Date of Award

1-1-1980

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Teaching & Learning

Abstract

The principal purpose of this study was to : (1) compare the all day, alternate day kindergarten with the half-day, everyday kindergarten in relation to the self concept, academic, and social development of the children; and (2) obtain a comparative evaluation of children in relation to self concept, academic, and social development at the fourth grade level.

In relation to the principal purpose, five research questions were framed. The first three questions represented the major focus with the last two serving in a subsidiary role. The first question sought to determine if the kindergarten children from the all-day, alternate day time schedule or the kindergarten children from the half-day, everyday time schedule functioned significantly different on academic and affective variables. The second question asked for the same information at the fourth grade level. The third question was aimed at discovering how parents viewed the different kindergarten programs in terms of family convenience and the energy levels of their children. Questions four and five, subsidiary questions due to the small sampling available, asked kindergarten teachers to share their opinions on program continuity and the level of fatigue encountered by children while first grade teachers were asked to share their opinions on children’s transition to first grade and program continuity.

Six instruments were utilized for the purpose of gathering data for the research. The Metropolitan Readiness Test, Level II, Form P and the primary level of the Self Observation Scale were administered to the kindergarten subjects. The Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the intermediate level of the Self Observation Scale were administered to the fourth grade subjects. The three other instruments used were: Parental Survey, Kindergarten Survey (3 forms), and First Grade Sur vey (3 forms).

Student's t test was utilized as the statistical procedure for analyzing the data that were collected on the first three questions. The major findings are summarized as follows:

  1. Children in the all-day, alternate day kindergarten scored significantly higher on three out of five of the academic variables tested; namely, visual, composite and quantitative.
  2. Children in the all-day, alternate day kindergarten scored significantly higher on two of the affective variables tested; namely, social maturity and self security.
  3. There were no significant differences between children in the two time schedules at the fourth grade level.
  4. The parental attitude towards the all-day, alternate day kindergarten was significantly higher in terms of family convenience.
  5. There was a significant difference in the fatigue level of the children at the beginning of the school year. The all-day children encountered fatigue the first weeks of school but this disappeared as the year progressed.
  6. The kindergarten teachers viewed the formats as equal in providing program continuity with one exception. They reported that children having learning problems benefit from the daily repetition provided in the half-day, everyday program.
  7. The first grade teachers supported the half-day program as providing stronger program continuity because of the daily repetition.

The major implication formulated on the basis of the data collected in this investigation is that the all-day, alternate day kindergarten, as well as the half-day, every day kindergarten, is conducive to effective learning and social growth. The positive outcomes in the academic and social variables provide an empirical basis for the desirability of implementing this schedule as an alternative to the half-day, everyday schedule. Also, the parent survey supported the all-day program as being more convenient for the family. The data indicate that the full-day, alternate day program is in no way a hindrance to school readiness, and may, in fact, be an enhancement. No significant differences existed at the fourth grade level. Children at this level do equally well in academic, social and self-concept variables.

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