Contexts for the fulfillment of literacy goals in Mexican early childhood education

Abstract

Formal education is the answer to the need of an orderly and efficient teaching practice. In Mexico, the Secretariat of Public Education is the institution mandated to organize the teaching practice at every level. The preschool curriculum has been defined by this institution with a formative perspective, which does not expect the children to graduate with autonomous and conventional reading competencies at this level. Even so, private preschools in the country commonly ask their teachers to achieve fluid writing and reading skills on their students. This research compares the factors implied in the achievement of literacy goals in public and private schools contexts. This research is supported by two data gathering instruments, applied between February and June 2018: one survey for preschool teachers and one interview with preschool principals; these instruments provide with an answer to the following questions: What is the Mexican preschool teachers’ perception of achievement on their students’ initial literacy? What are the conditions and requirements set by private and public preschools on their teaching practice?

Keywords

• alfabetización
• educación de la primera infancia
• objetivo de enseñanza