The impact of early childhood education on language learning in third grade students
Abstract
This study aimed to analyze the Early Childhood Education (ECE) impact on third-grade students' language learning outcomes in District Gujranwala public schools, Pakistan. It was a concurrent parallel mix method design. The purpose was to explore the how early childhood education influences the language learning in third grade students and also to compare the language learning outcomes of third-grade students with and without ECE. Semi structured interviews was conducted to 5 teachers and two-stage stratified sampling method was chosen from third grade of public schools. The total number of respondents was 400, 200 from ECE schools and 200 from non-ECE schools. Data from respondents was gathered using an adopted English language achievement test. An adopted English language achievement test was used to assess the language learning outcomes of third grade students. For analysis of descriptive and inferential statistics, SPSS software was used. The reliability of the test was .817. The study found that, it has numerous positive effects on children's academic performance, Phonological awareness, Syllable awareness, Rhyming, Alphabet knowledge, Oral language, Print awareness, and, most importantly, the development of sentence understanding and applying knowledge to real-life actions. It also examined that there is a significant difference in the language achievement of third-grade students with and without early childhood education. That calls attention to the impact of early support.
Downloads
References
Barnett, W. Steven. “Effectiveness of Early Educational Intervention.” Science 333, no. 6045 (2011): 975–978. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1204534.
Biemiller, Andrew, and Cathy Boote. “An Effective Method for Building Meaning Vocabulary in Primary Grades.” Journal of Educational Psychology 98, no. 1 (2006): 44–62. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.98.1.44.
Cameron, Lynne. Teaching Languages to Young Learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Council of the European Union. “Early Childhood Education and Care: Building Blocks for Lifelong Learning and Development.” European Education Journal 14, no. 1 (2023): 9–29.
Ehri, Linnea C. “Learning to Read Words: Theory, Findings, and Issues.” Scientific Studies of Reading 9, no. 2 (2005): 167–188. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532799xssr0902_4.
Garcia, Emma, Elise Gould Weiss, and Luis Jimenez. “The Effectiveness of Early Childhood Education Programs: A Regional and Contextual Analysis.” Journal of Early Childhood Research 19, no. 3 (2021): 245–262. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X20969705.
Government of Pakistan. Education Sector Reforms 2000–2003. Islamabad: Government of Pakistan, 2003.
Hart, Betty, and Todd R. Risley. Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing, 1995.
Heckman, James J. “Skill Formation and the Economics of Investing in Disadvantaged Children.” Science 312, no. 5782 (2006): 1900–1902. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1128898.
Hunzai, Muhammad. “A Study of Early Childhood Education in Pakistan: Policy and Practice.” Pakistan Journal of Education 24, no. 1 (2007): 44–59.
Kim, Yoon, and Soo Lee. “From Play to Academics: Stages of Learning in Early Childhood Education.” Journal of Childhood Learning 35, no. 2 (2021): 102–118.
Meloy, Brian, Megan Gardner, and Linda Darling-Hammond. Untangling the Evidence on Preschool Effectiveness: Insights for Policymakers. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute, 2021. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/preschool-effectiveness-report.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8. Washington, DC: NAEYC, 2020.
Piaget, Jean. The Psychology of the Child. New York: Basic Books, 1972.
Ryan, Richard M., and Edward L. Deci. “Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions.” Contemporary Educational Psychology 25, no. 1 (2000): 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1020.
Snow, Catherine E. Academic Language and the Challenge of Reading for Learning About Science. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics, 2010.
Sunarti, S., Abdul Halim, Yeni Rahmawati, Mohammad Romadhoni, Farra Indah Wulansari, Nabila Putri Mudi, Nurul Hayathi, and Qonita Tamara Idrus. “Scrutinizing the Effect of Song on Students’ English Achievement and Students’ English Learning Interest.” International Journal of Language Teaching and Education 7, no. 2 (2023): 40–52. https://doi.org/10.22437/ijolte.v7i2.23877.
Tabors, Patton O. One Child, Two Languages: A Guide for Early Childhood Educators of Children Learning English as a Second Language. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing, 1997.
Thompson, Nicole, Chae Lee, Rosa García, and James Woods. “Educator Involvement and Environmental Enrichment in Early Childhood Education.” Journal of Education for Young Children 47, no. 1 (2024): 62–88.
UNESCO. Dakar Framework for Action: Education for All – Meeting Our Collective Commitments. Paris: UNESCO, 2000.
UNESCO. Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action: Towards Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education and Lifelong Learning for All. Paris: UNESCO, 2015.
UNICEF. Early Moments Matter: The Transformative Power of Early Childhood Education. New York: United Nations Children’s Fund, 2022.
Vygotsky, Lev S. Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1978.
Wasik, Barbara A., and Annemarie H. Hindman. “Increasing Young Children’s Talk about Print through Shared Book Reading and Guided Play.” Early Childhood Research Quarterly 550 (2020): 51–61.
The authors and co-authors warrant that the article is their original work, does not infringe any copyright, and has not been published elsewhere. By submitting the article to GPH-International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, the authors agree that the journal has the right to retract or remove the article in case of proven ethical misconduct.

Firozpur Jhirka, Haryana, India