Date
8-2021
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (EdD)
Chair
David Vacchi
Keywords
preschool, challenges, experiences, kindergarten
Disciplines
Education | Educational Leadership
Recommended Citation
Alonzo, Rhodora A., "Preschool Teachers' Lived Experiences Embracing Challenges in Preparing Students for Kindergarten: A Phenomenological Study" (2021). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 3146.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/3146
Abstract
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenology was to describe pre-school teachers’ lived experiences embracing challenges in preparing students for kindergarten at a public school district in Mid-Atlantic State. The theory that guides this study was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory keying in on the zone of proximal development (ZPD), which represents the amount of learning possible by a student, given the proper instructional conditions. The research questions include, “What do pre-school teachers perceive as challenges to preparing students for kindergarten?” “What are teachers’ perceptions about the importance of alignment between the pre-school and kindergarten programs?” “What are markers of pre-school students that demonstrate kindergarten readiness?” and “What do teachers perceive as ways to improve the readiness of their students for kindergarten?” The data collection strategies included interviews, and series of focus group discussions. This sequence allowed me to collect information in a progressive way that resulted in multiple opportunities to gain valuable insight into the participants' experiences. Moustakas’ phenomenological reduction in transcendental phenomenology was employed for data analysis.
