Childrens initial sentiments about kindergarten: Is school liking an antecedent of early classroom participation and achievement?

As children enter kindergarten, the degree to which they like school may be an important determinant of their classroom participation, which in turn may impact their achievement. To explore this premise, data were gathered on school liking, classroom participation, and achievement with a sample of 200 children (M age = 5.58) as they entered and completed kindergarten. Greater support was found for the premise that school liking fosters classroom participation and achievement than for the contention that early participation and achievement increases school liking or identification. Also supported was the premise that children's early academic progress stems from affective processes (e.g., liking school) that are distinct from many other entry factors (e.g., family backgrounds, formative experiences, child's readiness, etc.).