Date of Award

5-1980

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Education

Department

Education

First Advisor

John S. Burd

Second Advisor

Daniel J. Roubin

Abstract

This paper concentrates on whether structured preschool programs enhance a child's learning potential in kindergarten. Through research this writer will attempt to find out if the child who attends a structured preschool program will score significantly higher on standardized readiness tests than t hose who have only training by parents in the home.

Included in this paper the researcher has a historical review of preschool education, preschool information of structured and unstructured curriculum, parental involvement in preschools, various researchers' opinions of preschool education, and the pro and con of preschool education.

The method used to determine if children who have attended a structured preschool program score significantly higher on standardized readiness tests than those who have only parental training in the home is done by ex post facto research. The researcher will be using students who have already attended a structured preschool program and compare them with children who have had only parental home training.

The tests to be used are the ABC Inventory to identify children who are immature for a standard school program, the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, to assess a child's global intelligence and the Gates - Macrinite Reading Test to measure reading readiness.

A questionnaire will be sent to parents to determine what type of preschool their child attended . Students with structured preschool experience will comprise The "experimental group". Students without structured preschool will comprise the "control group" population.

Both groups will be administered the ABC Inventory to determine school readiness and to establish a base . Students with a handicapping condition will be excluded from their respective general population.

From the general population of both groups , five students from each of the four cycles will be randomly selected using the table of random numbers. Each student selected to participate will be given the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence to establish the I.Q. range of each group . The ranges will be compared to determine if t here are significant differences in t he intellectual functioning of t he groups as a whole.

After completion of the first semester, each student from both groups will be administered the Gates - MacGinitie Reading Test to determine t he academic growth of each Student .

The pre and post- test data will be compared and analyzed to determine if there is a significant difference between the two groups .

It is to be assumed t hat the I.Q. of the control group and e:x-perimental group will not vary significantly, thereby eliminating I.Q. as a contributing factor that would account for the readiness scores on t he past tests . Further , the random selection of students from each of t he four cycle attendance areas of the community would eliminate any socio-economic considerations that would prohibit predictions and generalizations regarding the entire population of the school district.

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