Group Size in Kindergartens: Issues Arising from Changes to Group Size and Other Policy Developments in the Wellington Region Free Kindergarten Association in 1994.

This study examined kindergarten teachers' perceptions of the impact of changes in group-size policy on 3- and 4-year-old children in New Zealand's Wellington Region Free Kindergarten Association. Data were collected through a series of interviews of Wellington kindergarten teachers from 54 kindergartens and focused mainly on the perceived effects of changing group size with regard to parent-teacher relationships, staff and child turnover, and adult-child ratios. The findings show that the changed policy had had a direct impact on children, programmers, teachers, and families. The major issues presented by the teachers are as follows: (1) they had less time to work with individual children and small groups; (2) even though the adult-child ratio remained constant at 1:15, the larger group size had a marked impact on the type of activities teachers were able to offer; (3) teachers were being forced toward a supervisory role; (4) increased roll numbers had an adverse, diluting effect on teachers' relationships with parents; (5) in some kindergartens children were being admitted at a younger age, which placed extra demands on teachers; and (6) there had been little training or support for teachers to cope with the consequences of the new policy. (Two appendices include the kindergarten group size project questionnaire and the interview schedule. Contains 44 references.) (AP)