Are they ready?

Project summary

Transition from childhood to formal schooling is seen as the first most important transition in one’s life, which is possibly influence many people’s future transition experiences. Research has confirmed that if children are prepared to learn when they enter formal schooling, they are more likely to succeed in school and in future life e.g. greater academic motivation, fewer arrests and antisocial acts, better self-esteem and locus of control , better high school grad­uation, higher employment rates and better earnings, and then more positive quality of life outcomes. This research aims to explore kindergarten and primary school teachers’ perspectives on what are the important factors that influence children’s transition from kindergarten to elementary school and to identify what are the good practices in Norway, China and Hong Kong. In all three cultures, formal schooling starts from elementary school. Data are collected in the form of documents and interviews. Documents data include government policies at different levels and are used to place the study in context, prepare for the interviews and triangulate data from interviews. Interviews with teachers from kindergartens and primary schools in both countries are the major data source. Thematic analysis and replication analysis coupled with constant and comparative analysis are used to analyze the collected data with reference to existing literature on school readiness and transition.