Research Information System
SRCD 2025 Biennial Meeting, Minnesota, United States Of America, 1 - 03 May 2025, pp.1-3, (Summary Text)
School readiness typically refers to the acquisition of fundamental
behavioral and academic skills essential for a child’s success within the
educational setting (Williams et al., 2019). In Western contexts, readiness
includes skills such as following instructions, adhering to classroom rules,
possessing basic writing abilities, and visual perception skills (McTurk et
al., 2011). Self-regulation is increasingly recognized as a
critical component of school readiness that supports children in managing their
behavior and emotions in the classroom, particularly as they transition into
formal schooling. In early childhood education, the nurturing of self-regulation
skills is pivotal not only for immediate school readiness but also for
sustained academic growth (Schmitt et al., 2015; Ertürk Kara, Güler Yıldız,
Fındık, 2018). Various countries around the world utilize different school
readiness programs and assessment tools to facilitate the transition from
preschool to elementary school. Therefore, it is essential to account for the
cultural and contextual factors that shape school readiness when developing
assessments and designing interventions, ensuring they are appropriate for the
unique needs of diverse populations.
This study was designed to determine the psychometric properties of the School
Readiness Assessment Tool (SRAT), a new measurement tool aimed at
assessing preschool children’s readiness for school in Turkey,
contributing to a more culturally relevant understanding of school readiness.
The SRAT evaluates academic, motor, social, emotional, and self-regulation
skills as distinct components. Academic and motor skills are directly observed
in children, while social-emotional and self-regulation skills are assessed
through teacher ratings. A total of 228 children participated in the first
phase of the study, and 185 children in the second phase. The results
demonstrated that the SRAT items displayed sufficient internal consistency,
with strong evidence of face and construct validity (i.e., convergent and
concurrent validity) across both phases. These findings suggest that the SRAT
is a promising tool for assessing school readiness among
preschoolers in Turkey, where few comprehensive measures currently exist.
When the SRAT measure was examined in relation to teachers’ subjective assessments of student readiness (academic, social, physical, and overall readiness) and demographic variables, significant correlations were observed. Age (r = 0.422, p < .001) positively correlated with school readiness, suggesting that older children exhibit higher readiness levels. Academic readiness (r = 0.570, p < .001), social readiness (r = 0.385, p < .001), physical readiness (r = 0.397, p < .001), and overall readiness (r = 0.645, p < .001) were all positively correlated with school readiness. Parental education showed a positive but marginal correlation (mother’s education: r = 0.141, p = 0.056; father’s education: r = 0.141, p = 0.056). Conversely, the number of siblings (r = -0.188, p = 0.040) and birth order (r = -0.150, p = 0.041) were negatively correlated with school readiness. Further studies can enhance the exploration of the psychometric properties of SRAT with more diverse samples, such as rural children and those not enrolled in preschool could further establish the tool's validity.