Unintended Consequences of Literacy Instruction in Kindergarten

• In Event: Early Childhood Education Policy

Abstract

ABSTRACT



Unintended Consequences of Literacy Instruction in Kindergarten


This paper presents a mixed-method, phenomenological study. The quantitative phase consisted of a survey of 103 public school kindergarten teachers in California. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to find relationships among teacher perceptions of the appropriateness of the English Language Arts standards (ELA), student readiness, and student mastery of the ELA standards. The qualitative phase consisted of 10 interviews of veteran kindergarten teachers who taught prior to and with the current state standards. The interviews elicited teacher perceptions of student oral language development and reading achievement. Teachers revealed their beliefs that the ELA curriculum is inappropriate for students with underdeveloped oral language.

Author

• Tina M. Costantino-Lane, Chino Valley Unified School District; Rio Hondo Community College