Comparative Analysis of the Transition from Early Childhood Education to Primary Education: Factors Affecting Continuity between Stages.

The study investigates factors related to children's transition between kindergarten and primary school in ten EU countries. The factors analysed are the children’s age at the transition, the relationship between kindergarten teacher and pupil, types of grouping, funding, responsibilities and the basic and continuing education of kindergarten teachers.

The results indicate that the transition from kindergarten to school varies between European countries.

Most countries start compulsory schooling at the age of six. While some northern countries place stronger focus on the transition with specific transition courses, the teacher-pupil relationship, free education, institutional responsibility, and the degree of teacher education don’t necessarily have much impact on the transition. Lifelong learning for teachers also varies between countries, with different incentives, but transition is rarely a high priority.

The study used document analysis and data was retrieved from the European Commission's Eurydice portal. The countries studied included Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. The researchers assessed seven factors related to the transition from kindergarten to primary school, such as age, teacher-pupil relationship, cluster type, funding, institutional responsibility, kindergarten teacher education and teachers’ lifelong learning.

González-Moreira, A., Ferreira, C., & Vidal, J. (2021). “Comparative Analysis of the Transition from Early Childhood Education to Primary Education: Factors Affecting Continuity between Stages”. European journal of educational research, 10(1):441-454.