The Hispanic population is becoming increasingly prevalent in the United States,
facing not only many sociodemographic risks, but academic risks as well. A large
number of Hispanics are entering school unprepared to learn. While the importance of
school readiness for academic success and achievement has been established, research
focusing on school readiness in the Hispanic population has been limited. Furthermore,
while research has established the importance of social-emotional skills for school
readiness, these have been insufficiently studied in this population in how they relate to
school readiness. This study examined school readiness in Hispanic preschoolers and the
impact of sociodemographic, cultural, and socio-emotional variables on school
readiness. A total of 162 children ages 3 to 5 years old were assessed by a school
readiness measure in a Head Start program in central Texas. Children were assessed
during the first 45 days of school. Teachers and caregivers completed a social-emotional
rating scale on each student’s social skills and problem behavior during the first 45 days
of school. In addition, caregivers completed a questionnaire that addressed cultural and
sociodemographic factors.
The purpose of this study was to fill the gaps of the literature by examining
factors that impact school readiness among Hispanic preschoolers. The goal of this study
was to determine the extent to which cultural variables can predict school readiness and
social-emotional competence, above and beyond sociodemographic factors. This study
also sought to determine the extent to which social-emotional competence can predict
school readiness above and beyond sociodemographic factors and cultural factors. This
study hypothesized that cultural factors and social-emotional competence would have an
impact on school readiness, above and beyond sociodemographic factors. This study
used hierarchical regression analyses. Results suggest that cultural variables were not
good predictors of school readiness or social-emotional competence. Sociodemographic
variables were good predictors of social-emotional competence. In addition, social skills
were significant predictors of school readiness. Results suggest that Hispanic
preschoolers are not that unlike other preschoolers when it comes to factors that have an
impact on their school readiness and social-emotional competence.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2010-12-8590 |
| Date | 2010 December 1900 |
| Creators | Avila Brizuela, Leonor |
| Contributors | Ash, Michael, Jensen-Doss, Amanda |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
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