Early Childhood: Transitions to School

The “Transitions to School” research project undertaken by Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology) Early Childhood Education Centre teachers invited parents of children who had transitioned from the centre into schools, early childhood teachers, and primary school teachers to provide information about their experiences and perspectives concerning transition to school, and to comment on the usefulness of virtues-based early childhood experience in assisting children with this transition.

While this was a locally based project, data was collected from a diverse range of respondents and findings will be of interest to education professionals, particularly at the primary and early childhood level.

Outcomes validate that the virtues-based programme is a developmentally appropriate approach to promoting dispositions for learning, and resembles many of the beliefs and values of all respondents as well as principles of character-based programmes operating within schools.

Perhaps most importantly the virtues based programmes develop within children key qualities critical to engaging effectively within a formal learning environment.