ABSTRACT
A central premise of this study is that the transition to elementary school represents a major transition for children, one that has potential ripple effects throughout the family system. In chapter 1, we argued that even when children have had extensive experience in preschool, their experiences in kindergarten and first grade present qualitatively new demands for them and their families. In contrast with the relatively free choice of activities and movement available for children in home day care, day-care centers, and preschools, elementary schools require children to sit still for long periods, focus their attention, do what the teacher asks, make sense of instructions, and adjust to the styles of other children. Teachers of kindergarten and first grade are more likely to be regarded as authority figures in ways that their parents, child-care providers, and preschool teachers were not. Elementary school teachers are more likely to provide children with evaluative feedback on the quality of their work and the appropriateness of their behavior. Furthermore, because teachers’ evaluations lead to children’s placement in groups that are based on ability, and because ability group classification is remarkably stable over time, these evaluations have potential long-term consequences for children’s lives within the school system (Entwisle & Alexander, 1993; Perry & Weinstein, 1998).
