Assessing social studies competencies of 5-year-olds across different early childhood education programs in Slovenia
The main objective of the research was to analyse the differences in children's competencies in social studies among the various kindergarten programs in Slovenia. The assessment of competencies of five-year-old children enrolled in full-day, half-day, and shorter (240-hour) early childhood edu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Journal of Childhood, Education and Society
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Journal of Childhood, Education & Society |
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| Online Access: | https://www.j-ces.com/index.php/jces/article/view/587 |
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| author | Marta Licardo Barbara Sraka Petek |
| author_facet | Marta Licardo Barbara Sraka Petek |
| author_sort | Marta Licardo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The main objective of the research was to analyse the differences in children's competencies in social studies among the various kindergarten programs in Slovenia. The assessment of competencies of five-year-old children enrolled in full-day, half-day, and shorter (240-hour) early childhood education programs were compared. The study included teachers’ assessments of 955 five-year-old children, with a balanced distribution by gender and homogeneous age group, with a special focus on evaluating children's competencies in shorter programs. The results regarding the differences at the beginning and end of the shorter programs for the social studies competencies show statistically significant improvements in competencies, even though the duration of the program is only 240 hours. Comparisons between programs revealed significant differences on all items for the social studies between children in shorter programs and those in full-day or half-day programs, with children in shorter programs scoring lower compared to children in full-day or half-day programs. No significant differences in social studies competencies were found between children in full-day and half-day programs. The study results are crucial for developing teaching and learning strategies in early childhood education as they highlight the need for an approach that considers both the quality and duration of early childhood education programs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a2781e773aba400fa97d38b2ca605ac0 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2717-638X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Journal of Childhood, Education and Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Childhood, Education & Society |
| spelling | doaj-art-a2781e773aba400fa97d38b2ca605ac02025-08-20T03:13:00ZengJournal of Childhood, Education and SocietyJournal of Childhood, Education & Society2717-638X2025-07-016220321510.37291/2717638X.202562587575Assessing social studies competencies of 5-year-olds across different early childhood education programs in SloveniaMarta Licardo0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5858-8527Barbara Sraka Petek1https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8399-8653University of Maribor University of Maribor The main objective of the research was to analyse the differences in children's competencies in social studies among the various kindergarten programs in Slovenia. The assessment of competencies of five-year-old children enrolled in full-day, half-day, and shorter (240-hour) early childhood education programs were compared. The study included teachers’ assessments of 955 five-year-old children, with a balanced distribution by gender and homogeneous age group, with a special focus on evaluating children's competencies in shorter programs. The results regarding the differences at the beginning and end of the shorter programs for the social studies competencies show statistically significant improvements in competencies, even though the duration of the program is only 240 hours. Comparisons between programs revealed significant differences on all items for the social studies between children in shorter programs and those in full-day or half-day programs, with children in shorter programs scoring lower compared to children in full-day or half-day programs. No significant differences in social studies competencies were found between children in full-day and half-day programs. The study results are crucial for developing teaching and learning strategies in early childhood education as they highlight the need for an approach that considers both the quality and duration of early childhood education programs.https://www.j-ces.com/index.php/jces/article/view/587early childhood educationearly childhood education programsshorter ece programssocial studieschildren competencies assessment |
| spellingShingle | Marta Licardo Barbara Sraka Petek Assessing social studies competencies of 5-year-olds across different early childhood education programs in Slovenia Journal of Childhood, Education & Society early childhood education early childhood education programs shorter ece programs social studies children competencies assessment |
| title | Assessing social studies competencies of 5-year-olds across different early childhood education programs in Slovenia |
| title_full | Assessing social studies competencies of 5-year-olds across different early childhood education programs in Slovenia |
| title_fullStr | Assessing social studies competencies of 5-year-olds across different early childhood education programs in Slovenia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing social studies competencies of 5-year-olds across different early childhood education programs in Slovenia |
| title_short | Assessing social studies competencies of 5-year-olds across different early childhood education programs in Slovenia |
| title_sort | assessing social studies competencies of 5 year olds across different early childhood education programs in slovenia |
| topic | early childhood education early childhood education programs shorter ece programs social studies children competencies assessment |
| url | https://www.j-ces.com/index.php/jces/article/view/587 |
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