TRI's Serra Acar, Ph.D., has collaborated with researchers from around the world to write a paper on kindergarten readiness with a cross-cultural perspective.

This collaborate initiative has been published in Young Exceptional Children’s March 2016 issue. Young Exceptional Children is a peer-reviewed journal in the field of early intervention/early childhood special education. The paper is entitled “Three Mistakes Made Worldwide in 'Getting Children Ready' for School”.

The contributors

The article was made possible through a global collaboration with the following researchers:

Kristie Pretti-Frontczak, PhD (lead author) - USA

Sanna Harjusola-Webb, PhD - Finland

Margaret Chin, EdD - Jamaica

Jennifer Grisham-Brown, EdD - Guatemala

Serra Acar, PhD - Turkey

Kay Heo, PhD - South Korea

Maureen Corby, PhD - New Zealand

Songtian Zeng, MSE - China

Most of the contributors currently reside in the United States. All have first-hand knowledge of early childhood education in their native countries.

How they got together

"Kristie Pretti-Frontczak, the lead writer, introduced us to each other via email," explains Dr. Acar. "She shared her thoughts on writing an article for Young Exceptional Children about kindergarten readiness world-wide."

Kristie Pretti-Frontczak, Kay Heo, and Serra Acar all completed their doctoral studies in the Early Intervention Program, University of Oregon. "This is how we know each other," Acar continues. "We weren't in the same cohort, but we met at different meetings and occasions, and enjoyed being ducks!"

They shared their experiences

For the paper, they each shared their experiences regarding kindergarten readiness in their home countries. They discussed their concerns about a global trend in which kindergarten classrooms and practices appear to be focusing on academic achievement.

"The process of writing the paper took about three months back and forth emailing to each other," says Acar. The result is a paper that not only points to three "mistakes" the writers identified, but encourages three solutions they believe will improve the early stages of child development.

Click here to download a copy of the paper. You may need to subscribe to the journal in order to get the paper.