Transition practice before entering primary school: A longitudinal study of children with and without special needs across a year

Introduction The transition to primary school is a significant milestone for children. Transition periods can offer new opportunities to build skills, relationships, and experiences that strengthen self-efficacy. In Singapore, parents play an important role in supporting transition as preschools and...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sok M Lim, Leanna Nyoman, Ying J Tan, Yun Y Yin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2021-12-01
Series:Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/15691861211013427
_version_ 1828145497275105280
author Sok M Lim
Leanna Nyoman
Ying J Tan
Yun Y Yin
author_facet Sok M Lim
Leanna Nyoman
Ying J Tan
Yun Y Yin
author_sort Sok M Lim
collection DOAJ
description Introduction The transition to primary school is a significant milestone for children. Transition periods can offer new opportunities to build skills, relationships, and experiences that strengthen self-efficacy. In Singapore, parents play an important role in supporting transition as preschools and primary schools operate independently. Occupational therapists are involved in supporting children with special needs in transitions. Objective Focusing on the transition period of getting children ready for primary school, the objectives are (i) to learn about the strategies that parents used for the purpose of transition and understand the intentions behind what they do and (ii) to compare the transition practices and perceived school readiness between parents of children with and without special needs. Method A longitudinal study involving 48 parents was conducted over 12 months. Parents completed a survey at the start and end of the year to detect changes from baseline, and semi-structured interviews every two months to gather their subjective experiences and track their child’s readiness for transition. The surveys and interviews were conducted on a mobile instant messaging platform. Coding of responses was guided by school readiness domains identified in earlier studies and Occupational Therapy Practice Framework’s approaches to intervention. Results Most parents focused on establishing and maintaining new self-help and academic skills across the year while few were “modifying” or “preventing”. Increasing trends in child readiness were noted for both children with and without special needs. Conclusion In family-centred practice, it is important to recognise parents’ expertise and resources.
first_indexed 2024-04-11T20:32:49Z
format Article
id doaj.art-d789038769bd45129630e56eeea8e1c4
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1569-1861
1876-4398
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-11T20:32:49Z
publishDate 2021-12-01
publisher SAGE Publishing
record_format Article
series Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy
spelling doaj.art-d789038769bd45129630e56eeea8e1c42022-12-22T04:04:27ZengSAGE PublishingHong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy1569-18611876-43982021-12-013410.1177/15691861211013427Transition practice before entering primary school: A longitudinal study of children with and without special needs across a yearSok M LimLeanna NyomanYing J TanYun Y YinIntroduction The transition to primary school is a significant milestone for children. Transition periods can offer new opportunities to build skills, relationships, and experiences that strengthen self-efficacy. In Singapore, parents play an important role in supporting transition as preschools and primary schools operate independently. Occupational therapists are involved in supporting children with special needs in transitions. Objective Focusing on the transition period of getting children ready for primary school, the objectives are (i) to learn about the strategies that parents used for the purpose of transition and understand the intentions behind what they do and (ii) to compare the transition practices and perceived school readiness between parents of children with and without special needs. Method A longitudinal study involving 48 parents was conducted over 12 months. Parents completed a survey at the start and end of the year to detect changes from baseline, and semi-structured interviews every two months to gather their subjective experiences and track their child’s readiness for transition. The surveys and interviews were conducted on a mobile instant messaging platform. Coding of responses was guided by school readiness domains identified in earlier studies and Occupational Therapy Practice Framework’s approaches to intervention. Results Most parents focused on establishing and maintaining new self-help and academic skills across the year while few were “modifying” or “preventing”. Increasing trends in child readiness were noted for both children with and without special needs. Conclusion In family-centred practice, it is important to recognise parents’ expertise and resources.https://doi.org/10.1177/15691861211013427
spellingShingle Sok M Lim
Leanna Nyoman
Ying J Tan
Yun Y Yin
Transition practice before entering primary school: A longitudinal study of children with and without special needs across a year
Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy
title Transition practice before entering primary school: A longitudinal study of children with and without special needs across a year
title_full Transition practice before entering primary school: A longitudinal study of children with and without special needs across a year
title_fullStr Transition practice before entering primary school: A longitudinal study of children with and without special needs across a year
title_full_unstemmed Transition practice before entering primary school: A longitudinal study of children with and without special needs across a year
title_short Transition practice before entering primary school: A longitudinal study of children with and without special needs across a year
title_sort transition practice before entering primary school a longitudinal study of children with and without special needs across a year
url https://doi.org/10.1177/15691861211013427
work_keys_str_mv AT sokmlim transitionpracticebeforeenteringprimaryschoolalongitudinalstudyofchildrenwithandwithoutspecialneedsacrossayear
AT leannanyoman transitionpracticebeforeenteringprimaryschoolalongitudinalstudyofchildrenwithandwithoutspecialneedsacrossayear
AT yingjtan transitionpracticebeforeenteringprimaryschoolalongitudinalstudyofchildrenwithandwithoutspecialneedsacrossayear
AT yunyyin transitionpracticebeforeenteringprimaryschoolalongitudinalstudyofchildrenwithandwithoutspecialneedsacrossayear