Prediction of Kindergarten Readiness Using a Questionnaire Based Screening Tool

Background and objective: Kindergarten is a critical period in a child’s life. Most schools use a “maturationist frame” in declaring school readiness by assuming that children of a certain chronological age are ready to join school. So far as there are no studies from India which have looked into the factors affecting the level of school readiness, a questionnaire based developmental screening tool was used to predict the same. Methodology: After obtaining permission from school authorities, the teachers of the junior kindergarten class and the parents were briefed in detail about the cross sectional study and informed consent was obtained. The pilot tested questionnaire was given to the parents to assess, which covered various aspects like reading, writing, communication, health, motor skills etc.  After a period of three months, the class teachers who were blinded from the information obtained through the questionnaire was asked to grade the readiness of children on a likert scale of 1-10. The data was analysed using Chi square test and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: On correlating the score given by the teachers and the parents, it was found to have a highly significant positive correlation. A score equal to or greater than 55 is 80% sensitive and 60% specific in predicting school readiness whereas a score of equal to or greater than 51 is 93% sensitive and 50% specific. Hence school readiness can be predicted using the questionnaire filled by the parents themselves. Conclusions: A questionnaire based screening tool filled helps the parents themselves to predict school readiness in children seeking admission to the kindergarten school. Moreover, the scores obtained from the questionnaire can help the teachers give better aid to those children who are not yet ready for school.