Skip to main content

ETHNOS_APP

Home • Search • Journals • List 0

If I play I won’t learn’

Children’s perceptions and experiences of transition and school readiness from Maternelle to Year 1

Bibliographic Data

ID12724828
AuthorsCharlotte Wilders (0000-0003-0557-150X, Independent Researcher, Australia, corresponding author), E Wood (0000-0002-1027-1520, University of Sheffield)
Year2023
Volume21
Issue2
Pages162-180
Publication date2023-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Early Childhood Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1476-718X • E-ISSN: 1741-2927
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1476718x221145460
OpenAlexW4319036021
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited33

How children experience the major transition from pre-school to compulsory schooling influences their immediate and future success and wellbeing. This complex process of change and adaptation is impacted by school readiness policy drivers, which prioritise children’s performance and achievement. Pedagogic and curriculum progression shifts from play to work, with structured and adult-led activities. These factors contribute to the schoolification of early childhood education, and construct school readiness as an attribute of the child. This paper reports findings on how six children experienced transition and school readiness as they move from Maternelle to Year 1 in an International school in Belgium. Multimodal and multivocal methods of data collection were used to provide child participants with accessible ways of expressing their perspectives of the lived experience of transition. The children perceived the major transition being from play to work and understood that they were expected to be ready for this change. From a socio-cultural perspective, this paper argues that school readiness cannot be assessed at a specific point in time, but should instead be viewed as the lived experience of children that begins before, and continues well beyond the transition. Children are expected to adapt to multiple changes in curriculum and pedagogical practices, as well as changes in cultural, temporal and material contexts. It is recommended that critical questions about how school readiness is constructed should take account of children’s perspectives and experiences of transitions

Adaptation (eye · Construct (python library · Curriculum · Developmental psychology · Early childhood education · Pedagogy · Perception · Perspective (graphical · Transition (genetics · Child Development and Digital Technology · Early Childhood Education and Development · Parental Involvement in Education · Psychology

  • ‘The most important thing in first grade is to make friends’

    Open Access•Reidun Hoff-Jenssen•European Early Childhood…•2025

  • Transforming transitions to primary school

    Open Access•Fiona Boylan, Lennie Barblett et al.•European Early Childhood…•2024

  • Portuguese Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices About Transition from Preschool to Primary School

    Open Access•Carla Costa Fernandes, Lourdes Mata et al.•Early Education and Development•2026

  • Drawing the line

    Open Access•Li Zeng, Wenjie Yu et al.•Teaching and Teacher Education•2026

  • Clusters of difficulties experienced by children during their transition to primary school

    Open Access•Jae-Hoon Jun, Kane Meissel et al.•Children and Youth Services Review•2025

  • Young children's perceptions and experiences of school readiness during the transition from preschool to primary school in China

    Open Access•Shilan Luo, Shanshan Yuan•Children & Society•2025

  • Children's perspectives of learning through play in the majority world

    Open Access•Nikhit D'Sa, Sue Robson et al.•Children & Society•2025

  • Extrinsic Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation in Education

    Open Access•Edward L Deci, Richard Koestner et al.•Review of Educational Research•2001

  • ECE teachers’ views on play-based learning

    Open Access•Jarmila Bubikova-Moan, Hanne Naess Hjetland et al.•European Early Childhood…•2019

  • Title unavailable

    Open Access•null null•Philosophy study•2016

  • The Sage Handbook of Early Childhood Research

    Ann Farrell, Ann H Farrell et al.•The Sage Handbook of Early…•2015

  • Beyond the Preschool Years

    Open Access•Aurelia Di Santo, Rachel Berman•Children & Society•2012

  • What works’ and for whom? Bold Beginnings and the construction of the school ready child

    Open Access•Louise Kay•Journal of Early Childhood Research•2021

  • Ready or not? Teachers’ perceptions of young children’s school readiness

    Open Access•Nina Smith, Wykeshia W Glass•Journal of Early Childhood Research•2019

  • Conforming to reform

    Open Access•C P Brown•Journal of Early Childhood Research•2014

  • The importance of understanding children’s lived experience

    Open Access•B Rogoff, A Dahl et al.•Developmental Review•2018

  • The ‘datafication’ of early years pedagogy

    Guy Roberts-Holmes, Guy Roberts‐Holmes•Journal of Education Policy•2015

Unique citing works7
Citations per year3,5
Citation span2024 - 2026 (3)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 7

Tools

Open DOI
Ethnos_APP • Open Source Project • MIT License • Frontend v2.0.0 • Privacy and Cookies • API Documentation: api.ethnos.app/docs • API Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17049435 • Frontend Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17050053 • cruz.rio.br • Expectantes Misericordiae