Examining the nature of kindergarten teacher and parent expectations for reading readiness: relationships, effects and perceptions

Wendy R. Royer

doi:10.17918/etd-4565

The purpose of this concurrent embedded mixed methods study was to investigate the relationship between parent and teacher expectations of kindergarten reading readiness and how those expectations affect kindergarten student early literacy performance. Research in the areas of emergent literacy, the home learning environment, and expectations of reading readiness were examined to provide material germane to addressing the problem that an apparent discrepancy exists between the expectations that parents and teachers hold regarding adequate kindergarten reading readiness levels, possibly contributing to students entering school without the necessary skills to be academically successful. The study sought to answer the following research questions: 1. What is the relationship between kindergarten parent and teacher reading readiness expectations in one south central suburban Pennsylvania school district? 2. What are the differences in kindergarten student literacy skills when parent expectations are high or low? 3. What are the differences in kindergarten student literacy skills when teacher expectations are high or low? 4. What are kindergarten teachers' views about problems concerning reading readiness in one south central Pennsylvania school district?Kindergarten parents and teachers were surveyed to gather quantitative and qualitative data. Correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between these two stakeholder groups. Student data in the form of DIBELS assessment scores were reviewed to evaluate the effect these expectations have on student literacy performance. Data were analyzed utilizing correlation and inferential statistics and thematic coding to inform results. The findings revealed one weak significant correlation between parent expressive language skill expectations and teacher fine motor skill expectations. There were no significant correlations between parent expectations and student DIBELS scores, and parent expectation levels had no effect on student DIBELS scores. However, there were negative correlations between teacher expectations and DIBEL LNF scores in the areas of Social/Emotional/Attitudinal, Fine Motor, Alphabetic Concept, and Writing Concepts skill domains. The findings also indicated that higher teacher expectation levels had a significant effect on LNF scores. The desired outcome of the study was to use these findings to guide future practice in the area of school-home communication and kindergarten reading readiness preparation. Keywords: reading readiness, early literacy, school readiness, kindergarten readiness, parent expectations, teacher and school expectations, expectations vs. performance.

Examining the nature of kindergarten teacher and parent expectations for reading readiness: relationships, effects and perceptions

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Examining the nature of kindergarten teacher and parent expectations for reading readiness: relationships, effects and perceptions

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