Are they ready?

Project summary

The transition from childhood to formal schooling is seen as the first and most important transition in one’s life, which possibly influences many people’s future transition experiences. Research has confirmed that if children are prepared to learn when they enter formal schooling, they are more likely to succeed in school and future life, e.g. greater academic motivation, fewer arrests and antisocial acts, better self-esteem and locus of control, better high school grad­uation, higher employment rates and better earnings, and then more positive quality of life outcomes. This project aims to explore major stakeholders' perspectives on the important factors influencing children’s transition from kindergarten to elementary school and identify good practices in different cultures. Data are collected in different forms including but not limited to documents, children's drawing, and individual and focus interviews with different stakeholders. 

This project has two major subprojects 

1. A cross-cultural study of teachers' perspectives on the transition (China, Noway, Hong Kong and Finland)
2. A cross-cultural study of children's perspectives on the transition (Norway and China) This is a longitudinal study of the Chinese part. We interviewed Chinese children in their final year of kindergarten and when they entered first grade. We will interview them again when they are in their third grade, which will take place in summer 2026. We also plan to interview them in their final year of primary school.