Kindergarten transition practices: facilitators, barriers, and a cross-cultural comparison
Subject
Abstract
Kindergarten transition is a time that is challenging for all students as it is a significant shift in environments (Rimm-Kaufman & Pianta, 2000). However, it is an even more challenging time for students with disabilities, as they enter an entirely foreign school setting (Ghanouni et al., 2019). Despite the importance of this transition period, little is known about the practices that are used in kindergarten transition for students with disabilities. The study aimed to explore the kindergarten transition practices used by Resource Teachers to support students with disabilities as they enter school. In particular, this study highlighted facilitators and barriers to smooth transition processes, and took a cross-cultural comparative lens, investigating kindergarten transition for students with disabilities in British Columbia, Canada, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The study employed a case study design, where three Resource Teachers who oversaw the transition process (two from B.C. and one from Dubai) engaged in a virtual individual semistructured interview, where they discussed the processes used during transition into school, and facilitators and barriers to effective support. Data were analyzed using an interpretive phenomenological analysis approach to uncover emerging themes, and compared themes within and between cases. Five themes emerged and included: 1) high effort transition practices, 2) nonstandardized process, 3) reliance on expertise, 4) lack of resources, and 5) parental involvement. Overall findings of the current study showed a shift towards individualized high effort transition practices in schools, as well as differences between practices in B.C. and those in Dubai, most notably, funding structures and process decision-making. Suggestions for future research and implications for practice are discussed.