Investigating the Determinants of School Readiness in Indonesian Preschool Children: Does Home Activity Play a Role?

Research Findings: This study investigates the determinants of school readiness in preschool children, focusing on the role of home literacy and numeracy activities. Data were collected from 180 parents and 23 teachers in Indonesian suburban areas. We used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Models (PLS-SEM) to examine how these activities contribute to school readiness while controlling for socioeconomic status, child age, and children's participation in Reading Writing Arithmetic (RWA) courses. The results show that only home numeracy activities significantly predict school readiness with an effect size of f2 = 0.046, highlighting its importance as one of the key factors influencing school readiness. Practice or Policy: Policymakers and educators should prioritize promoting home numeracy activities as a strategic approach to enhancing school readiness. Providing parents with resources, training, and guidance to effectively implement numeracy activities at home can significantly benefit children's early development. Further research is needed to identify other contributing factors to school readiness, enabling the design of more comprehensive and targeted educational interventions.