Parental Factors as Predictors of School Readiness among Nursery School Children in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State

Readiness plays a significant role in achieving a smooth transition of the child from home to school, which is the first objective of early childhood education. The child can acquire skills necessary for learning, living, and, most importantly, adjusting to his/her new environment. Studies have focused on different factors that can determine school readiness and the extent to which parental factors predict school readiness among Nursery children cannot be overstated. Thus, this study investigated parental factors (parental involvement, educational qualification, and occupation) as predictors of school readiness among nursery children. Ecological social theory anchored the study, while a correlational survey research design was adopted. 400 respondents, which comprises nursery school children and their parents from semi-urban and urban nursery schools/communities, were purposively selected from four local governments. Three research questions were raised, and two hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 significance level. Parental Factor Instrument (PFI) and Children Readiness Rating Scale (CRRS) were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data collected. Findings revealed that nursery children’s school readiness is average (WA= 2.82). However, children demonstrated a high level of readiness in the physical domain (WA= 3.27). It was also revealed that parental factors are good predictors of nursery children’s school readiness. Thus, children are not ready for the cognitive, socio-emotional, and language skills. Parents should be more proactive in their children’s holistic readiness as this improves their school readiness.