Links between Duration of Early Childhood Education Participation and School Readiness Domains: A Study with Malaysian Public Preschool Children.
Saved in:
| Title: | Links between Duration of Early Childhood Education Participation and School Readiness Domains: A Study with Malaysian Public Preschool Children. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Kong, Kimberley1 (AUTHOR) kimberley.kong@usm.my, Heng, Jean Anne2 (AUTHOR), Tan, Shi Ting1 (AUTHOR), Shafee, Azyan1 (AUTHOR), Cheah, Alexandra1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Early Childhood Education Journal. Oct2025, Vol. 53 Issue 7, p2477-2488. 12p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Early childhood education, *Readiness for school, *Cognitive development, *Education policy, *Social development, *Literacy, Malays (Asian people), Poor families |
| Abstract: | This study examined factors associated with four domains of school readiness among 170 preschoolers from low-income families in seven Malaysian public preschools. Direct assessments of preschool children's performance on a battery of tasks indicated proficient levels of readiness in approaches to learning, language and emergent literacy, and socioemotional development. Relative to other domains, children demonstrated lower levels of readiness and greater variability in cognitive development. Using a multi-level modelling approach, the duration of Early Childhood Education (ECE) participation was positively associated with improvements in language and emergent literacy while controlling for child and other contextual factors. However, duration of ECE participation correlated negatively with socioemotional development. Additionally, household wealth was a significant predictor of better academic outcomes in language, literacy, and cognitive development. This study underscores the importance of nuanced educational policies that address the duration and quality of ECE and the socioeconomic disparities that affect school readiness to ensure comprehensive developmental support for Malaysian preschoolers from low-income families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Early Childhood Education Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | This study examined factors associated with four domains of school readiness among 170 preschoolers from low-income families in seven Malaysian public preschools. Direct assessments of preschool children's performance on a battery of tasks indicated proficient levels of readiness in approaches to learning, language and emergent literacy, and socioemotional development. Relative to other domains, children demonstrated lower levels of readiness and greater variability in cognitive development. Using a multi-level modelling approach, the duration of Early Childhood Education (ECE) participation was positively associated with improvements in language and emergent literacy while controlling for child and other contextual factors. However, duration of ECE participation correlated negatively with socioemotional development. Additionally, household wealth was a significant predictor of better academic outcomes in language, literacy, and cognitive development. This study underscores the importance of nuanced educational policies that address the duration and quality of ECE and the socioeconomic disparities that affect school readiness to ensure comprehensive developmental support for Malaysian preschoolers from low-income families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 10823301 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10643-024-01757-y |
