Does a day make a difference? a comparison of half-day and full-day kindergarten programs in two Ohio school districts /

by Mcintosh, Candace L.

DOES A DAY MAKE A DIFFERENCE? A COMPARISON OF HALF-DAY AND FULL-DAY KINDRGARTEN PROGRAMS IN TWO OHIO SCHOOL DISTRICTS by Candace L. McIntosh The purpose of this study was to examine the academic and social effects of a halfday kindergarten experience when compared to a full-day kindergarten experience. Three specific questions were posed prior to the research: Do children entering first grade with a full-day kindergarten experience demonstrate a clear academic and social advantage over half-day children? Does this advantage remain present through the fourth grade? Did the length of the kindergarten day affect the following areas: attendance, retentions, suspensions, qualifying scores for Title I services in second grade, and the number of students identified for special education services? This was a cross sectional, causal comparative design. Five grade levels, K-4, were evaluated during the 2004-2005 school year. Two Ohio school districts with similar demographics were selected for this study, one offering full-day kindergarten and the other district offering half-day kindergarten. The independent variable for this study was the length of the school day. The dependent variables were academic measures (Dynamic Indicators Basic of Early Literacy Skills, Third and Fourth Grade Achievement Tests, Fourth Grade Math Proficiency Test), attendance, retentions, suspensions, Title I qualifying scores, and the identification of special education students. An analysis of variance was performed on all academic measures to determine those comparisons that were statistically significant. The remaining variables were compared through a chi square analysis. The results of the analysis of variance did show a clear academic advantage for students in kindergarten and first grade who had received a full-day kindergarten experience. However, all academic measures administered in second, third, and fourth grade were not statistically significant, thus suggesting that the advantages of full-day kindergarten were not present after first grade. The chi square test performed on the remaining variables found that the number of third grade students who had experienced half-day kindergarten and were identified to receive special education services to be significant. The length of the kindergarten day did not appear to have any significant effect on the other variables analyzed by the chi square test.