The significance of preschool education on the cognitive performance of young children :a case study of grade one primary school students in a rural area in Northern Sumatera , Indonesia

Abstract

Islam stresses the importance of education since the beginning based on the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH (Peace Be upon Him). In addition, many scholars in psychology consider that preschool education contribute to the cognitive development of children during the preoperational period. The aim of this study is to find out the relationship between preschool education and children’s cognitive capacity for listening, responding, in language, mathematics and science in Indonesia. The present study involves 40 children and 10 teachers selected through purposive sampling. The qualitative method was conducted to determine the difference between children who attended preschool and those who did not. A cognitive assessment to measure children’s cognitive performance, questionnaire and interview were used to answer the research questions. The finding of this study corroborated the differences in cognitive performance between two groups of children in Northern Sumatera. It was found the preschool education is important to children before entering formal learning in primary school.