First grade students from the Hansen Elementary School who had attended the full-day kindergarten programs experienced greater growth in the pre-requisite skills for reading than did the first grade students who had attended the half-day kindergarten programs. The results of the assessments in these reading related areas demonstrated that the first grade students who attended the full-day kindergarten programs have assembled a collection of words necessary to become readers, as well as an understanding of the conventions of the sound to print needed to interact with printed language, which benefited them more than the first grade students who attended the half-day kindergarten programs. The first grade reading skills of those students who attended the full-day kindergarten programs, clearly demonstrated gains in the students' mastery of the beginning, foundational reading skills that are critical to successful text reading in first grade. This allowed the students, who attended the full-day kindergarten programs, a better chance to begin to read and these benefits appeared to last well into second grade. The qualitative research demonstrated by the teachers from the Hansen School supported the quantitative research of this study.

The review of the research supported what the study revealed for the students at the Hansen Elementary School. It was demonstrated, in the full-day kindergarten programs, that the teachers took on the role of providing necessary experiences to educate and socialize students that may not have been available in their home environments and enriched the students' beginning reading skills to begin first grade more ready than the students who attended the half-day kindergarten programs. The full-day kindergarten experience, as research supports, can be most beneficial for students of low socioeconomic, minority, or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds which were included in the student population of the Hansen Elementary School. It appears that lengthening the day for kindergarten students has a very positive effect on first grade reading achievement and beyond.

*Click here to view the Review of Research.

            When comparing mean point differences of the students from both the half-day and the full-day kindergarten programs, it allowed the members of the Hansen Elementary School to make crucial implications from the investigation. There appears to be many positive learning and social/behavioral benefits for first grade students who attended the full-day kindergarten programs at the Hansen School. The benefits of less time constraints allowed teachers to have more time to get to know individual students and meet their needs before entering first grade.

Although the data from this study seem to favor full-day kindergarten, there is still more research to be done. A longer study would be needed to explore the effect of full-day kindergarten over time. Further investigation should be done to assess the long-term effects of full-day kindergarten programs and to determine whether the positive benefits are attributed to time only. The emotional and social benefits of students from the full-day kindergarten and half-day kindergarten programs should also be investigated over time and throughout the town. The positive reading benefits from the full-day kindergarten program that were demonstrated by this investigation are encouraging but more information about the emotional and social benefits of full-day kindergarten are needed to continue these positive results since the most successful programs can be compromised by a child without confidence and self-esteem. The full-day kindergarten program has demonstrated its benefits to first grade students both quantitatively and qualitatively, but it is also imperative to remember that not only the length of kindergarten programs, but also, the quality of the kindergarten programs is important to the reading readiness of the first grade students.

The investigation of differences existing between the first grade students who attended full-day kindergarten and those who attended half-day kindergarten needs to be continued. This should be accomplished by (1) increasing the sample size (include the five other Stoughton elementary schools), (2) increasing the length of time over which data are to be collected to include the examination of the September (where possible), January, and May DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) scores to determine the actual reading and comprehension ability of the students involved in such an investigation over time.

The results of this study are limited to the performance of the students at this time and in this place. As with most schools, in addition to the kindergarten, first, and second grade programs, some kinds of intervention had been provided to qualified students. The increased amount of time in the full-day kindergarten made it possible to restructure the curriculum to accommodate the guided reading process at the Hansen Elementary School. This investigation was limited to only the effects of half-day kindergarten versus full-day kindergarten programs at the Helen H. Hansen Elementary School. A future study is recommended to look at other important factors that could effect the reading achievement between the two programs. These other factors could be pre-school experience, IQ scores, the curriculum, the quality of time spent with the students, and the use of a larger sample.

*Click here to view IRA links to guided reading.

*Click here to view a guided reading video.

 

            It is evident that one of the most positive and essential components of the full-day kindergarten program, as compared to the half-day kindergarten program, is extra time. It is reasonable to believe that today's kindergarten students, with their diverse abilities and experiences, need and benefit from a program that allows the extra time to focus on the basic skills that these students require to become successful readers and writers. The extra time of the full-day kindergarten programs benefits all. It provides extra time for children to learn; teachers to assess and instruct appropriately; and parents, the ability to work knowing that their child's day has consistency while developing educational, emotional, and social skills to begin a lifetime of learning.