroughly explored the various factors that impacted school preparedness and the progression from early childhood education to primary schools. Diverse perspectives from parents, educators, community leaders, and legislators were examined through in-depth interviews, focus groups, and participant observations. The results of this study shed light on several significant factors such as limited parental involvement arising from knowledge gaps and financial constraints, digital inequality affecting children’s adaptability, and the absence of well-structured transition programmes leading to mismatches in instructional approaches. Thematic analysis reveals nuanced insights, emphasising the crucial role of digital inclusion initiatives, programmes promoting parental engagement, and collaborative efforts between ECE institutions and primary schools.References
1. Amnie, E., Rosidin, U., Herlina, K., and Abdurrahman, A., 2021. Developing assessments in improving students’ digital literacy skills. Jurnal Penelitian Dan Evaluasi Pendidikan, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.21831/pep.v25i1.33600
2. Anderson, J., 2000. Factors influencing student engagement in higher education. Journal of Higher Education, 71(2), 209-231.
3. Anderson, M., and White, S., 2014. The role of early childhood education in child development. Early Childhood Education Journal, 25(1), 45-67.
4. Apostolou, Z.S., 2020. Pre-primary and first-grade primary school teachers’ perceptions on the integration of pre-primary and first-grade primary school curricula in Greece. L1 Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 20(Running Issue), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.17239/l1esll-2020.20.01.14
5. Bernier, A., McMahon, C., and Perrier, R., 2017. Maternal mind-mindedness and children’s school readiness: a longitudinal study of developmental processes. Developmental Psychology, 53(2), 210-221. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000225
6. Bierman, K. L., Nix, R. L., Greenberg, M. T., Blair, C., and Domitrovich, C. E., 2008. Executive functions and school readiness intervention: Impact, moderation, and mediation in the Head Start Redi program. Development and Psychopathology, 20(3), 821-843. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954579408000394
7. Blair, C. and Raver, C., 2015. School readiness and self-regulation: a developmental psychobiological approach. Annual Review of Psychology, 66(1), 711-731. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015221
8. Brown, A., and Jones, M., 2017. The impact of social factors on child development. Journal of Social and Emotional Development, 25(3), 234-256.
9. Darling, N., 2007. Ecological Systems Theory: The Person in the Center of the Circles. Research in Human Development, 4, 203-217. Retrieved 10 11, 2023, from https://tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15427600701663023
10. Dockett, S., 2006. Transition to school: Perspectives, policies, and practices. In P. Moss, D. P. Pence, and J. F. A. (Eds.), Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care: Languages of Evaluation (pp. 197-214). Routledge.
11. Dong, C., 2018. ‘Young children nowadays are very smart in ICT’–preschool teachers’ perceptions of ICT use. International Journal of Early Years Education, 1-14. Retrieved 10 10, 2023, from https://tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09669760.2018.1506318
12. Dunaway, L., Bazzano, A., Gray, S., and Theall, K., 2021. Health, neighborhoods, and school readiness from the parent perspective: a qualitative study of contextual and socio-emotional factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(17), 9350. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18179350
13. Hanewald, R., 2013. Transition programmes for first-year university students: A systematic review of the literature. Higher Education Research and Development, 32(3), 390-406.
14. High, P. (2008). School readiness. Pediatrics, 121(4), e1008-e1015. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2008-0079
15. Johnson, R., and Davis, S., 2016. The importance of physical development in child development. Journal of Physical Education and Health, 40(1), 78-95.
16. Kaplan, S., 2022. The Challenges of Transitioning to School for Disadvantaged Children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 45(2), 123-145.
17. Kay, A., 2021. The Importance of School Readiness. Early Childhood Education Journal, 49(1), 1-6.
18. Kay, L., 2021. What works and for whom? Bold beginnings and the construction of the school-ready child. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 20(2), 172-184. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x211052791
19. Mambwe, R., 2019. Social Studies Student Teachers’ Views on the Implementation of Learner-Centred Approach in Zambian Primary Schools. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), 3(3), 101-109.
20. Mambwe, R., Chishimba, P. C., & Manchishi, C. P., 2019. Student Teacher Preparation and Self-Efficacy Beliefs about Inductive Teaching Learning Methods in Primary Colleges of Education, Zambia. International Journal of Education and Research, 7(2), 179-196. https://www.ijern.com/February-2019
21. Mann, T., Hesson-McInnis, M., and Roman, Z., 2016. Pathways to school readiness: executive functioning predicts academic and social-emotional aspects of school readiness. Mind Brain and Education, 11(1), 21-31. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12134
22. Margetts, K., 2014. The transition to formal schooling: Moving from the known to the unknown. Early Child Development and Care, 184(11), 1693-1707.
23. Munnik, E., 2019. Factors influencing readiness in education. Journal of Educational Psychology, 45(2), 123-145.
24. Munnik, V., 2019. The influence of community factors on school readiness. Journal of Early Childhood Education, 42(3), 345-362.
25. Pianta, R. C., and Cox, M. J., 1999. The transition to kindergarten. The Future of Children, 9(2), 116-130.
26. Pianta, R. W., 2019. Starting early: the benefits of attending early childhood education programmes at age 3. American Educational Research Journal, 56(4), 1495-1523. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831218817737
27. Pianta, R. and M. Cox, 1999. The Transition to Kindergarten. Paul H. Brooks. Baltimore.
28. Press, N., Arumugam, P. P., and Ashford-Rowe, K., 2022. Defining digital literacy: a case study of Australian universities. ASCILITE Publications, 255-263. https://doi.org/10.14742/apubs.2019.272
29. Puccioni, J., Baker, E. R., and Froiland, J. M., 2019. Academic socialization and the transition to kindergarten: Parental beliefs about school readiness and involvement. Infant and Child Development, 28(6). Retrieved 10 10, 2023, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/icd.2154
30. Saenab, S., Saleh, A. R., and Adnan, A., 2022. How literate are prospective science teachers in this digital era? Profile of digital literacy skills of preservice science teachers in south Sulawesi, Indonesia. SAR Journal - Science and Research, 194-199. https://doi.org/10.18421/sar54-04
31. Sincero, S. M. (n.d.). Ecological Systems Theory. Retrieved 10 11, 2023, from https://explorable.com/ecological-systems-theory
32. Siswanto, E. a., 2020. Management indicators of good infrastructure facilities to improve school quality. International Journal of Educational Management and Innovation, 1(1), 69. https://doi.org/10.12928/ijemi.v1i1.1516
33. Smith, J., and Johnson, L., 2018. The role of cognitive development in child development. Child Psychology Review, 30(4), 567-589.
34. Thompson, L., and Wilson, E., 2015. The influence of the home environment on child development. Journal of Family Studies, 35(2), 167-189.
35. Ursache, A., Blair, C., and Raver, C., 2011. The promotion of self-regulation as a means of enhancing school readiness and early achievement in children at risk for school failure. Child Development Perspectives, 6(2), 122-128. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00209.x
36. Wang, K., 2019. The influence of various factors on child development. Journal of Child Development, 45(2), 123-145.
37. Wang, M. T., 2019. Educational factors influencing readiness for learning in children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 111(3), 519-534.
38. Wangke, L., Joey, G., Masloman, N., and Lestari, H., 2021. Factors related to school readiness in children: a cross-sectional analytic study of elementary school children in Manado. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 9(B), 1387-1393. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2021.7294
39. Weatherholt, T. J., 2019. Challenge and drivers of over-enrollment in the early years of primary school in Uganda. 51(1), 23-40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-019-00238-3
40. Woodhouse, H. M., 2019. “Spiderman does not get lost”: Examining transitional objects in supporting a child’s transition to school. Waikato Journal of Education, 24(2), 3-10. Retrieved 10 10, 2023, from https://wje.org.nz/index.php/wje/article/view/661
41. Xia, X., Hackett, R. K., and Webster, L. L., 2019. Chinese Parental Involvement and Children’s School Readiness: The Moderating Role of Parenting Style. Early Education and Development, 1-19. Retrieved 10 10, 2023, from https://tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10409289.2019.1643439
42. Yasin, N. A., 2021. Factors influencing ESL primary school teacher’s readiness in implementing CEFR-aligned curriculum. International Journal of English Language Studies, 3(2), 44-51. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijels.2021.3.2.6
43. Zeedyk, M. S., Gallacher, J., Henderson, M., Hope, G., Husband, B., and Lindsay, K., 2003. Negotiating the transition from primary to secondary school. School Psychology International, 24(1), 67-79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034303024001010
44. Zigler, E., Gilliam, W., and Jones, S., 2006. A Vision for Universal Preschool Education. Cambridge University Press. New York.
45. Ziol-Guest, K. and McKenna, C., 2013. Early childhood housing instability and school readiness. Child Development, 85(1), 103-113. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12105
2. Anderson, J., 2000. Factors influencing student engagement in higher education. Journal of Higher Education, 71(2), 209-231.
3. Anderson, M., and White, S., 2014. The role of early childhood education in child development. Early Childhood Education Journal, 25(1), 45-67.
4. Apostolou, Z.S., 2020. Pre-primary and first-grade primary school teachers’ perceptions on the integration of pre-primary and first-grade primary school curricula in Greece. L1 Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 20(Running Issue), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.17239/l1esll-2020.20.01.14
5. Bernier, A., McMahon, C., and Perrier, R., 2017. Maternal mind-mindedness and children’s school readiness: a longitudinal study of developmental processes. Developmental Psychology, 53(2), 210-221. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000225
6. Bierman, K. L., Nix, R. L., Greenberg, M. T., Blair, C., and Domitrovich, C. E., 2008. Executive functions and school readiness intervention: Impact, moderation, and mediation in the Head Start Redi program. Development and Psychopathology, 20(3), 821-843. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954579408000394
7. Blair, C. and Raver, C., 2015. School readiness and self-regulation: a developmental psychobiological approach. Annual Review of Psychology, 66(1), 711-731. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015221
8. Brown, A., and Jones, M., 2017. The impact of social factors on child development. Journal of Social and Emotional Development, 25(3), 234-256.
9. Darling, N., 2007. Ecological Systems Theory: The Person in the Center of the Circles. Research in Human Development, 4, 203-217. Retrieved 10 11, 2023, from https://tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15427600701663023
10. Dockett, S., 2006. Transition to school: Perspectives, policies, and practices. In P. Moss, D. P. Pence, and J. F. A. (Eds.), Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care: Languages of Evaluation (pp. 197-214). Routledge.
11. Dong, C., 2018. ‘Young children nowadays are very smart in ICT’–preschool teachers’ perceptions of ICT use. International Journal of Early Years Education, 1-14. Retrieved 10 10, 2023, from https://tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09669760.2018.1506318
12. Dunaway, L., Bazzano, A., Gray, S., and Theall, K., 2021. Health, neighborhoods, and school readiness from the parent perspective: a qualitative study of contextual and socio-emotional factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(17), 9350. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18179350
13. Hanewald, R., 2013. Transition programmes for first-year university students: A systematic review of the literature. Higher Education Research and Development, 32(3), 390-406.
14. High, P. (2008). School readiness. Pediatrics, 121(4), e1008-e1015. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2008-0079
15. Johnson, R., and Davis, S., 2016. The importance of physical development in child development. Journal of Physical Education and Health, 40(1), 78-95.
16. Kaplan, S., 2022. The Challenges of Transitioning to School for Disadvantaged Children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 45(2), 123-145.
17. Kay, A., 2021. The Importance of School Readiness. Early Childhood Education Journal, 49(1), 1-6.
18. Kay, L., 2021. What works and for whom? Bold beginnings and the construction of the school-ready child. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 20(2), 172-184. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x211052791
19. Mambwe, R., 2019. Social Studies Student Teachers’ Views on the Implementation of Learner-Centred Approach in Zambian Primary Schools. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), 3(3), 101-109.
20. Mambwe, R., Chishimba, P. C., & Manchishi, C. P., 2019. Student Teacher Preparation and Self-Efficacy Beliefs about Inductive Teaching Learning Methods in Primary Colleges of Education, Zambia. International Journal of Education and Research, 7(2), 179-196. https://www.ijern.com/February-2019
21. Mann, T., Hesson-McInnis, M., and Roman, Z., 2016. Pathways to school readiness: executive functioning predicts academic and social-emotional aspects of school readiness. Mind Brain and Education, 11(1), 21-31. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12134
22. Margetts, K., 2014. The transition to formal schooling: Moving from the known to the unknown. Early Child Development and Care, 184(11), 1693-1707.
23. Munnik, E., 2019. Factors influencing readiness in education. Journal of Educational Psychology, 45(2), 123-145.
24. Munnik, V., 2019. The influence of community factors on school readiness. Journal of Early Childhood Education, 42(3), 345-362.
25. Pianta, R. C., and Cox, M. J., 1999. The transition to kindergarten. The Future of Children, 9(2), 116-130.
26. Pianta, R. W., 2019. Starting early: the benefits of attending early childhood education programmes at age 3. American Educational Research Journal, 56(4), 1495-1523. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831218817737
27. Pianta, R. and M. Cox, 1999. The Transition to Kindergarten. Paul H. Brooks. Baltimore.
28. Press, N., Arumugam, P. P., and Ashford-Rowe, K., 2022. Defining digital literacy: a case study of Australian universities. ASCILITE Publications, 255-263. https://doi.org/10.14742/apubs.2019.272
29. Puccioni, J., Baker, E. R., and Froiland, J. M., 2019. Academic socialization and the transition to kindergarten: Parental beliefs about school readiness and involvement. Infant and Child Development, 28(6). Retrieved 10 10, 2023, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/icd.2154
30. Saenab, S., Saleh, A. R., and Adnan, A., 2022. How literate are prospective science teachers in this digital era? Profile of digital literacy skills of preservice science teachers in south Sulawesi, Indonesia. SAR Journal - Science and Research, 194-199. https://doi.org/10.18421/sar54-04
31. Sincero, S. M. (n.d.). Ecological Systems Theory. Retrieved 10 11, 2023, from https://explorable.com/ecological-systems-theory
32. Siswanto, E. a., 2020. Management indicators of good infrastructure facilities to improve school quality. International Journal of Educational Management and Innovation, 1(1), 69. https://doi.org/10.12928/ijemi.v1i1.1516
33. Smith, J., and Johnson, L., 2018. The role of cognitive development in child development. Child Psychology Review, 30(4), 567-589.
34. Thompson, L., and Wilson, E., 2015. The influence of the home environment on child development. Journal of Family Studies, 35(2), 167-189.
35. Ursache, A., Blair, C., and Raver, C., 2011. The promotion of self-regulation as a means of enhancing school readiness and early achievement in children at risk for school failure. Child Development Perspectives, 6(2), 122-128. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00209.x
36. Wang, K., 2019. The influence of various factors on child development. Journal of Child Development, 45(2), 123-145.
37. Wang, M. T., 2019. Educational factors influencing readiness for learning in children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 111(3), 519-534.
38. Wangke, L., Joey, G., Masloman, N., and Lestari, H., 2021. Factors related to school readiness in children: a cross-sectional analytic study of elementary school children in Manado. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 9(B), 1387-1393. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2021.7294
39. Weatherholt, T. J., 2019. Challenge and drivers of over-enrollment in the early years of primary school in Uganda. 51(1), 23-40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-019-00238-3
40. Woodhouse, H. M., 2019. “Spiderman does not get lost”: Examining transitional objects in supporting a child’s transition to school. Waikato Journal of Education, 24(2), 3-10. Retrieved 10 10, 2023, from https://wje.org.nz/index.php/wje/article/view/661
41. Xia, X., Hackett, R. K., and Webster, L. L., 2019. Chinese Parental Involvement and Children’s School Readiness: The Moderating Role of Parenting Style. Early Education and Development, 1-19. Retrieved 10 10, 2023, from https://tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10409289.2019.1643439
42. Yasin, N. A., 2021. Factors influencing ESL primary school teacher’s readiness in implementing CEFR-aligned curriculum. International Journal of English Language Studies, 3(2), 44-51. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijels.2021.3.2.6
43. Zeedyk, M. S., Gallacher, J., Henderson, M., Hope, G., Husband, B., and Lindsay, K., 2003. Negotiating the transition from primary to secondary school. School Psychology International, 24(1), 67-79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034303024001010
44. Zigler, E., Gilliam, W., and Jones, S., 2006. A Vision for Universal Preschool Education. Cambridge University Press. New York.
45. Ziol-Guest, K. and McKenna, C., 2013. Early childhood housing instability and school readiness. Child Development, 85(1), 103-113. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12105
Published
2024-03-05
How to Cite
Mambwe, R., Phiri, D., Kalinde, B., Sichula, N. and Kaluba, C. (2024) “Exploring School Readiness and Transition Dynamics: Enablers and Disablers in Early Childhood Education Programmes of Zambia”, Journal of Law and Social Sciences, 5(4), pp. 43-62. doi: https://doi.org/10.53974/unza.jlss.5.4.1164.