Needs Analysis of School Readiness for 3-Year-Old Children — Based on Triangulation of Observation, Interview and Cross-National Policy Analysis

Abstract

To accurately identify the core needs of 3-year-old children during the transition to kindergarten and provide empirical evidence for the development of the School Readiness Module to Support Parents of Children Aged 3 (School Readiness Module), this study adopted the logic of the needs analysis phase of the Design and Development Research (DDR) paradigm and employed a triangulation method integrating natural observation, semi-structured interviews and cross-national policy document analysis. Ten first-time kindergarteners aged 3 and three primary caregivers were selected from three kindergartens of different types in Zhejiang Province, and relevant school readiness policy documents of China, Malaysia, the United States and the United Kingdom were systematically collated. The results showed that 3-year-old children faced four core challenges in the transition to kindergarten, namely emotional adaptation, social interaction, behavioral adaptation and ability development, which were characterized by significant individual differences and gradual alleviation; parents generally lacked standardized guidance tools and their parenting practices were fragmented and experience-based; China’s school readiness policies had obvious gaps in rural policy implementation, guidance tool supply and support for special groups. This study constructed a three-dimensional needs framework of Children’s Pain Points - Parents’ Needs - Policy Orientation, which filled the research gap in the accurate needs analysis of school readiness from the family perspective and provided operable empirical support for the subsequent design of the School Readiness Module to Support Parents of Children Aged 3.