School Readiness of Preschoolers in the Klang Valley: Perceptions of Preschool Operators

Low, Xin Wei (2023) School Readiness of Preschoolers in the Klang Valley: Perceptions of Preschool Operators. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.

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Abstract

Preschool physical environments have a huge impact on children’s development. Play itself provides uncountable learning opportunities for children in a wide range of domains, including self-regulation, cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical domains, as well as overall well-being. In other words, children's physical environments influenced children’s overall developmental competence and as a result, directly reflected their school readiness before entering primary school. While the Malaysian government’s efforts to improve preschool education quality demonstrate a lack of emphasis on the physical environment. In this study, the quality of the outdoor play yards in preschools in the Klang Valley, Malaysia will be assessed and investigated using subscale 12 (Play Yards: Functional Needs) and subscale 13 (Play Yards: Developmental Needs) of the Children's Physical Environment Rating Scale (CPERS). In Malaysia, there is currently minimal data to support a direct association between the physical environment and school readiness. Therefore, through a survey of the literature, this study intends to analyse and propose a clear relationship between these two aspects. In this paper, a total of eighty-four (84) Klang Valley private preschool operators took part in the questionnaire survey to share their perspectives and perceptions. SPSS statistical analysis was used to analyse and interpret the collected data. It is intended that the findings will enable stakeholders such as preschool providers, preschool designers, preschool builders, preschool educators, parents, or future researchers better understand and become more interested in this area, as well as to assist Malaysia in establishing better preschools in the future and optimising children’s learning environments in response to the Ministry of Education’s goal of achieving quality education and full development of children.