Kindergartens’ Short Attention Span in School: A Case Study

Abstract

Attention-span is the interval of concentration on a single activity or idea. The lower
the age of the child, the shorter his/her attention span is. Studies on kindergartenlevel attention span are sparse. This qualitative study aimed to find out factors
affecting short attention span among kindergarten pupils in school. Using a case
study design, two observed pupils identified with short attention span, one teacher
from each of the two selected private schools with at least three years of experience,
and two mothers were purposively sampled and interviewed. The researchers
observed kindergartens’ classroom behavior, recorded the data, documented
necessary information for data analysis, and interviewed the participants. Data were
transcribed and analyzed through the Seidel’s Qualitative Data Analysis Model
(1998). Findings showed the factors affecting the attention span of kindergarten
pupils are: lack of interest to the activity, poor health, and over exposure to
electronic gadgets. These factors make the pupils’ attention span shorter than the
average which eventually results to the difficulty in maintaining the child’s
attention to a given task and minimal class participation that leads to compromised
learning. Enjoyable activities like singing and dancing and utilization of
reinforcements and motivations help both teachers and parents to address the
aforementioned challenges. Future researchers can give full attention on how to
improve the child’s attention span and investigate more if having short attention
span is normal to young children in this generation.