Starting School--A Singapore Story Told by Children.

Starting school is a major milestone for children. The transition from preschool to formal schooling involves not only surface shifts in daily routines but also deep emotional adjustments by both children and their parents. Schools have tended to neglect the 'emotional side of transition' (Dockett & Perry, 2003, p. 8). For many parents, entrusting the education of their children to unfamiliar adults is a significant step. Similarly, stepping into a strange, new environment can be overwhelming for young children. Children typically experience preschool as a cosy and caring setting with a high teacher--student ratio; however, at school they must share the teacher with a larger group of children, and adjust to larger buildings, a community of larger and older children, and a more regimented routine (Briggs & Potter, 1995). Hence it is important for educators to be proactive by giving due recognition to children's views and feelings about this major transition. Primary One transition constitutes a 'critical period' (Entwisle & Alexander, 1989, p. 351) for children's academic and social development, as their ability to meet the challenges at this early stage has serious and long-lasting effects on academic success. In effective transition, therefore, there is a need to determine the factors that matter to children as they begin school and negotiate the pathways of fitting in. Much of the literature in school readiness has focused on the perspectives of teachers and parents (Harradine & Clifford, 1996; Knudsen-Lindauer & Harris, 1989; Lewit & Barker, 1995; Reaney, West & Denton, 2002). There have been relatively few attempts to investigate transition experiences from the perspective of children. In recent years, however, researchers in Europe, Australia (Clyde, 2001; Dockett & Perry, 1999; Einarsdottir, 2003; Perry, Dockett & Howard, 2000; Potter & Briggs, 2003), and Asia (Clarke & Sharpe, 2003; Sharpe, 2002) have begun to give children a voice in their early school transition experience. In the research studies that attended to children's views about school, it was found that children as young as age five were able to provide cogent and comprehensible accounts of how they felt about school and specifically what they appreciated or did not appreciate about their initial entry into school. There was great clarity in their perception of the distinctions between kindergarten/child care and school. Regardless of where the studies were undertaken, the majority of the children in Primary One or first grade reported being happy in school. Most were concerned about various routes to survival, such as finding their way in the large school buildings and grounds, knowing the school rules, making friends, and pleasing teachers and parents. There are some interesting comparisons between the school entry experiences of children schooled in Singapore and their counterparts in Europe and Australia. For children in Singapore, making new friends constitutes an important aspect of starting school, as it helps them to settle happily into the Primary One classroom (Clarke & Sharpe, 2003; Sharpe, 2002). Similarly, for children starting school in Australia and Europe, having friends was cited as a feature that made for a positive school experience (Dockett & Perry, 1999; Potter & Briggs, 2003; Pramling & Willams-Graneld, 1993). On the negative aspects of starting school, the Primary One children in Singapore were concerned that 'some teachers are fierce/scold us/shout' (Clarke & Sharpe, 2003, p. 21). Some felt unhappy and angry on account of harsh treatment by teachers; for example, being spoken to loudly and angrily, and being reprimanded when books were forgotten or when homework was not done (Sharpe, 2002). The concern about unpleasant encounters with teachers was echoed by some children in Australia who noted that one negative aspect of school was having teachers who yelled or screamed at children (Potter & Briggs, 2003). …