Investigating children’s perspectives of literacy opportunities as they transition from a prior-to-school setting to their first year of formal schooling

Transition to school is a key life event for young children (Turunen, 2014). The research literature on children’s transitions to school emphasises the importance of a smooth transition for positive social and educational outcomes, not only in school but also in later life (Dockett & Perry, 2007; Dunlop & Fabian, 2007). The research on transition to school has previously focused on discussions between educators and parents across settings, and on the concept of school readiness. However, it has now broadened to include a range of stakeholders (Dockett & Perry, 2006) and recent research on the transition to school highlights the importance of including children’s perspectives (Murray, 2014). There is a significant gap in the research literature in reporting children’s perspectives on the literacy events they engage with at the time of transition from prior-to-school educational settings to formal schooling.