Running Head: LITERATURE REVIEW 1

Literature Review

Kelly Campbell & Karen Stiff

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Longwood University
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Introduction

The first year of school for children is a critical time in their lives as they develop

academically, socially, and emotionally. In the United States, kindergarten originated as

a half-day program. However, in the past few decades, there has been a shift to the

implementation of full-day kindergarten nation-wide (P. Pelletier & J. Corter, 2019).

Despite the increase in full-day kindergarten, the benefits of this program are widely

debated. Allocation of educational funds continues to be an important issue across the

nation. School stakeholders are invested in understanding which kindergarten program

type is most beneficial for their student populations. Knowing which program benefits

which group of students is essential for stakeholder decision-making. Before policy

makers mandate full-day kindergarten programs, they should use research to substantiate

their million dollar decisions.

Students who attend full-day kindergarten have an academic advantage at the end

of the year compared to their half-day counterparts. According to Lee, Burkam, Ready,

Honigman, and Meisels (2006), “children who experience full-day kindergarten as a

whole-school program are advantaged in terms of their cognitive learning” (p. 195). In

addition, Pelletier and Corter’s research showed increased scores in self-regulation,

reading, writing, and number knowledge for students who attended full-day kindergarten

(2019). J. Fusaro conducted a meta-analysis, which compiled data showing students who

attend full-day kindergarten manifest significantly greater achievement than students who

attend half-day kindergarten (1997). After that first school year, full-day kindergarten

has better academic outcomes overall than half-day programs.

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The benefits of full-day kindergarten seem to outweigh the benefits of half-day

kindergarten; however, these effects diminish over time. C. Milligan found no significant

difference in language arts or math achievement between students who attended a full-

day kindergarten program versus a half-day kindergarten program by the time students

reached second grade (2012). Furthermore, Votruba-Drzal, Li-Grining, and Maldonado-

Carreno’s longitudinal study found that full-day kindergarten was associated with a small

academic advantage in the kindergarten year, but this advantage faded out by the spring

of third grade, with the half-day students puling ahead by the spring of fifth grade (2008).

According to Wolgemuth, Cobb, Winokur, Leech, and Ellerby (2006), “the additional

learning appears to decline rapidly, so much so that by the start of first grade, the benefits

of full-day kindergarten have diminished to a level that has little practical value” (p. 267).

The academic advantage that is present for students who attended full-day kindergarten

fades over time as students who attended half-day kindergarten catch up to and even

surpass their full-day counterparts by the end of fifth grade.

Although the academic advantage of full-kindergarten decreases over time,

specific populations of students benefit more than others. For example, Hall-Kenyon,

Bingham, and Korth found English language learners benefited more from full-day

kindergarten than did their English-speaking peers, particularly in the areas of language

development and receptive vocabulary (2009). Additionally, “low-SES minority inner-

city students are better served by full-day kindergarten programs than half-day

kindergarten programs in terms of academic achievement up through at least the third

grade” (Nowak, Nichols, & Coutts, 2019, p. 44). W. Warburton, R. Warburton, and C.

Hertzman found that full-kindergarten increased social and academic achievement

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through fourth grade for economically disadvantaged students and English language

learners (2012).

Research shows the benefits of full-day kindergarten diminish over time;

however, certain populations including ELL students and low-SES students benefit more

than their peers. Full-day kindergarten can provide students with certain educational

needs that may be lacking in their home environment. For example, students in full-day

kindergarten partake in social interaction through unstructured play with peers, direct

academic instruction, hands on learning, and follow a structured routine of the school day

(Pelletier & Corter, 2019). This leads to the question – are there other populations of

students that would benefit from full-day kindergarten? Specifically, would students with

autism spectrum disorder benefit from full-day kindergarten? Students with autism

spectrum disorder benefit from consistent routine and structure, which can be provided

by full-day kindergarten (McIntosh, Herman, Sanford, McGraw, & Florence, 2004).

Additionally, students who attend full-day kindergarten have more opportunities for

social interaction, another benefit for students with autism spectrum disorder (Banda, D.

R., Hart, S. L., & Liu-Gitz, L., 2010).

Method

Participants

This longitudinal study will include 100 students who have been identified with

autism spectrum disorder. These students will be enrolled in an inclusive kindergarten

class within the same school district in the 2019-2020 school year. This study will take

place in a large urban school district in Virginia. Students will be followed and data will

be collected through the end of their second grade year. Fifty of the students will be
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enrolled in full-day kindergarten and 50 will be enrolled in half-day kindergarten.

Students will be selected for this study based on parental permission and a medical

diagnosis of autism.

Measures

Academic achievement. Students’ academic achievement in reading and math

will be measured at the beginning and end of each school year using the Measure of

Academic Progress (MAP) test. This test is used to measure student growth. A baseline

is gathered in the fall and the winter assessment measure progress. The spring

assessment measures student growth to that point and is used to chart a student’s

academic growth from year to year.

Adaptability. Students’ ability to adapt to change within the classroom and school

setting will be measured. Data will be collected weekly using a checklist of students’

behavior and reactions to changes in school. Data will be collected by classroom

teachers, parents, and administrators.

Social Interaction. Students’ social interaction will be measured using a parent

and a teacher survey. Additionally, students will complete a self-reflective survey

expressing their feelings and perceptions about relationships formed at school. Surveys

will be given every nine weeks for the duration of the study.

Analysis

Computer software will be used to compile the MAP data and results will be analyzed by

the classroom teacher to determine cognitive growth over the course of each school year.

SurveyMonkey will be used to compile and analyze qualitative data collected about

adaptability and social interaction.

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Conclusion

Research from this study would encourage educators and policymakers to take a

closer look at the needs of specific populations of students within their communities.

Having a better understanding of the subgroups represented in their school district could

be beneficial in making appropriate decisions about developing and funding high-quality

kindergarten programs.
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References

Banda, D. R., Hart, S. L., & Liu-Gitz, L. (2010). Impact of training peers and children

with autism on social skills during center time activities in inclusive

classrooms. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders,4(4), 619-625.

doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2009.12.005

Fusaro, J. (1997). The effect of full-day kindergarten on student achievement: A meta-

analysis. Child Study Journal, 27(4), 269-77.

Hall-Kenyon, K., Bingham, G., & Korth, B. (2009). How do linguistically diverse

students fare in full- and half-day kindergarten? examining academic

achievement, instructional quality, and attendance. Early Education and

Development, 20(1), 25-52.

Lee, V., Burkam, D., Ready, D., Honigman, J., & Meisels, S. (2006). Full-day versus

half-day kindergarten: in which program do children learn more? American

Journal of Education, 112(2), 163-208. doi:10.1086/498994

McIntosh, K., Herman, K., Sanford, A., McGraw, K., & Florence, K. (2004). Transitions:

Techniques for promoting success between lessons. Teaching Exceptional

Children, 37(1), 32-38.

Milligan, C. (2012). Full-day kindergarten effects on later academic success, SAGE

Open, 2(1), 1-11. doi: 10.1177/2158244012442677

Nowak, J. A. Nichols, J, & Coutts, D (2009). The impact of full-day vs. half-day

kindergarten on student achievement of low socioeconomic status minority

students, Scholarly Partnerships, 4(1), 1-16.

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Pelletier, J. P., & Corter, J. E. (2019). A longitudinal comparison of learning outcomes in

full-day and half-day kindergarten. The Journal of Educational Research, 1-19.

doi:10.1080/00220671.2018.1486280

Votruba-Drzal, E., Li-Grining, C., & Maldonado-Carreño, C. (2008). A developmental

perspective on full-versus part-day kindergarten and children’s academic

trajectories through fifth grade. Child Development, 79(4), 957-978. Retrieved

from http://www.jstor.org.proxy.longwood.edu/stable/27563532

Warburton, W. P., Warburton, R. N., & Hertzman, C. (2012). Does full day kindergarten

help kids? Canadian Public Policy, 38(4) 592-603

Wolgemuth, J. R., Cobb, R. B., Winokur, M. A., Leech, N., & Ellerby, D. (2006).

Comparing longitudinal academic achievement of full-day and half-day

kindergarten students. The Journal of Educational Research, 99(5), 260-270.

doi:10.3200/joer.99.5.260-270