Abstract:
Starting school is a multidimensional process which involves a child’s school readiness and transition to school (Britto, 2012; Dockett & Perry, 2009; High, 2008). Research indicated the complexity of the concepts and practices of school readiness and transition to school (Britto, 2012; Dockett & Perry, 2013). According to Britto (2012), the insufficiency of the latest information has led to multiple understandings and generate outdated practices. The current research on school readiness and transition to school comes from Western-European countries and only few studies represent African and Asian contexts (Britto, 2012). To address these limitations, this study was conducted to investigate the understanding and practices of school readiness and transition to school in Indonesia. A child’s readiness for school and successful transition to school may benefit the child and is important in setting the path to success in later schooling years (Dockett & Perry, 2004; Pianta & Rimm-Kaufman, 2006). According to Ackerman and Barnett (2005), it is difficult to establish the programs and practices to enhance children’s readiness without an adequate concept of school readiness. The purpose of this study is to explore the understanding and practices of school readiness and transition in Indonesia, taking into consideration the perspectives of teachers, parents, and local policy makers. In addition, this study also investigated children’s feelings and experiences on their first day starting school. Dockett and Perry (2007) stated that children’s opinions are recognized as valid evidence. By acknowledging the comprehensive understanding and practices among stakeholders is seen as a powerful influence on the school readiness paradigm. An explanatory mixed-method consisted of two phases was applied to gain the data. In the first phase, a survey was conducted to determine teachers’ perspective on the dimension and characteristics of school readiness and transition. In the second phase, interviews were applied to explore children’s, parents’, teachers’ and government personnel’s opinions. Children were asked to draw faces that reflected their feelings on the first day starting school, and share their comments and discussions about their drawings. The Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological framework was applied to discuss the contributions of the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem in supporting school readiness and transition to school. The findings indicated that school readiness in Indonesia perceived as academic readiness. Furthermore there were no specific programs to prepare children for transition to school. The results of this study highlight a need for further improvement in school readiness an transition to school policies in Indonesia.