Exploring Singapore preschool teachers' perspectives about prereading difficulties in five- to six-year-old children

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Type
Thesis
Author
Ng, Dione Ke Ying
Supervisor
Chan, Rebecca Kam Chee
Abstract
Prereading skills serve as foundational predictors of later reading achievement, yet there remains a gap in understanding how Singapore preschool teachers perceive these skills. This study aims to explore the perspectives of Singapore preschool teachers on prereading skills and their readiness to address prereading difficulties in five-to-six-year-old children. Specifically, prereading skills in this study encompass Alphabet Knowledge (AK) and Phonological Awareness (PA), as guided by existing literature. Employing a convergent design, qualitative and quantitative data were collected, analyzed separately, and then compared to provide a comprehensive understanding. Fifteen preschool teachers participated in a researcher-designed online survey, consisting of 26 items. To answer the first research question, a prereading skills coding scheme was created to compare participants’ responses on their perspectives of prereading skills. Responses which did not fall into the existing coding scheme were coded accordingly. Descriptive statistic was used to analyze the quantitative component of research question one. To qualitatively analyze participants’ diverse responses to items related to the second research question, responses were categorized into codes, themes and categories. Descriptive statistic was used to analyze the quantitative component of research question two. Findings revealed a notable misalignment between preschool teachers' expectations of prereading skills and developmental norms, underscoring the necessity for targeted professional development. Overall, participants demonstrated insufficient knowledge of prereading concepts and strategies. In addition, participants highlighted several factors that impeded their efforts in addressing prereading difficulties such as limited time, resources, expert guidance, high job demands, and ineffective home-school partnerships. Interestingly, teachers who had access to school-provided resources perceived themselves as "wellequipped," yet their understanding of prereading skills remained inadequate. This suggests that resource availability may have obscured participants' lack of prereading knowledge. Future research could explore a larger sample of preschool teacher’s quantitative knowledge of prereading skills and conduct in-person interviews to gather more detailed and nuanced responses from participants.
Date Issued
2024
Publisher
National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (NIE NTU), Singapore