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Teachers' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of TransitionClassesDiane M. Horm-Wingerd , Phyllis C. Carella & Susan D. G. WarfordPublished online: 08 Jun 2010.

To cite this article: Diane M. Horm-Wingerd , Phyllis C. Carella & Susan D. G. Warford (1993) Teachers' Perceptions of theEffectiveness of Transition Classes, Early Education and Development, 4:2, 130-138, DOI: 10.1207/s15566935eed0402_5

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Early Education and Development Apn’ll993, Volume 4, Number 2 i

Teachers’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Transition Classes

Diane M. Horm-Wingerd, Phyllis C. Carella, and Susan D. G. Warford University of Rkode Ishiid

Teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of transition classes and the potential relationships between these perceptions and demographic variables were inves- tigated. Seventy-eight first grade teachers from the six New England states completed questionnaires that asked them (a) to rate how children who have participated in transition classes compared in academic achievement, social- emotional development, and attitudes toward school with similar ”unready children who did not participate; (b) to indicate if they would recommend a transition program for their best friends’children; (c) to indicate how they would vote if asked whether their school should continue transition classes; and (d) to supply demographic information. The results clearly indicated that this sample of first grade teachers overwhelmingly supported transition classes and per- ceived them as beneficial despite the lack of empirical evidence to support these beliefs. No relationships between various background or demographic variables (e.g., certification, degree, membership in professional organizations) and per- ceptions of effectiveness were found, as evidenced by the support of all types of teachers for transition programs. The findings are attributed to a lack of commu- nication between the primary school practitioners and the early childhood research community.

Extra-year programs have been widely used as educational placements for children considered ”unready” for typical age groupings CBredekamp & Shep- ard, 1989; Walsh, 1989). The transition class is an extra-year program that takes place between two traditional grades (most often between kindergarten and first grade). In theory, children participating in a transition program are placed in a class with children of a similar developmental level and a curriculum tailored to that level Wail, 1989). According to Elkind (1987), ”Such classes were instituted to avoid the stigma of a child’s ’repeating’ kindergarten while at the same timemoving thechild astepnearertobeingmdyforthefirstgrade”(p. 175).

This adcle is based on a podon of Phyllis C. C a d l a ’ s master’s thesis completed in July 1990 at the University of Mode Island. This research was supported, in pan. by aResearch Development Grant fm the College of Human Science and Services at the University of Rhode Island awarded to Diane M. Horm-Winged, Susan D. G. Warford, and Stewart men. Diane M. Horn-Wingerd was supported by a University of Rhode Island Summer Faculty Fellowship during the preparation of this manuscrip. The support of both of these funding sources is appreciated. The authors would also like to thank Stewart Cohen for his assistance in developing one of the questionnaires used in t h i s study, and the anonymous reviewers for their comments on earlier drafts of this article.

For further information contact Diane M. Horm-WYlgerd, Assistant Professor. Department of Human Develop- ment, Counseling, and Family Studies, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881-0818. Departmental telephone number is 401-792-2150.

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Teachers’ Perceptions 131

However, some maintain that transition placement is a form of retention that does not serve children’s needs (Bredekamp & Shepard, 1989). Rather than sorting children into those who are “ready” or ”unready” for a program, many educators advocate making schools ready for children by providing a develop- mentally appropriate approach that meets the diverse needs of all age-eligible children (National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Depart- ments of Education [NAECS/SDEl, 1987; National Association of Elementary School Principals [NAESPI, 2990; Pwk, McCaig. Re Sapp, 1988).

As indicated above, the use of transition classes is controversial. Many teachers and administrators offer positive testimonial evidence in support ol transition classes Wail, 1989). These educators believe that children function at high levels during the year following transition class, and that they maintain this position through the end of third grade (Uphoff, 1989,1990). However, recent studies suggest that participation in transition classes does not si@- cantly improve children’s academic achievement, social-emotional develop- ment, or attitudes toward school (Bredekamp & Shepard, 1989). In fact, some studies report no differences in academic achievement, maturity, self-concept, and attention, despite an additional year (Leinhardt, 1980; Shepard & Smith, 1987). Some studies even suggest that transition programs result in decreased academic performance (May & Welch, 19841, lower self-concept (Bell, cited in Gredler, 1984), and poorer attitudes toward school (Shepard & Smith, 1987). Thus, the contemporary literature contains information that conflicts with the reports of teachers and administrators regarding the effectiveness of transition programs. These conflicts are possibly related to the different sources of data used to assess effectiveness, the various characteristics of the programs, and the characteristics of the teachers who judge the programs’ effectiveness.

Integral to the initiation and continuation of transition programs is the belief that such programs are effective (Gredler, 1984). In light of the current research suggesting that these programs are ineffective, one purpose of the present study was to assess teachers’ current views on the subject. Given that opinions, values, and experiences (both work-related and personal) are influ- ential in teachers’ attitudes toward educational programs, a second goal of this study was to determine if relationships existed between teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of transition classes and various background variables.

Method Subjects

A cluster probability sampling technique (Adams & Schvaneveldt, 1991) was used to obtain the subjects for this study. In the first phase, school districts from the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) were randomly selected and asked to participate in a study of transition programs. For the purposes of this study, a transition program was defined as the extra year between kindergarten and first grade (often called pre l or t-1). Schools that offered other forms of extra-year

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132 Horn-Wingerd, Carella, and Warfbrd

programs, such as an extra year before kindergarten, were eliminated. The district superintendents completed a questionnaire concerning the implernenta- tion and perceived effectiveness of transition classrooms (Horm-Wingerd, Warford, & Cohen, 1992) and supplied the names and addresses of all first grade teachers in their districts.

During the second phase, 133 potential subjects were randomly selected from the lists of currently employed first grade teachers supplied by the super- intendents. Of these 133 potential subjects, 78 first grade teachers participated in this study; thus the overall participation rate was 59%. Participation rates by state ranged from 50% to 67%: The actual number of teachers from each state who participated ranged from 11 to 19.

Procedure Teachers were sent Kcover letter explaining the purpose of the study plus

two questionnaires that were developed for it. On the first questionnaire they were asked to respond to questions concerning their educational training, their work-related experience, and other demographic information. Questions included age, state affiliation, degree, years of teaching experience, certification, sources used to keep updated, and memberships in professional organizations. Teachers were also asked i f they had previous experience teaching transition classes and if their own children had participated in transition classes.

On the second questionnaire teachers were asked to rate, on the basis of their own experiences, how children who have participated in transition classes performed in academic subjects, in social-emotional development, and in their attitudes toward school: Were these children "sigruficantly better," "slightly better," "no different," or "poorer" than similar "unready" children who have not participated in a transition program? The questionnaire also included two additional questions about the perceived effectiveness of transition programs: Would the teachers recommend a transition program for their best friends' children? and Would they vote to continue transition programs in their schools? Regardless of their responses, all the teachers were requested to select reasons for supporting and not supporting thecontinuation of transition programs. The eight listed reasons for supporting transition classrooms included "allows for smaller class size," and "improves children's attitudes toward school.'' The seven listed reasons for not supporting transition classrooms included "effects of labeling," and "grouping should be done by age, not ability level." These choice responses were generated by the authors based on a review of the literature and on their discussions with classroom teachers. Although partici- pants were invited to supply additional reasons for supporting or not support- ing transition classrooms, few did so.

First grade teachers from districts that offered the extra, or transition, year between kindergarten and first grade were selected to serve as subjects in this

'The commissioners of education from Maine, mode Island, and Massachusetts endorsed the study. Endorse- ments did not significantly impact state participation liltes.

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Teachers' Perceptions 133

study because they were the teachers who worked most closely with children after the transition year. These teachers were in a good position to rate the perceived effectiveness of transition classes on the basis of their experiences with children who have and have not participated in such programs before entering their first grade classrooms. Research suggests that teachers are criti- cally important in influencing the decision to offer transition programs in a community's schools (Horm-Wingcd et al., 1992); and the perceptions of first grade teachers were viewed as especially important, because factors related to the demands of the first grade curriculum are often cited as reasons for offering transition programs (Peck et al., 1988).

Teachers were sent a self-addressed postpaid envelope to use when return- ing the completed questionnaires. Those who failed to return their completed questionnaires within 2 months were sent follow-up letters and additional copies of the questionnaires.

Results

Desm'ption of the Participants The teachers who served as participants represented a wide range in age,

training, and experience. The mean age of participants was 40 (range = 23-63 yeais). Approximately half of the respondents had a bachelor's degree only (57.1%), and half had a master's degree (42.9%). The majority (75.4%) reported that they were trained in elementary education; 13.0% reported that their professional training was in early childhood education. On the question of number of years' experience teaching kindergarten through grade 2, there was a range of responses (M = 13 years, range = 1-36 years). Some teachers (16.4%) had previous experience teaching a transition class (M = 2 years, range = 1-2 years). Effectiveness of Transition Programs

The perceived effectiveness of transition classes was measured by asking teachers (a) to rate how children who have participated in transition classes compared in academic achievement, socialemotional development, and their attitudes toward school with similar "unready" children who did not partici- pate; (b) to indicate if they would recommend a transition program for their best friends' children; and (c) to indicate how they would vote if asked whether their school should continue transition classes.

Perceptions of children's academic achievement, social-emotional development, and attitudes towurd school. Table 1 gives the frequency with which first grade teachers responded that participation in a transition class resulted in "sigrufi- cantly better," "slightly better," "no different," or "poorer" performance than that demonstrated by similar "Unready" children who did not experience a transition program (i.e., moved from kindergarten to first grade). The support for transition classes was overwhelming, with the vast majority of teachers reporting "sigruficant" or "slight" benefits in academic achievement (88.6%),

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134 Horn- Wingerd, Carella, and Wa@rd

.. . . .

social-emotional development (92.9%), and attitudes toward school (80.0%). Very few first grade teachers reported that transition programs were associated with "no different" or "poorer" performance. Thus, the first grade teachers included in this sample reported that they believed transition programs to be very effective in facilitating children's development in diverse mas. Table 1 First Grade Teachrrs' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of'hnsition Classes

Possible Academic social-Eniotional Attitudes Responses Achievement Development Toward School

Slightly Better 23 (33%) 16 (23%) 12 (17%) No Different 8 (11%) 4 (6%) 12 (17%) Poorer 0 ( 0%) 1 (1%) 2 ( 3%) Note: Numbers represent the frequency with which teachers responded in each category to the choice statement, "h4y experience leads me to conclude that children who have participated in a transition grade perform 'significantly better,' 'slightly better,' 'no different,' or 'poorer' than other unready children who have not participated in a transition grade." N = 70.

Sigruficantly Better 39 (56%) 49 (70%) 44 (63%)

Recommending transition classes and voting to continue them. The over- whelming support for transition programs was also evident in responses to the other questionnaire items related to perceived effectiveness..When teachers were asked if they would recommend a transition room placement to their best friend for his or her child, 96.2% responded affirmatively. In addition, when asked whether they would vote to continue transition programs in their schools, 96.2% reported that they would. These results support the suggestion that the teachers in this sample overwhelmingly support transition programs.

When asked to chose from among a list of reasons for supporting the continuation of transition programs, teachers frequently selected benefits to children's social-emotional development (91.8%), cognitive development (86.3%), and attitudes toward school (76.7%). These responses were consistent with the effectiveness ratings provided by the teachers (reported in Table 1). Other frequently chosen reasons for continuing transition classes included the difficult nature of the first grade curriculum (46.6%) and the fact that transition classes allowed for smaller class size (45.2%). Fewer teachers chose the following responses: ensuring "unready" children do not hamper the progress of "ready" children (21.9%); the capability for homogeneous grouping (13.7%); and endorsements by the school system or state department of education (4.1%).

Regardless of whether they would vote to continue or discontinue transi- tion classes at their schools, teachers were also asked to choose from a list the reasons that would be influential in their not supporting the continuation of transition programs. The three most frequently chosen reasons for not support- ing transition classes were: the potential negative effects of labeling (28.8%); the fact that "unready" children are not able to model the behavior of "ready" children (21.9%); and the difficulty of determining who is ready and who is not (19.2%). Eleven percent of teachers responded that grouping of children should

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Teachers’ Perceptions 135

be done by age, not ability level; but few teachers selected lack of benefits to children’s attitudes toward school (9.6% 1, social-emotional development (5.5%), and cognitive development (4.1%) as reasons for not supporting the continuation of transition classes. Thus, although teachers reported some prob- lems with transition programs, problems were not reported with the same high frequency as were benefits.

Background Variables Chi-square analyses were computed to reveal potential rdatiamhips

between the teachers’ backgrounds and their responses to the questions con- cerning the perceived effectiveness of transition programs. The background variables included age, state affiliation, degree, types of certification, years of teaching experience, previous experience teaching transition classes, sources used to keep up-to-date, memberships in professional organizations, and own children’s participation in transition classes. To reduce the Type 1 m r rate associated with multiple analyses, the alpha level (.05) was divided by the number of analyses (9, or 1 per background variable) to yield a more stringent standard (.006) for statistical sigruficance (Hinkle, Wiersma, & Jurs, 1979). Given this standard, no sigruficant relationships emerged between any of the back- ground variables and any indicator of the teachers’ perceptions of effectiveness. This lack of sigruficant relationships between the various background variables and indicators of perceived effectiveness - combined with the overwhelming support evidenced in Table 1 - suggests that, on the basis of their experiences, all types of teachers perceive transition programs to be beneficial to children.

Discussion

The results indicate that the first grade teachers in this study overwhelm- ingly supported transition classes and believed them to be effective. The vast majority reported that children performed ”significantly better” or “slightly better” in academic achievement, social-emotional development, and attitudes toward school as a result of participation in transition programs. The vast majority also supported transition classes by indicating that they would recorn- mend transition room placement for their best friends’ children, and, if asked, they would vote to continue transition programs at their schools. Although some potential problems were noted, such as the effects of labeling, problems were not identified as frequently as benefits.

No significant relationships were found between the teachers’ perceptions of transition program effectiveness and the various teacher background vari- ables. This lack of significant relationships is noteworthy, because the teachers’ perceptions might be expected to relate to some of the background variables, such as degree or training (early childhood education versus elementary edu- cation) and state affiliation. Such relationships were expected because of the differing philosophies often adopted in early childhood and elementary train- ing programs and the fact that the state departments of education varied in their

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endorsements of transition programs. The lack of significant relationships is most likely a product of the overwhelming support that teachers of all types demonstrated for transition programs in this study.

The finding that teachers endorse transition programs is not surprising. Vail (1989) noted that teachers and other school personnel commonly offer positive testimonial evidence in support of transition classes. What is surprising is the intensity and scope of the positive perceptions. Namely, the mults of the present study suggest that teachers with various training and from various backgrounds support transition classrooms. Furthermore, the level of support is strong and is not restricted to one area. The overwhelming majority of first grade teachers participating in this study believed that transition programs were effective in facilitating children’s academic achievement, social-emotional development, and positive attitudes toward school. This intense and broad support is important to recognize, given that recent research suggests teachers are very influential in superintendents’ decisions to offer transition programs (Horn-Wingerd et al., 1992).

The level of support for transition classes found in this study is in direct contrast with the negative empirical findings that have been reported (e.g., Leinhardt, 1980; May & Welch, 1984; Shepard & Smith, 1986, 1987). These negative findings were available in the literature before the data for this study were gathered in the 1989-1990 academic year; therefore, teachers would be expected to be familiar with them. However, in a related study conducted by Carella (1990), it was found that more than half of this sample of teachers (67%) reported not using journals as a source to keep uptodate. Carella found that although many of the participating teachers reported using resourcetypemag- azines that help generate ideas and activities for lessons, very few reported reading scholarly journals that present empirical research findings.

Similar findings were obtained with another sample of early childhood practitioners (Powell & Stremmel, 1989). In their study of child care workers, Powell and Stremmel found that although the vast majority used printed material to enhance their professional development, most relied on lay rather than professional publications as a major information source. Such reliance on lay or nontechnical printed material may preclude adequate exposure to appro- priate technical information on topics such as the impact of transition classes.

Research also suggests that early childhood educators rely heavily on colleagues to keep uptodate on professional issues (Carella, 1990; Kottkamp, Provenzo, & Cohn, 1986; Powell & Stremmel, 1989). Although this collegiality facilitates a positive work relationship among teachers, it might nevertheless limit the amount of outside information that enables teachers to view issues - such as the effectiveness of transition classes - more openly and objectively.

Other ways to keep uptodate include membership in professional orga- nizations and attendance at confemces. In her related study, Carella (1990) found that few of the teachers participating in the present study (1 %)belonged to early childhood professional organizations, such as the National Association

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Teachers’ Perceptions 137

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for the Education of Young Children, that have disseminated information about transition and other extra-year programs. Teachers who reported belonging to professional organizations listed organizations such as their state reading asso- ciation, state teachers’ association, and the Council on International Education. Thus, it appears that the participating first grade teachers did not gain informa- tion about current issues in early childhood education through the professional organizations they chose to join. Although teachms reported atkendinr rm1- ferences on various topics, many of the conferences listed by teacliers vezc profit-type lectures instead of research-oriented, nonprofit presentations.

Regardless of the mechanism -journals, professional organizations, or conferences - a lack of communication appears to exist between early child- hood researchers and classroom teachers. Classroom teachers have failed to make use of available information, but the early childhood community has failed to adequately disseminate pertinent information concerning transition classes to key primary school personnel. The challenge is to bridge the gap between early childhood researchers and primary-level educators. Suggestions for bridging this gap include increased efforts - on the part of individual early childhood educators and early childhood professional organizations - to recruit public school personnel for membership in organizations devoted to the development and education of young children. Joint activities or conferences sponsored by elementary and early childhood organizations provide another possible means to bridge the gap. Such efforts will improve communication between early childhood educators and elementary educators and administra- tors - and, we hope, will result in improved services for young children.

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Psychology in the Schools, 21,46W70. Hinkle, D. E., Wiersma, W., & Jurs, S. G. (1979). Applied statistics for the behavioral sciences.

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