PRE-KINDERGARTEN (PRE-K) EDUCATORS’ PERCEPTIONS REGARDING KINDERGARTEN READINESS OF THEIR GRADUATES

Abstract

The study investigated pre-kindergarten (pre-k) teachers’ perceptions of their students social and academic readiness using the Tennessee Educator Survey Pre-K Teacher Branch survey (Tennessee Educator Survey. (n.d.), Appendix A). I compared survey data collected in 2017 by the Tennessee Department of Education from 897 pre-k teachers statewide to the responses/perceptions of the 15 Murfreesboro City School (MCS) pre-k teachers that participated. I hypothesized that MCS pre-k teachers would perceive readiness above the statewide average. I found that MCS pre-k teachers scores for “academics,” “cognitive skills for kindergarten,” and “overall preparedness for kindergarten” were higher than statewide averages. However, results for “social interactions” and “skills needed for kindergarten” were similar. My hypotheses were partially supported as MCS results exceeded statewide results in 3 areas and were on par with statewide results in 2 areas.