1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« The purpose of the present report is to provide an overview of readiness to learn at school among Canadian 5-year-old children in 2002/2003 [...]. » (p. 14)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
Children from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. « These children were born between April and December in 1997, and were 5 years old as of December 31, 2002. At the time of interview, they ranged from 57 to 65 months old. Altogether 3,923 children were included in the sample, representing approximately 360,000 5-year-olds in the Canadian population. » (p. 19)

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« This report provides an overview of Canadian children as they enter school as 5-year-olds. It looks at the collection of abilities, behaviours and attitudes that they bring with them, attributes that are important for early school achievement. The report shows that children vary on some dimensions of readiness to learn at school, according to their sex, their family characteristics, their background, and their home environment and experiences. It also shows that some of the differences in readiness to learn may already be evident two years earlier, when the children were 3 years old. Finally, the report indicates factors in the home environment that may contribute to differences among different economic groups. » (p. 13) « Child and family characteristics, such as the sex of the child, income level of the child’s household, parent education, and family structure, have been linked to children’s readiness to learn as they enter school. In addition, experiences in the home and community have been linked to children’s readiness to learn, including the quality of their relationships with parents, educational activities at home, and opportunities to participate in group activities with peers, whether recreational or educational. » (p. 6) « The report adds to what we know about readiness to learn. It provides information that may be useful for policy analysts, teachers, researchers, and parents themselves as they work toward maximizing the potential of preschool children everywhere. » (p. 13)