Date of Award

Spring 1981

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Education (MSEd)

Program/Concentration

Early Childhood Education

Committee Director

Katharine Kersey

Committee Member

Murray Rudisill

Call Number for Print

Special Collections; LD4331.E32 H48

Abstract

This two-year study compared kindergarten children by age and sex on cognitive development, emotional adjustment, and social development. A similar comparison was made of the sample at the end of their first grade year.

The sample (N=57) consisted of the total kindergarten enrollments of two private schools in Portsmouth, Virginia. Those children who had entered kindergarten before their fifth birthday were defined as "younger," and the remaining sample, "older."

The tool for measuring cognitive development was the Metropolitan Readiness Test in kindergarten, and the Metropolitan Achievement Test in first grade. A self­ designed developmental rating sheet was used both years to measure affective development.

Thirty hypotheses were tested. An analysis of the data revealed the following findings, significant at the .05 level:

1. The older kindergarten children scored higher on the Metropolitan Readiness Test (t=- 2.426, df=55).

2. Kindergarten girls scored higher than boys on the Readiness Test (t=-2.074, df=SS), on emotional adjustment (t=3.186), and on social development (t=3.396).

3. First grade girls scored higher than boys on social development (t=2.469, df=30).

The study concludes that children who enter kindergarten after age five reach higher levels of cognitive development in kindergarten than those younger; and, that girls will achieve more in kindergarten cognitively and affectively, than boys.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/rj5m-mj18

Download

Share

COinS