Make Kindergarten "Funner": Examining How Kindergarteners Made Sense of the Changed Kindergarten

• In Event: Exploring the Impacts of U.S. Pre-K and Kindergarten Policies

Abstract

Policymakers’ standards-based accountability reforms have fundamentally changed kindergarten. As this has occurred, little is known about how the children themselves make sense of these changes in schooling. This paper addresses this issue by providing insight into a sample of kindergarteners’ sensemaking about their experiences in kindergarten today. These findings illuminate their understandings of kindergarten as well as whether or not the kindergarteners themselves think they are able to succeed in a school system that expects them to learn more academic content and demonstrate their knowledge on an increasing number of standardized tests. These findings also provide insight into the changes these kindergarteners would like to see made to kindergarten to improve their learning experiences in school.

Authors

• Christopher P. Brown, The University of Texas at Austin

• David Patrick Barry, West Chester University

• Da Hei Ku, The University of Texas at Austin

• Joanna Englehardt, San Francisco State University