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Kozica, Saida, and Marcus Falk. "Religion Education in the early school years." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för lärande och samhälle (LS), 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-31848.
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Vi tycker det här ämnet är viktigt och passar bra in i vår verksamhetsförlagda tid och i vår utbildning som en framtida lärare. Det är viktigt att vi redan i tidig ålder försöker informera våra elever att vi alla som lever i detta samhälle har fler likheter än olikheter och genom att tala kring detta så kan man få bort begreppen vi och de. Rasism är byggd på fördomar, därför tycker vi det är viktigt att man börjar tala kring religion redan tidigt i åldrarna. Vi anser att genom att vi diskuterar olika religioner i klassrummen så skapar eleverna förståelse till dessa religioner, denna förståelse kan vara väldig väsentlig för dem i deras vuxenliv. I detta arbete försöker vi få fram vad elever anser om religion, vad som intresserar dem. Detta gör vi med hjälp av enkäter, vi har valt två olika skolor som skiljer sig både var de ligger och hur mångkulturell skolorna är. Genom enkäterna så tänkte vi försöka få fram likheter och skillnader mellan de. Vi försöker också få fram hur olika lärare arbetar inom religion och hur de försöker integrera det i undervisningen. För att få fram detta resultat har vi valt att användas av intervjuer, där vi har intervjuat lärare på två olika skolor.
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Miller, Linda Kathleen. "Literacy development in the pre-school years." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.365930.
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Lilley, Patricia Rosemary. "Implementing local education authority policy : four year olds in school." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.302244.
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Gregory, Evelyn Elsie. "The nature and significance of boundary negotiation between teachers and children from "non-school-oriented" backgrounds in early school reading lessons." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1992. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10018655/.
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Children from families which do not share the language, culture or social class of the teacher are often viewed as 'disadvantaged' when they enter school. It comes as no surprise to teachers when these children experience problems in beginning reading in the classroom. The teachers' expectations are backed up by statistics showing that children from 'non-school-oriented' backgrounds are less likely to succeed at all stages in their school careers. Explanations for lack of progress are sought in the children's linguistic, cultural or cognitive deficiency or, most recently, in their inexperience of narrative and literature from home. Within this framework, children from 'non-schooloriented' backgrounds who step quickly and easily into reading in school can be explained only as 'exceptions' whose progress is beyond the teachers' control. In this study, I examine the origins of the teachers' beliefs. Using the example of two children from 'nonschool- oriented' families who make very different progress in early reading lessons as a starting-point, I question the validity of explanations grounded in the deficit of the child and the home. I then propose a new focus of attention; the interaction between teacher and child and their negotiation of the reading task during group and individual lessons. Through ethnographic and ethnomethodological approaches to studying the interaction between a group of children, their families and the teacher during the first eighteen months in school, I argue that a child's early reading progress does not depend upon entering the classroom from a 'school-oriented' home but an ability to engage in a specific pattern of dialogue and turn-taking with the teacher during early reading lessons. Ultimately, it depends upon the child being able to negotiate a joint interpretation of the reading task with the teacher.
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Jones, Caroline A. "Special educational needs : identification and assessment in the early years." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.340549.
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Logan, Muriel L. "Creating educational experiences through the objects children bring to school." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/21152.
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The Scottish Curriculum for Excellence is framed, without visible theory, in language embedding the value of children’s experiences. In association with a policy encouraging practitioners to develop healthy home/school links, early childhood practitioners develop pedagogical practices in support of this curricular language of experience. One aspect coming into focus is children’s experiences in general rather than only those which take place within institutional walls. One way children introduce their out-of-school experiences into classrooms is by voluntarily bringing treasured objects from home to early childhood setting doors. By jointly engaging with John Dewey’s view that worthwhile educational experiences are developed through interactions and continuities, the pedagogic practices of twelve early childhood practitioners and the view that each child-initiated object episode could be viewed as part of a child’s experience this research aims to better understand practitioners’ development of educational experiences through their responses to the objects forty children voluntarily brought to school. In support of this aim three research questions focused on 1) what objects children brought? 2) what practitioners said and did with the objects? and 3) what practice similarities and differences were visible across two consecutive age groups: 3-5 year olds in a nursery (preschool) and 5-7 year olds in a composite Primary 1/2 class (formal schooling)? During an eight month period in 2009 data were collected by classroom observations, collection of photographic images and practitioner interviews in a government-funded, denominational, early childhood setting in a Scottish village school. Data were analysed for the physical and social properties of children’s objects, practitioner’s pedagogic practices when engaging with the brought-in objects and similarities and differences in object-related classroom behaviours as epitomised in the relationships in each classroom. The findings were that practitioners made use of three main pedagogical practices when engaging with children’s brought-in objects: transforming objects into educational resources, shaping in-school object experiences and building a range of relationships around these objects. While the broad patterns of practice used in both classrooms were similar the details of practice showed underlying framings of children and their futures were different in each classroom. It is argued that what Dewey’s views offer, in the context of these findings, is a theoretical framing of experience that opens new possibilities for practitioner’s individual and group reflections on their current practices and collaborative practice development. His is one of the languages of experience available as practitioners and policy makers around the world grapple with educational questions.
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Brinn, Michelle. "Exploring intercultural understanding through home-school communication in an international school." Thesis, University of Bath, 2015. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.665419.
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This inquiry was prompted by a desire to understand ‘partnership working’ (DfE, 2012, p.3) with the diverse parental body of a British International School Pre-Nursery based in Bangkok. It was hypothesised that this necessitated the co-construction of a shared understanding between home and school about a child’s learning. Nonetheless, the manner in which this could be achieved was unclear. Consequently, an explorative case study was instigated to gain a greater understanding of home-school interactions within this context. Influenced by Early Years policy and literature, as well as concepts of dialogue and interculturalism, it was hypothesised that involving parents within the redevelopment of a reporting and assessment tool may support the co-construction of a shared understanding about the child as a learner. Accordingly, a series of parental meetings were organised to elicit parental views. The parental meetings were illuminating and prompted the adaptation of a range of tools and artefacts to scaffold parents into a greater understanding of Pre-Nursery pedagogy and to engage them in a learning dialogue with school. At the completion of the study, evidence indicated that the development of a shared understanding between home and school had been achieved. This suggested that integrating conceptions of scaffolding and co-construction within home-school communication enhanced the potential for partnership working. Nonetheless, the complexities of engaging with the diverse parental body found within international education were also highlighted. In addition, the inquiry highlighted the difficulties of sustaining and extending practice innovations. It was concluded that further research may be necessary to fully understand partnership working within this context and to develop the consistent whole school approach deemed necessary to support its implementation.
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Girdwood, Jill Lynette. "Towards authentic family-school relationships: Engaging families through early years transition-to-school programs." Thesis, Griffith University, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/378154.
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How early years transition-to-school programs have been used to engage families and foster family-school relationships is the focus of this study. Understanding how family-school relationships are created can inform future school engagement practices and ensure that all families are empowered to support their child’s educational outcomes. A review of literature suggests that families in low socio-economic and diverse communities are often perceived by schools as lacking interest or ability to play the role schools expect. Further, the cultural values, beliefs, and economic circumstances of these families are identified as affecting the ways they engage with schools, which may impact on the educational outcomes for children. A paucity of information was evident on how schools go about engaging families from different cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds. Early years programs have been shown to provide support for families as children transition to school, but how all families in a community can be engaged through such programs has not been clarified. An aim of the current study is to provide a rich description of how two Australian schools situated in diverse communities set about engaging all families in authentic relationships. A qualitative approach, using a multiple case study design, was used to examine how schools engaged parents through early years transition-to-school programs. Participants included school personnel and mothers of children who attended the programs – a playgroup and a pre-Prep program at one school, and a pre-Prep program at the other. Volunteer sampling was used to select parents for the study. Data were collected in focus group discussions and interviews, supplemented by researcher observations and publicly available school documents. Social capital theory provided a theoretical frame for the examination of findings and discussion. Findings suggest the cultural and linguistic diversity of the communities was not represented by the families who attended the early years programs. Both schools were seen to hold deficit perceptions in relation to community families and family resources. The purpose of engaging families in the transition-to-school period became one of addressing the inadequacies perceived in parents’ capacity and children’s development in terms of preparedness for school. As school leadership has an important influence on the development of family-school relationships, including more in-depth interviews with school leaders may have provided further insight. This research makes a useful contribution to the area. It provides a rich description of how schools in culturally and linguistically diverse communities go about engaging families in relationships and by framing thinking using social capital theory, shows how a school could shift deficit thinking to acknowledge the skills and resources families possess, and potentially engage all families. The study suggests that working in a collaborative manner with community stakeholders could enhance educational outcomes. Additionally, the adoption of a strengths-based approach is suggested as essential if schools are to develop authentic family-school relationships through early years transition-to-school programs.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School Educ & Professional St
Arts, Education and Law
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Lyndon, Sandra Jacqueline. "Early years practitioners' narratives of poverty in early childhood." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2019. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/81407/.
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This thesis focuses on Early Years Practitioners who are working with young children and families in early years provision in England. Adopting a narrative approach the study sought to explore how their understandings of poverty in early childhood are shaped by dominant discourses of poverty and professional and personal experiences. Poverty as a concept is multi-dimensional and dynamic including both the experience of poverty as well as absolute and relative understandings. Under the New Labour Government, Early Years Practitioners were positioned as part of a long-term strategy to alleviate child poverty. Successive government policies have resulted in cuts to early years funding under austerity measures and an increasing focus on children and families with the greatest need. Early Years Practitioners hold a contradictory position, being part of a strategy to address poverty in early childhood, whilst at the same, time being part of a workforce which is to a large extent highly gendered, low status and low paid. The research was conducted as a case study in two integrated settings consisting of a maintained nursery school, children's centre and daycare provision in the south-east of England during November 2015 to June 2016. Although the settings were in areas of overall relative affluence, they both served areas of deprivation. Therefore, Early Years Practitioners were working with children and families on low incomes. Thirty-eight Early Years Practitioners took part in focus groups to explore how narratives of poverty might be shaped by dominant discourses of poverty and sixteen Early Years Practitioners took part in follow-up interviews to explore how narratives of poverty might be shaped by their personal and professional experiences. The 'subject' of the case was the Early Years Practitioners and the analysis and theorisation of their narratives of poverty the 'object'. Foucault's concept of regimes of truth was used to explore how Early Years Practitioners' understandings of poverty might be shaped by dominant policy discourses. The concept of 'small stories' was used to explore how Early Years Practitioners' narratives of poverty are co-constructed within interaction, and understandings of how they position themselves in relation to 'other' were explored through I-positions. Five participants took part in a final presentation and discussion of the initial findings, providing an opportunity to comment on and contribute to the analysis of the data.
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Fraser, Val. "Literacy begins at home : a case study approach to the examination of the storybook interactions between parents and their pre-school children." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.324720.
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Fabry, Amie L. "Who is leading the early years? An investigation of early childhood pedagogical leadership in school settings." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2023. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2684.
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The early years of primary school in Western Australian is a complex space fraught with confusion and challenge as teachers experience competing demands on their pedagogical practice. In the early years, Kindergarten (starting at 3 1/2 years) through to Year 2 are mandated to use the Principles and Practices of the Early Years Learning Framework and are school audited on a modified form of the National Quality Standard. However, Kindergarten and Pre-primary teachers report concerns about the pushed down curriculum and the impact that pressure for academic achievement and formal learning is having on their pedagogy. Early childhood pedagogical leadership has the capacity to assist teachers to improve pedagogical practices, however there is little evidence of how early childhood pedagogical leadership is enacted in school contexts.
Framed within a social constructivist epistemology, this study utilised mixed methods to investigate the factors that assist and inhibit teachers’ implementation of the pedagogical Principles and Practices of the EYLF in the Kindergarten and Pre-primary year, as well as the enactment of early childhood pedagogical leadership in Western Australian school settings. The perspectives of Kindergarten and Pre-primary teachers, primary school Principals and early childhood pedagogical leaders were garnered through three phases of data collection. During the first phase, responses were collected through an online survey. In the second phase of the study, semi-structured interviews were used to confirm survey findings and elicit further detail about effective early childhood pedagogical leadership. These findings were used to identify three school settings in which the enactment of effective early childhood pedagogical leadership could be observed and investigated as case studies.
Collectively, the findings from the three phases of data revealed that teachers’ implementation of EYLF pedagogy is significantly influenced by the school Principal, the teachers’ knowledge and experience of early childhood policy, research and pedagogy, and the presence or absence of early childhood pedagogical leadership in the school. While ambiguity surrounded the role of early childhood pedagogical leadership, it was also found that EYLF could be implemented through the lens of continuous improvement when a relational culture of connection with and between teachers was cultivated. Furthermore, it was concluded that early childhood pedagogical leadership could be effectively enacted when those tasked with this responsibility held current early childhood knowledge, were allocated time to undertake their role and were supported by the school Principal. These findings elucidate the implementation of evidence-based early childhood pedagogy in school settings rests of the presence of effective early childhood pedagogical leadership, yet teachers and school leaders lack an understanding of how the role should be enacted. The pragmatics of enactment uncovered in this study offer new findings of early childhood pedagogical leadership as praxis which enable teachers and Principals to better understand the role, and which bear implications for policy development to ensure that continuous improvement is embedded and sustained in school contexts.
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Said, Lara. "An examination of the pupil, classroom and school characteristics influencing the progress outcomes of young Maltese pupils for mathematics." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2013. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10018064/.
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The current study examines the pupil, classroom and school level characteristics that influence the attainment and the progress outcomes of young Maltese pupils for mathematics. A sample of 1,628 Maltese pupils were tested at age 5 (Year 1) and at age 6 (Year 2) on the National Foundation for Educational Research Maths 5 and Maths 6 tests. Associated with the matched sample of pupils are 89 Year 2 teachers and 37 primary school head teachers. Various instruments were administered to collate data about the pupil, the classroom and the school level characteristics likely to explain differences in pupil attainment (age 6) and pupil progress. The administered instruments include: the Mathematics Enhancement Classroom Observation Record (MECORS), a parent/guardian questionnaire, a teacher questionnaire, a head teacher questionnaire and a field note sheet. Results from multilevel analyses reveal that the prior attainment of pupils (age 5), pupil ability, learning support, curriculum coverage, teacher beliefs, teacher behaviours and head teacher age are predictors of pupil attainment (age 6) and/or pupil progress. Residual scores from multilevel analyses also reveal that primary schools in Malta are differentially effective. Of the 37 participating schools, eight are effective, 22 are average and seven are ineffective for mathematics. Also, in eight schools, withinschool variations in teaching quality, amongst teachers in Year 2 classrooms, were also elicited. Illustrations of practice in six differentially effective schools compared and contrasted the strategies implemented by Maltese primary school head teachers and Year 2 teachers. A discussion of the main findings as well as recommendations for future studies and the development of local educational policy conclude the current study.
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Woods, Annette. "The contexts and purposes of school literacy pedagogy : 'failing' in the early years /." [St. Lucia, Qld.], 2004. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe.pdf.
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Jönsson, Emelie. "Den tidiga läs- och skrivutvecklingen - The development of literacy during early school years." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Lärarutbildningen (LUT), 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-34764.
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Arbetet med den tidiga läs- och skrivundervisningen hos sex intervjuade lärare skildras i denna studie. Syftet är att redogöra för idag verksamma lärares undervisning av tidig läs- och skrivutveckling samt bringa klarhet i huruvida de använder sig av specifika metoder som stöd i arbetet. Vilka metoder är i sådana fall aktuella och arbetar samtliga lärare på samma sätt? Studien avser även ta del av hur elevers individuella behov bemöts i undervisningen samt hur lärarna i studien arbetar för att möta eleverna på den kunskapsnivå de befinner sig. Empirin grundar sig i semistrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer för att få djup och helhet inom undersökta företeelser. Studiens resultat visar att det inte finns någon specifik uttalad metod de intervjuade lärarna arbetar efter, detta gäller såväl den tidiga läsutvecklingen som den tidiga skrivutvecklingen. Dock kan gemensamma synsätt på undervisningen och inlärning skönjas då samtliga verksamma lärare ser fonologisk medvetenhet och formaliserad bokstavsträning som grundstenar i undervisningen.
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Lumsden, Eunice. "Early Years professional status : a new professional or a missed opportunity." Thesis, University of Northampton, 2012. http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/4494/.
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Prior to 1997, an integrated legislative and policy approach to meeting the educational and care needs of children and young people, in the English context, had been absent. Separatist rather than integrated models of service delivery prevailed. In the early years specifically, research findings have supported the growing recognition internationally about the importance of good quality Early Childhood Education and Care, both economically and for later life achievements. In England, the former Labour Government (1997-2010) began to address the issues through a raft of policy initiatives, including the Childcare Act 2006 which removed the distinction between education and care in the early years. This Act introduced the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Early Years Professional, a new inter-disciplinary professional status and role imposed at graduate level, rather than grown organically. This unprecedented step also took government involvement in the professions to a new dimension as it involved itself explicitly in orchestrating a new graduate level profession. The range of training routes to achieve Early Years Professional Status and the backgrounds of those being researched are complex and evolving. Therefore, the overarching aim of this research was to explore the development of professional identity through a critique of the concept, implementation and impact of Early Years Professional Status as a new professional role and status. Mixed methods were used to support a pragmatic, flexible approach to gathering the collective and individual perceptions of those who undertook the pilot in 2006 and those who commenced one of the four pathways to Early Years Professional Status in 2007. Questionnaires, interviews and a focus group were undertaken to gather insights at the start of the process, after the award of the status and a year later. The same methods were employed in two phases with stakeholders to add a further dimension to the research. The mixed methods research design was underpinned by Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Theory of Human Development, the model being envisaged with the Early Years Professional in the centre, rather than a child. This framework provided positive model for exploring a complex process. The development on Early Years Professional Status has not been linear and there have been several challenges. These include the starting point of a mixed economy of early years provision marked by variation in quality, poor qualification levels, low pay and low status, the initial confusing statement of broad based equivalency to teaching, political change and world recession. These last factors have supported greater understanding of the under theorised Chaotic System that Bronfenbrenner discussed in his final work. The research findings suggest that the development has been overwhelmingly welcomed, despite the lack of a clearly defined professional remit or being afforded the privileges ascribed to other professions. A new flexible professional space in the early years sector and children’s services is emerging at the intersection of health, social care and education. It is occupied by those who are developing a new holistic professional identity and others, who already had an established professional identity as a teacher, for whom completing Early Years Professional Status has been additional training, moving them towards being experts in their field. The training process and standards were affirmed and a community of practice is emerging, who would like to see a Continual Professional Development framework, a code of practice and an induction year for newly qualified Early Years Professionals. The roles of the Early Years Professional and the Early Years Teacher emerged as being complementary but essentially different. Evidenced also suggests that the Early Years Professional is a reflective professional, an advocate for all children and is leading and supporting quality outcomes. They are becoming a catalyst for change. However, the government has failed to recognise let alone celebrate the positive developments resulting from the workforce reform agenda and parents/carers and other professionals lack knowledge about the role, though those with Early Years Professional Status have not recognised their own role as wider change agents. The title Early Years Professional has not been widely welcomed, it is not being actively used and when it is, the acronym EYP prevails. Given this situation it could be opportune to rename the Early Years Professionals as Early Years Pedagogues, to reflect and celebrate a new flexible professional space at the intersection of health, education and social care that is occupied by an holistic leadership professional and an advocate for young children.
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Warin, Joanna. "The role of gender in the development of the young child's sense of self within the social context of early school experiences." Thesis, Lancaster University, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.266671.
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Bourke, Lorna. "Working memory and writing skills in children during the early years of primary school." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.402880.
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Brooke, Adrian M. "The natural history of pre-school respiratory symptoms and their value in predicting asthma in the early school years." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/29607.
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To test whether wheeze and cough in pre-school children would predict the presence of asthma later in childhood, a population whose symptoms had been ascertained during the first five years of life were re-sampled when 4-7 years old to measure current symptoms, lung function, atopy, bronchial responsiveness, airway lability and night cough. Of the pre-school groups, 37.9% of wheezers continued to wheeze. Although 36.8% of the coughers continued to cough, only 7.2% had started wheezing, a similar proportion to that seen in the asymptomatic group (6.7%). Wheezers showed the greater BR (geometric mean 1.9 mg/ml) and the highest atopic prevalence (AP) (43.6%) when compared with the asymptomatic (BR: 3.39mg/ml; AP 23.8%) and cough groups (BR; 2.62mg/ml; AP 26.7%) (p=0.0001 and p=0.006 respectively). Children whose wheeze persisted demonstrated the highest level of bronchial responsiveness, the poorest lung function and a high prevalence of atopy compared to normals. A subgroup analysis of the cohort originally aged 3 years showed that compared to those who had outgrown their wheeze, persistent symptoms appeared more likely if children were premature, wheezed without having colds (Odds ratio (OR)=7.25, p=0.001), had mothers who smoked (OR=6.18, p=0.003), had frequent wheezing episodes (OR=19.50, p=0.001), or had nocturnal worsening of wheeze (OR=4.14, p=0.015). Night cough was associated with colder bedrooms in wheezy children (17.7oC Vs 21.56oC, p=0.0159). The study showed that fewer than half of pre-school wheezy children continued to wheeze in the early school years but those with persisting wheeze displayed many clinical characteristics consistent with a diagnosis of asthma. Reassuringly few with pre-school cough progressed to develop asthma characterised by wheeze. Patterns of wheeze and other factors easily identified in pre-school children may help to determine the risk of continuing symptoms. The sleeping environment merits further study.
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Huth, Kerrin. "Exploring the Use of Story as a Pedagogically Beneficial Support for Teaching Christian Studies in the Early Years of Primary School." Thesis, Griffith University, 2022. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/419066.
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Learners in the first years of schooling have unique needs because of their age and educators plan activities to best meet their needs. One prominent feature of the classroom in the first years of school is the use of story. Stories are a key part of our lives and provide rich experiences for children which allow them to build literacy skills, understand their own experiences and learn about language. They invite questions, promote discussion, and can allow the opportunity to delve deeper as students place themselves in the context of the story and the life of the characters. Considering the vital role stories play in engaging learners as they make sense of the world around them, it is important to link the use of story with effective pedagogical practices, for the purpose of ongoing professional development. Literature on the broad fields of early childhood, Religious Education and story, reveal a depth of research and theory in each field. Although significant areas of overlap were found, the literature search highlighted a gap in the research which connected all three areas.
This research was informed by the issue of exploring the connection between a theory of best pedagogical practice in early childhood Religious Education (known as Christian Studies in Lutheran Education Australia), and classroom practice. This thesis outlines an exploration of the use of story as a pedagogically beneficial support for teaching Christian Studies in the early years of primary school. The aims of the research were to explore both teacher perceptions of the use of story in Christian Studies and reported teacher usage trends associated with the use of story within a school system’s Christian Studies curriculum.
The research was informed by an interpretive paradigm and explored the use of story through a phenomenological investigation. Sociocultural theory provided a lens through which to view the research, recognising the sociocultural environment of a classroom. A case study method was employed to explore teacher perceptions and usage trends of Preparatory to Year 3 teachers in Lutheran Schools in Queensland, Australia. Surveys, interviews and classroom observations provided insight into teachers’ experiences. Initially, the quantitative data indicated patterns and trends while the qualitative data revealed pictures of the use of story in practice. Together the data offered a more holistic view of participants’ realities.
The research revealed four key findings:
1. Stories are an effective, age-appropriate pedagogical support for teaching Christian Studies in the early years of primary school
2. A variety of stories and storytelling strategies or methods used frequently, provides greater opportunities for learners to engage
3. Support helps teachers to select, resource and train in using stories to teach Christian Studies effectively
4. Teachers perceive interaction with a story within the sociocultural context is important
The findings of this exploration inform the theory of teaching Christian Studies through an investigation into authentic pedagogy that has an explicit focus on classroom practice. It advises theory generally and provides practical real-world information for building whole-school capacity to improve early years’ curricula outcomes for both general and religious schools. It provides a point for teacher reflection on current practice, drawing on theory of early childhood and religious education and their potential impact in Christian Studies.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School Educ & Professional St
Arts, Education and Law
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Norris, Kelly. "Raising Teacher Sensitivity to Key Numeracy Competencies in the Early Years." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2014. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1473.
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Mathematical competence is a key capability for success in adult life, and yet many students do not achieve functional levels of numeracy during their school lives. Furthermore, many teachers report that they lack the confidence in teaching mathematics that they have for teaching literacy. Research indicates that it is possible to predict which students are likely to have difficulties in mathematics as early as the Pre-Primary year, and interventions can be provided which are effective in minimising such difficulties. The assumption framing this project is that raising teachers’ understanding of and thus sensitivity to markers of the skills most predictive of mathematical success in the early years will result in teachers planning more targeted and responsive learning programs and positively influence classroom practice.
A professional learning intervention focussed on raising professional knowledge about the sequence of number development and the predictors of mathematical difficulties was provided to teachers of five to eight-year-old students. Tools were provided which focussed on linear tracks (board games) as an external model of number magnitude. The study utilised a pre-test post-test design and surveys, teacher interviews, reflective discussions and student estimation tests to examine effects on four outcomes: teacher self-efficacy beliefs, confidence for teaching number and aspects of Pedagogical Content Knowledge; and, student estimation skills.
The data revealed that the intervention was successful in improving teacher self-efficacy beliefs and confidence, particularly with regard to planning and providing intervention for students with mathematical difficulties. Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge was improved, particularly with regard to understanding the sequence of number skills development and building mental representations of number, but the extent to which this was reflected in changes to classroom practice differed markedly between teachers. The teachers who made the greatest changes taught in the Pre-Primary year and were those who reported the most substantial changes in Pedagogical Content Knowledge. The study indicates that board game use could be beneficial in raising the accuracy of student number line estimation when combined with such changes in teacher PCK and associated practice.
Although the research supporting the use of board games to develop mental number line representations is compelling, teachers who did not experience a shift in thinking tended to use these as additional tools to complement existing programs, with little noticeable effect. The implications of these findings are discussed with regard to planning professional learning interventions for teachers which are narrow in focus, supported by a small number of specific classroom tools which can be used within existing whole-class or rotational structures, and targeted towards inducing particular changes in thinking.
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Owens, Paula. "Fields of meaning : an enquiry into the development of environmental values in the early school years." Thesis, University of Kent, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.422734.
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Moody, Jolie. "An exploration of what contributes to sustaining adult-child interactions in an Early Years Forest School." Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/3925.
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The early years of a child's life are crucial for their development; within the UK there has been an increase in the care and educational provision provided for children under the age of five. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) was introduced in 2008 to provide a framework for consistent, high quality learning environments for children up to the age of five years. Chapter one, provides a meta-ethnographic review of literature exploring what research suggests supports children's language and communication in the outdoor environment within the EYFS. Relationships, environmental influences and child-led exploration were highlighted as supporting children's language and communication within this environment. Adults appeared to be a pivotal aspect in each of these areas. In the studies analysed the main form of data collection was through observations of the children and practitioners in the outdoor environment with some informal conversations with staff. There appeared to be a lack of in depth understanding of what the staff themselves thought supported their interactions with children in the outdoor environment. Chapter two (The Bridging Document) aims to link the meta-ethnography and the empirical research project, it explains my personal interest and motivation for carrying out this research. It considers my conceptual framework and the influence this has had on the way in which the empirical research was carried out. Chapter three, (Empirical Research report), used a collaborative action research approach with early years staff during three of their Forest School sessions. The research explored the following question: Using a collaborative inquiry, what does staff dialogue reveal in relation to what might contribute to developing sustained shared thinking in a Forest School? Within the analysis the following themes were constructed: the role of the adult, conducive environment, active learners and positive relationships. The research findings were placed within the context of existing research into sustained shared thinking, alongside theories of learning, interaction and environmental affordances. Implications for Educational Psychologist's and future research are discussed.
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Lewis, Karen. "Teachers' perceptions of using interactive whiteboards in early years classrooms." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2017. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/118066/1/Karen_Lewis_Thesis.pdf.
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This action research study investigated teacher perceptions of incorporating interactive whiteboards (IWBs) to enhance technology, teaching and learning instruction in Early Years (Prep to Year 3) classrooms. It looked at how teachers used and incorporated IWBs in lessons, prepared and selected media and digital resources, and worked collaboratively to support teaching practices. Participants were recruited from a small group of Early Years (Prep to Year 3) teachers who worked at the same school and currently have an IWB in their classroom.
This research identified teacher perceptions of pedagogy and practice affecting IWB use in the classroom and what issues faced the teachers with their IWB use, in order to determine the support teachers required to collaboratively prepare media and digital resources to encourage and enhance active IWB involvement across learning areas and develop teaching practices. The research involved teachers collaboratively and individually reflecting on their learning journey.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) emphasised the importance of integrating information and communication technology (ICT) across all curriculum areas. As ICT is now an integral part of teaching, this research investigated if and how the use of a particular technology that is, the IWB, influenced pedagogy and what issues teachers needed to overcome. Studies in Australia into the use of IWBs by teachers have been limited although some recent research focused on the importance of IWB in-service teacher training. The majority of studies on the use of IWBs in classrooms have focused on addressing student academic achievements and engagement.
To address the limited research on teacher use of IWBs, this qualitative study was based on a participatory action research approach in a naturalistic setting. Participatory action research involves changing or improving a social situation in communities that emphasised participation and action. This study actively examined the teachers use of IWBs based on reflection, data collection, and action to improve education through involving people collaboratively to improve their own teaching skills. The iterative action research modelled cycles of plan, acts, observes, reflect and then plan again for the next cycle.
The results from this study focussed on two main areas. The first involved how the teachers understanding of the affordances of the IWB in Early Years (Prep to Year 3) classrooms affected their practice. The second explored the support and educational opportunities needed for teachers to make meaningful use of the IWB in Early Years classrooms.
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Lundqvist, Johanna. "Educational pathways and transitions in the early school years : Special educational needs, support provisions and inclusive education." Doctoral thesis, Stockholms universitet, Specialpedagogiska institutionen, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-126011.
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The overall aim of this research is to describe and analyse the educational pathways from preschool to school of a group of children with and without special educational needs. The aim is also to describe and analyse children’s views and experiences of early years education, and how these can be obtained. The research comprises six studies that are presented in four articles and two conference papers. Longitudinal and multiple-case study designs, and mixed method approaches are adopted in the empirical studies, and the data is collected via observations, a questionnaire, documents, conversations and interviews with staff, children’s drawings and interviews with children. The results from the empirical studies show a variation of pathways to compulsory education; changes in activities and relationships in the transitions; a variation in preschool quality; a broad conceptualising of special educational needs; an application of comprehensive or specialised typologies in the educational settings; an undecided and cautious attitude toward inclusive education; an allocation of generous resources to specialised and segregated programmes; and a diversity of support provisions. The children report more positive than negative experiences of their early school years and pinpoint the importance of having a sense of belonging among peers; opportunities for creative play and thinking; experiences of speed, excitement and physical challenges; elements of cosiness, withdrawals and comfort for recreation; experiences of growth in knowledge and understanding of the world; feeling safe; feeling free and autonomous; and preventing homesickness in order to thrive. The results of the literature review are that the researchers may obtain data from children with and without special educational needs by means of traditional and innovative data collection methods. For broadening participation and sharing of views, the researchers may offer relational and material support. The thesis has relevance for researchers in the field of special education, inclusive education and early childhood education and care. It has also relevance for teacher training, policy makers and stakeholders, school heads, teachers and families.At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 6: Submitted.
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Harden, Annette. "Caterpillars and Catalysts: A longitudinal Case Study of Writing Development in an Early Years Classroom Privileging Dramatic Pedagogies." Thesis, Griffith University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365344.
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This thesis explores the impact on children’s development in a preparatory school classroom, when dramatic pedagogies were privileged in the teaching of writing. Using a qualitative case study approach, which included a selection of five illustrative cases, children’s progress from role-play to phonetic users of the alphabet was examined. Data included the artefacts produced by the children, reading records, a journal of the year, and the transcripts of videos made of teaching sessions. A self-study of the researcher as an emerging drama teacher was included in the multi-case study, alongside the literacy stories of Edward, Lucy, James and Martin, all of whom were four years old at the beginning of the school year. The pedagogy included guided drama and puppetry events in which new aspects of literacy understanding and skill were progressively inserted. These events were followed by dramatic play periods where the sets, props, costumes and literate tools were freely available for the children’s use. Children were explicitly taught alphabetic skills with a synthetic, phonetic approach, and were encouraged to employ these skills for authentic and meaningful purposes within the drama events and in subsequent dramatic play.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Education and Professional Studies
Arts, Education and Law
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Pierce, Katherine. "An evaluation of the effectiveness of Play Bank : a peer-mediated approach to develop the interactive play of pre-school children." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2014. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/an-evaluation-of-the-effectiveness-of-play-bank--a-peermediated-approach-to-develop-the-interactive-play-of-preschool-children(90e35086-512a-4c5d-af02-a5ab283855b5).html.
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Interactive play in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides crucial opportunities for young children to develop a range of skills which are important for social development. Play Bank provides structured opportunities based on ‘Resilient Peer Treatment’ (Fantuzzo et al. 1996; 2005) for children to engage in peer-mediated play sessions, and has been found to increase the play interaction of shy and withdrawn preschool children in an initial small-scale study by the current author. This research seeks to extend the evidence base for Play Bank in UK schools by examining perceptions of change in young children’s peer interaction and social competence, as well as school staff’s views of the facilitators and barriers to carrying out the intervention. One primary school was identified within the researcher’s current Local Authority and five target children were identified on the basis of teacher observations and EYFS profile scores. The views of 18 peers, two teaching staff and five parents were sought. A multiple embedded case study design was employed, using mixed methods of data collection at three time intervals. The quantitative methods comprised teacher and parent measures of children’s play-based social competence, whole class sociometric nominations and structured observations of children’s free play. Qualitative data were gathered in a semi structured group interview with the two teaching staff. Quantitative data were summarised using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were transcribed and a thematic analysis applied. The findings indicated that children who participated in Play Bank sessions displayed increased peer interaction and play-based social competence over the course of time. The study extends understanding regarding implementation issues for Play Bank and provides further evidence for the effects of Play Bank on young children’s peer interaction and social competence.
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Achek, Jennie. "Geometri : Hur lärare undervisar i geometri i de tidigare skolåren." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för datavetenskap, fysik och matematik, DFM, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-17606.
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Ett flertal både internationella och nationella undersökningar visar att svenska skolelever blir allt sämre på matematik. Ett delområde som ofta utpekas är geometri. Denna undersökning syftar till att ta reda på hur ämnet geometri har utvecklats i den svenska skolan samt vilka metoder och begrepp lärare använder sig av när de undervisar i geometri i de tidigare skolåren. Empirin har hämtats från åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer och från studier av gamla läroplaner. Resultatet visar att lärare använder en mängd begrepp och metoder i sin undervisning men att det finns ett behov av fortbildning hos lärarna. Undersökningen visar också att ämnets betydelse i skolans styrdokument har varierat över tid.A number of both international and national enquires shows that Swedish pupils are getting worse results in mathematics. One area that’s frequently pointed out is geometry. This enquiry intends to find out how the subject of geometry has developed in the Swedish school and witch methods and concepts teachers who teach in preschool and the early school years grade use in their teaching. This enquiry is based upon eight semi structured interviews and from studying previous curriculums. The result shows that teachers use a great deal of concepts and methods in their teaching but that there are a need for further education among teachers. The enquiry also shows that the significance of the subject has changed over time.
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Fox, Jillian Louise. "Young children and digital-numeracy in the prior-to-school year." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2010.
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In the Digital Age, the development of mathematical proficiency is a key issue for children and their education (Steen, 1997). The process of becoming numerate begins in the early years. Considering the widespread demand for a numerate citizenry in a digital age, it is essential that young children develop the foundations of digital-numeracy. The term "digital-numeracy" is used to describe the numeracy practices and behaviours which are mediated by digital technologies such as microwaves, mobile phones, computers, console games ( e.g., Playstations®), television and DVD players and MP3 players ( e.g., iPods®). The expansive growth of digital technologies has precipitated the demand for specific skills in order to participate fully in 21 st Century digital life. A reality of the digital age is the impact that digital-numeracy has on the lives of young children and the opportunities that digital devices provide for development of mathematics. Likewise, while it has been established that the roles teachers and parents play in children's prior-toschool experiences are significant, there is limited understanding of the role they play in young children's numeracy and technology experiences.
According to Vygotskian theory (1978) teachers and parents are More Knowledgeable Others play significant roles in the lives of young children providing the learning experiences and tools that influence children's learning. The key components of Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory of learning, social interactions (MKOs) and use of cultural tools (i.e., digital devices) are important for understanding young children's digital-numeracy experiences. Thus, the central aim of the study was to investigate the influence teachers and parents have on young children's digital-numeracy experiences in the prior-to-school year.
The perspectives of MKOs were investigated though an exploratory, single case study design. Data were gathered from parents and teachers of preparatory children. All parents who responded to the research invitation were mothers. Parent data was collected through questionnaires and focus groups. Teacher data was collected through interviews, email correspondence and photographic evidence. The data was reviewed according to five analytical strategies: content analysis, pattern matching, identification of emergent themes, comparative analysis, hypothesis-generation and identification of anomalous cases.
There were four significant findings. First, this investigation established foundational evidence that young children use digital devices and experience a range of digital-numeracy opportunities in prior-to-school settings. Second, findings indicated that teachers might not demonstrate the depth of content and pedagogical knowledge that is expected and parents might express a depth of knowledge not expected. Third, it was discovered that teachers were techno-optimists who included digital devices in young children's preparatory experiences. Finally it was found that parents were technopessimists who strongly opposed the inclusion of digital devices in the home. Thus, this research challenges the assumptions of who can be considered More Knowledgeable Others in supporting children to become digitally numerate.
This thesis has also identified four pertinent avenues for future research. Teachers' lack of content and pedagogical mathematics knowledge is an important component of effective preparatory classrooms and should be investigated. Additionally, there is a need to explore mothers' unexpected knowledge and their highly emotive negative attitudes to digital devices. There is also a need to investigate fathers' perspectives to digitalnumeracy because they were not represented in the participating parent group. Finally, there is a need to establish how socio-economic factors impact young children's access to digital devices because this research was undertaken within a high socio-economic setting.
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Martins-Mourao, Antonio. "Children's understanding of number in the primary school years : a unifying view from early counting knowledge of place value." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2000. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10020347/.
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Previous research has tended to focus on the development of separate number components (e.g. counting, addition, written numbers) and so, cannot comment on how development in one component affect development in others. The purpose of this thesis was to provide preliminary evidence towards a unifying view about the development of children's number competence, from early counting skills, at age four, to knowledge of place value, at age seven. To accomplish that aim 152 children from three different cohorts (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) were given thirteen maths tasks, three times along one school year, assessing their understanding of four separate number components: counting and knowledge of the number-word sequence; generation of verbal number-words and the understanding of the structure of the numeration system; understanding of the arithmetical operations; and the ability to read and write numbers and understanding of the principles underlying place value. Beyond the assessment of these various number components, special emphasis was given to the separate role of each component and the developmental inter-relations amongst components in the child's development of progressively more complex ideas about number. Based on the children's performance on these tasks and the exploration of their relationships along time, it was possible to outline a preliminary proposal about children's number development. The evidence suggests that each number component plays a significant role at key times. For example, no children could develop the counting-on strategy or succeed in the arithmetical operation tasks without prior knowledge of continuation of counting. The data also showed that no development is possible without the inter-related development of several components, at other times. For example, no child could understand the structure of the decade numeration system without previous combined understanding of continuation of counting, addition and multiplication. Between 93% and 97% of the children fitted the model proposed in the various assessments. Although limited by the constraints of a correlational design, these findings suggest that the present inter-relational approach is relevant and worth further investigation through the introduction of intervention studies and the rigorous examination of causality.
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Malmgren, Charlotte. ""We shall copy, copy and write" - conceptions of the mother tongue subject in the early years of primary school in a Peruvian public school." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Lärarutbildningen (LUT), 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-32926.
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Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilka ämneskonceptioner som dominerar modersmålsundervisningen i grundskolans tidigare år i Peru, samt jämföra dessa med svenska förhållanden och forskning. Vidare syftar studien till att analysera varför dessa ämneskonceptioner dominerar, samt vilka slutsatser som kan dras med hänsyn till dessa ämneskonceptioners resultat. Metoden är kvalitativa intervjuer med tre lärare på en kommunal skola i Cajamarca, Peru, samt klassrumsobservationer vid tre tillfällen hos vardera lärare. Två intervjuer genomfördes med vardera lärare, en före observationerna och en efter att observationerna var avslutade. Undersökningens resultat visar att undervisningen på skolan huvudsakligen domineras av formaliserad undervisning med fokus på färdigheter och har även likheter med den bild av svenskundervisningen som presenteras i forskning på området. Resultatet är dock inte entydigt. Lärarna i studien visar, i olika stor utsträckning, tendenser och ambitioner att utveckla en mer varierad modersmålsundervisning, men har svårigheter att iscensätta en sådan i praktiken. Studien visar att det är av vikt att lärare får möjlighet att diskutera och reflektera över form och innehåll, samt över sin egen undervisning, för att på så sätt utmanas och i förlängningen förbättra sin undervisning. Undervisning karakteriserad av fokus på färdigheter riskerar att ge elever en begränsad syn på vad läsning och skrivning innebär.
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Bertagno, Paula. "Promoting children's emotional well-being in pre-school settings : a grounded theory study exploring the views of early years practitioners." Thesis, University of Essex, 2016. http://repository.essex.ac.uk/18664/.
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Working to promote the emotional well-being of children is currently a key area of development for the UK government. The increasing responsibility that professionals have for supporting children and young people’s mental health needs has been reflected in recent policy and legislation with particular prominence in the new Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice (DfE & DoH, 2014). In the context of early years education, the new legislation makes specific reference to the importance of early identification and provision in improving long-term outcomes. In that respect pre-school settings can offer the ideal context where the early intervention and prevention of mental health difficulties can take place. However, at present there is limited research in the UK which focuses on the views of early years practitioners particularly on their role in supporting children’s emotional needs. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather the views of seven early years practitioners from 4 different pre-school settings across an inner London Borough. The study aimed to explore and explain the contexts and mechanisms which facilitate or hinder the promotion of children’s emotional well-being in pre-school settings. A grounded theory methodology was used to analyse the data. The emergent theory proposes that early years practitioners’ experience of promoting children’s emotional well-being can be best understood as an interactive relationship between internal and external influences summarized by the overarching category labelled “Balancing internal and external factors to promote well-being”. The findings are discussed in relation to existing psychological theory and research and the implications for early years practitioners and Educational Psychologists considered.
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Watson, Barbara. "Facilitating independent learning early in the first year of school." Thesis, University of Auckland, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/2292/2438.
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This is a study of a) the nature and incidence of independent learning defined as "knowing how to generate and direct the processes of learning...*(see p.3) in new entrant classroom settings and, b) the nature of the teacher-child interactions associated with such independent learning. Systematic observation was used at school entry and three months later, to identify aspects of independent learning and the associated teacher behaviours. Six categories of child directed acts identified the range of behaviours from which independent learning could be inferred. Each category of teacher behaviour that appeared to facilitate independent learning in children was developed as a "mirror image" of each category of child directed acts. The teacher and four children in two new entrant classes were observed over the whole day for five days during two observation periods, one at the beginning of Term three and the other after 12 weeks. Each class was involved in normal classroom activities that covered the whole curriculum. The children were engaging in a considerable amount of independent learning on entry to school and three months later. Many facilitative teaching acts occurred in the interactive style that was demonstrated in all aspects of the curriculum. The teachers spent a considerable portion of teaching time assisting children in one-to-one teaching situations and in small groups, encouraging their responses and fostering and supporting independence in their learning. There was some difference observed between teachers in the attention given to different categories and in the facilitative behaviour occurring in one-to-one interactions and small group teaching interactions. A way of teaching emerges that differs from a teaching agenda determined by didactic, traditional instruction. The two teachers were deemed to be using the children's agenda to foster and support them in independent learning in the various curriculum areas. Some of the practical and philosophical features of the New Zealand education system that may contribute to this particular style of teaching are discussed. The theories of learning and teaching deriving from this study place a value on independent learning (as here defined) in new entrant children and on the teacher’s role in providing opportunities for it to develop. Independent learning a) ensures the continuation of learning at times when the teacher is directly engaged with other children, and b) derives from a teacher expectation that children will be able to actively process ideas and make some decisions about their learning. It engenders a power in children that sustains the momentum of learning.
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Doyle, Katherine Mary. "Mapping the language of science and science teaching practices : a case study of early childhood school science." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2011. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/45941/1/Katherine_Doyle_Thesis.pdf.
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Concerns raised in educational reports about school science in terms of students. outcomes and attitudes, as well as science teaching practices prompted investigation into science learning and teaching practices at the foundational level of school science. Without science content and process knowledge, understanding issues of modern society and active participation in decision-making is difficult. This study contended that a focus on the development of the language of science could enable learners to engage more effectively in learning science and enhance their interest and attitudes towards science. Furthermore, it argued that explicit teaching practices where science language is modelled and scaffolded would facilitate the learning of science by young children at the beginning of their formal schooling. This study aimed to investigate science language development at the foundational level of school science learning in the preparatory-school with students aged five and six years. It focussed on the language of science and science teaching practices in early childhood. In particular, the study focussed on the capacity for young students to engage with and understand science language. Previous research suggests that students have difficulty with the language of science most likely because of the complexities and ambiguities of science language. Furthermore, literature indicates that tensions transpire between traditional science teaching practices and accepted early childhood teaching practices. This contention prompted investigation into means and models of pedagogy for learning foundational science language, knowledge and processes in early childhood. This study was positioned within qualitative assumptions of research and reported via descriptive case study. It was located in a preparatory-school classroom with the class teacher, teacher-aide, and nineteen students aged four and five years who participated with the researcher in the study. Basil Bernstein.s pedagogical theory coupled with Halliday.s Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) framed an examination of science pedagogical practices for early childhood science learning. Students. science learning outcomes were gauged by focussing a Hallydayan lens on their oral and reflective language during 12 science-focussed episodes of teaching. Data were collected throughout the 12 episodes. Data included video and audio-taped science activities, student artefacts, journal and anecdotal records, semi-structured interviews and photographs. Data were analysed according to Bernstein.s visible and invisible pedagogies and performance and competence models. Additionally, Halliday.s SFL provided the resource to examine teacher and student language to determine teacher/student interpersonal relationships as well as specialised science and everyday language used in teacher and student science talk. Their analysis established the socio-linguistic characteristics that promoted science competencies in young children. An analysis of the data identified those teaching practices that facilitate young children.s acquisition of science meanings. Positive indications for modelling science language and science text types to young children have emerged. Teaching within the studied setting diverged from perceived notions of common early childhood practices and the benefits of dynamic shifting pedagogies were validated. Significantly, young students demonstrated use of particular specialised components of school-science language in terms of science language features and vocabulary. As well, their use of language demonstrated the students. knowledge of science concepts, processes and text types. The young students made sense of science phenomena through their incorporation of a variety of science language and text-types in explanations during both teacher-directed and independent situations. The study informs early childhood science practices as well as practices for foundational school science teaching and learning. It has exposed implications for science education policy, curriculum and practices. It supports other findings in relation to the capabilities of young students. The study contributes to Systemic Functional Linguistic theory through the development of a specific resource to determine the technicality of teacher language used in teaching young students. Furthermore, the study contributes to methodology practices relating to Bernsteinian theoretical perspectives and has demonstrated new ways of depicting and reporting teaching practices. It provides an analytical tool which couples Bernsteinian and Hallidayan theoretical perspectives. Ultimately, it defines directions for further research in terms of foundation science language learning, ongoing learning of the language of science and learning science, science teaching and learning practices, specifically in foundational school science, and relationships between home and school science language experiences.
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Miniscalco, Carmela. "Language problems at 2 1/2 years of age and their relationship with early school-age language impairment and neuropsychiatric disorders /." Göteborg : Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology/Speech and Language Pathology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2077/851.
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Jarvis, Pamela Ann. "The role of rough and tumble play in childrens social and gender role development in the early years of primary school." Thesis, Leeds Beckett University, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.410328.
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Al-Thani, Tamader Jassim. "Early Years Education in Qatar : a comparative study of its nature, provision and quality in national and international pre-school settings." Thesis, Durham University, 2008. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1926/.
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This study investigated and compared the quality and nature of Arabic and English speaking preschools' curricula in the State of Qatar. To the researcher's knowledge, this is the first study to investigate, compare and assess the preschool curricula currently provided in the State of Qatar. Four major research tools were used including structured teacher's questionnaire, structured teachers' interviews, structured classroom observations and structured mother's questionnaire. The teachers' questionnaire sample consisted of 107 teachers, 81 Arabic school teachers and 26 English school teachers. The classroom observations sample consisted of 17 preschools, 9 Arabic speaking schools and 8 English speaking schools. Teachers' interviews sample consisted of 18 Arabic speaking preschool teachers and 16 English speaking preschool teachers. The mother's questionnaire sample consisted of 50 mothers randomly selected from 17 Arabic speaking schools. Study findings included the following: (1) the English preschools had many advantages over the Arabic preschools in terms of all the seven domains ofthe teacher's questionnaire.(2) the Arabic speaking preschools are of lower quality in terms of all domains of the teacher's interview. These include: teachers' qualifications, experience, duties, wages, teacher-child ratio, type of curriculum, teaching approaches, appropriateness of the curriculum. (3) In terms of classroom observations, the overall mean EeERS score for the English speaking preschool sample was 6.00 compared to 4.8 for the Arabic speaking classrooms sample. (4) Qatari mothers of Arabic preschools children preferred the developmental goals rather than traditional goals to be part of their young children's education but within the Islamic religious and moral values. The findings lead to the conclusion that the Arabic speaking preschool curriculum in Qatar suffered from obvious drawbacks in all the domains studied which required serious consideration from the Ministry of Education and other institutions and organisations interested in early childhood education.
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George, Rosalyn Patricia. "Best friends and worst enemies : an exploration of pre-adolescent girls' friendship within the primary and early years of secondary school." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2004. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10020448/.
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Neto, Carina Tatiana Cabo Salgadinho. "Prática de ensino supervisionada em educação pré-escolar e 1º ciclo do ensino básico: a aprendizagem da matemática nos primeiros anos." Master's thesis, Universidade de Évora, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10174/16016.
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O atual relatório reflete o percurso de aprendizagem feito ao longo da Prática de Ensino Supervisionada em Educação Pré-Escolar e no 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico.
Nele é patenteada uma reflexão relativamente à prática de ação educativa desenvolvida no Pré-Escolar numa Instituição Privada de Solidariedade Social e no 1.º Ciclo numa Escola Pública, tendo por base o modo como foi feita a integração das quatros dimensões patentes no Perfil de Desempenho Profissional do Educador de Infância e do Professor do 1.º Ciclo.
O relatório é composto por três partes centrais, constando a primeira numa fundamentação teórica sobre a aprendizagem da Matemática nos primeiros anos, mais concretamente nos contextos de Pré-Escolar e de 1.º Ciclo, com base em referências teóricas e através de atividades desenvolvidas nos contextos, que servirão de referência à reflexão que será feita ao longo de todo o relatório; ABSTRACT: The current report reflects the learning path taken along the Teaching Practice in Pre-school and Primary School.
Here there is patented a reflection regarding the practice of Educational activity developed in Pre-School, in a Private Institution of Social Solidarity and in Primary School in a Public School based on how it was done the integration of four dimensions patents in the Profile of the Professional Performance of Pre-School and Primary School teachers.
This report consists of three main parts, the first one consists of a theoretically substantiated Mathematics learning in the early years, more specifically in the contexts of Pre-School and Primary School based on theoretical references and activities developed in the contexts that serve as reference the reflection that will be made throughout the whole report.
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Walsh, Glenda. "The play versus formal debate : a study of early years provision in Northern Ireland and Denmark." Thesis, Queen's University Belfast, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.325969.
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Dahlbäck, Ann-Charlotte. "Förväntningar formar framtiden : Om meningsskapande vid övergångar i skolans tidigare år." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för estetiska ämnen i lärarutbildningen, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-175312.
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The aim of the study is to visualize and discuss how students perceive and make meaning in their transition from pre-school class to primary school. A special goal is to identify factors that facilitates and/or hinders students’ successful transition. In spring 2017, nine five-year-old children expressed their thoughts before starting in preschool class. The thoughts were documented in interviews and drawings that the students made. By going back to the students who were interviewed then and with their images as artifacts, this study wants to analyze how the students retrospectively describe their experiences of the transition and make the students' expectations and concerns visible to future transitions. In analyses, the study wants to understand what the important aspects to take into account at school transitions are. The study has a social constructionist framework. The children's experiences of transitions is constructed together with the researcher in the process of research (Alvesson & Sköldberg, 2017). A socio-cultural perspective is used and presumes that transitions are constructed in a social community. During transitions the students revise and re-identify their identities. The pupils´ experiences in the transition process becomes important aspects in the students' identity construction and meaning making (Newman & Paasi, 1998).The pupils were able to give their thoughts on things they saw as frightening but which turned out to be simple and other things that were really difficult. It is hoped that, based on the students' experiences, tools are found to use in the work with successful transitions.
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Habermann, Stefanie. "Pre-school predictors of early arithmetic skills : a two year longitudinal study." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2018. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10041305/.
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The purpose of this thesis was to examine longitudinal predictors of children’s early arithmetic abilities with a particular focus on the relation to the approximate number system (ANS), language and numeracy skills as well as background measures of cognitive abilities. This longitudinal study assessed children five times over a 25-month period beginning in nursery classes and continuing to the end of Year One (the first complete year of formal schooling). The thesis investigated the concurrent and longitudinal predictive importance of ANS, numeracy, language and cognitive abilities in children’s arithmetic development using structural equation modelling. Path models found different concurrent predictors of arithmetic at each time point and only transcoding, the ability to translate between the verbal number code and the Arabic numeral, was a consistently recurring predictor. Furthermore, children’s nonverbal intelligence and their understanding of language specific to mathematics related significantly to early arithmetic (pre-school) whereas children’s magnitude comparison skills were significantly associated with arithmetic scores in Year One. The longitudinal analysis showed that transcoding was the only unique predictor of arithmetic and neither ANS nor language and cognitive skills were significant independent contributors to the prediction of children’s arithmetic abilities 25 months later.
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Mallett, Margaret. "Non-fiction in the primary school years : a study of some factors associated with success in helping children to read non-literary texts and to reflect on ideas and information which they encounter." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1994. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10021534/.
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In this dissertation I argue the case for placing children's reading of non-fiction in the context of the whole language and learning programme. The emphasis is on supporting reflective reading rather than only on the acquisition of study skills. An action inquiry, involving a whole class of 9 year olds using non-fiction in the context of project work, is described and evaluated by the writer as teacher-researcher. The study is in three parts. Part 1 begins with a short analysis of the present state of affairs, then proceeds to an examination of different theoretical approaches to learning and particularly the role of language in learning. Out of this analysis four principles are suggested as a framework for learning and this general model underpins the planning of the practical example in Part 3. The study moves into Part 2 by offering a taxonomy of children's non-fiction texts. It is argued that while many children's books are 'transitional' and cannot easily be assigned to a particular kind of adult non-fiction, it is possible and helpful to recognise some broad categories. Part 3 examines evidence from surveys and classroom studies illuminating the major question - what is reading comprehension? Some problems involved in reading nonfiction are considered. The main study describes and evaluates a classroom example, the planning and carrying out of which aims to embody some of the pointers to good practice indicated in the whole work. While it is not possible to generalize from one example it is argued, following Bassey (1981), that the description and evaluation are 'relatable', that other practitioners will be able to relate to the challenges and partial solutions achieved. Finally, drawing on all parts of the study, a framework for reflective reading of non-fiction is set out in seven principles.
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Perez, Francisca. "Engelska förkunskaper över tid -Elevers förändring i engelska förkunskaper över tid." Thesis, Örebro universitet, Institutionen för humaniora, utbildnings- och samhällsvetenskap, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-67738.
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The English language is becoming more common in our society. Research shows that students learn English in their spare time as well as in the classroom. The purpose of the study is to investigate teachers’ experiences of students’ previous knowledge in English, if it has changed over time in speech and vocabulary and what sources the teachers perceive that the students meet in their spare time. I considered it appropriate to use qualitative data collection in the form of semi structured interviews with experienced teachers. The result shows that the teachers in my study can see a change in previous knowledge over time and that the sources are often connected to the internet. I found that both the previous research and the results of my data in this study agree that extramural English is rewarding for students’ English knowledge. There has been a big change in an increased level of previous knowledge in English. An important conclusion is that this increase of previous knowledge contributes to greater variation of knowledge among students, which puts higher demands on teachers to individualize the teaching.
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Oliveira, Helena Dória Lucas de. "Entre mesadas, cofres e práticas matemáticas escolares : a constituição de pedagogias financeiras para a infância." reponame:Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da UFRGS, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10183/21369.
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A presente investigação inscreve-se nos campos dos Estudos de Gênero e dos Estudos Culturais que se aproximam dos referenciais pós-estruturalistas, apoiados na teorização de Michel Foucault. Examino que pedagogias financeiras para a infância se constituem na articulação dos discursos da Educação Matemática com os discursos do senso comum, produzindo modos de lidar com dinheiro que educam crianças urbanas inseridas em processos de escolarização contemporâneos. Analiso práticas culturais implicadas no uso do dinheiro, relatadas em diários e entrevistas de crianças que cursavam a quarta série e apresentadas como enredos de problemas escolares de duas coleções de livros didáticos de Matemática para os anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental. Descrevo uma discursividade sobre modos de gerenciar o dinheiro que circulam em várias instâncias culturais, especificamente nos conhecimentos matemáticos escolares. Buscando convergências, reiterações e rupturas entre os discursos veiculados nos materiais empíricos produzidos, e ainda problematizando os efeitos de uma educação financeira ativada por experts, argumento que a naturalização da posse de recursos financeiros e a invisibilidade da imprescindível necessidade dos mesmos na ação de comprar são elementos do campo discursivo analisado que, ao se articularem com a incitação ao consumo, produzem uma pedagogia financeira que apaga as diferenças e as desigualdades sociais existentes. Ainda questiono os atravessamentos de gênero que estão contidos nessas pedagogias que diferenciam meninos de meninas em seus modos de conseguir, gastar e guardar dinheiro, além de reforçar noções conflitantes de feminilidades e masculinidades.This research appears within the fields of Gender Studies and Cultural Studies approaching post-structuralist references, supported by the theory of Michel Foucault. I examine which financial pedagogies for childhood are made on the articulation of Mathematics Education discourses with the common-sense discourse, producing ways to deal with money that educate urban children allocated in contemporary schooling processes. I analyze cultural practices involved in the use of money, reported in diaries and interviews of children who attended the fourth grade and presented as plots for school problems of two collections of Mathematics books for the early years of elementary school. I describe a discursivity about ways of managing money that travels in diverse cultural instances, specifically in the mathematical knowledge from school. Seeking similarities, repetitions and breaks between discourses conveyed through empirical materials produced, and even questioning the effects of financial education activated by experts, I argue that the naturalization of financial resources possession and the invisibility of their essential needs in the action of buying are elements of the discursive field analyzed, that, by relating with the encouragement to consume, produces a financial pedagogy that erases differences and social inequalities. I still question the gender crossings that are contained in these pedagogies that differentiate boys from girls in their ways of getting, spending and saving money, and enhance conflicting notions of femininity and masculinity.
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Lima, Izabel Maciel Monteiro. "Educational experiences in the context of the transition from early childhood education for elementary education in a public school in Fortaleza in the perspective of the various segments of the school community." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2013. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=11256.
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nÃo hÃA presente pesquisa teve como objetivo geral analisar como se concretizam as estratÃgias de articulaÃÃo curricular utilizadas numa escola pÃblica municipal de Fortaleza no Ãltimo ano da EducaÃÃo Infantil (EI) que visam à continuidade da formaÃÃo da crianÃa na sua transiÃÃo para o primeiro ano do Ensino Fundamental (EF), considerando as perspectivas dos diversos segmentos da comunidade escolar sobre esse processo. No Brasil, os momentos de transiÃÃo escolar ganham destaque a partir das mudanÃas na organizaÃÃo da EducaÃÃo BÃsica, tais como a ampliaÃÃo do EF de oito para nove anos de duraÃÃo e a extensÃo da escolaridade obrigatÃria de nove para quatorze anos. A transiÃÃo da crianÃa entre a EI e o EF à um passo delicado de seu percurso escolar, que pode ter consequÃncias negativas para o desenvolvimento e a aprendizagem dos indivÃduos (LERNER, 1996, apud FORMOSINHO e ARAÃJO, 2004). Portanto, a transiÃÃo à um processo que requer o planejamento de aÃÃes que articulem os modelos curriculares e o repensar acerca da prÃtica pedagÃgica do professor junto Ãs crianÃas (ZABALZA, 2007). Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa de cunho etnogrÃfico, desenvolvida por meio do estudo de caso (BOGDAN E BIKLEN, 1994) de uma turma do Ãltimo ano da EducaÃÃo Infantil. Para a obtenÃÃo dos dados, foram realizadas observaÃÃes a fim de conhecer o currÃculo em curso nesse momento de transiÃÃo e entrevistas com os trÃs segmentos de sujeitos (profissionais da escola, famÃlias e crianÃas), com o intuito de apreender as suas perspectivas sobre o fenÃmeno. Os dados da investigaÃÃo foram analisados à luz da Psicologia de Desenvolvimento (WALLON, 1971; 2007) e das perspectivas de Formosinho (1998; 2001; 2008) e Zabalza (1998; 2007). Os resultados evidenciam que as vivÃncias educacionais das crianÃas na escola Vida de CrianÃa focam principalmente a aprendizagem da leitura e da escrita, para qual se destina a maior parte do tempo na escola. Em consequÃncia dessa prioridade, as brincadeiras, as interaÃÃes, a participaÃÃo das crianÃas e as atividades que envolvem outras Ãreas do conhecimento, como ciÃncias naturais e arte, adquirem pouca relevÃncia no contexto escolar. Assim, a anÃlise empreendida sobre as prÃticas pedagÃgicas aponta para o objetivo preparatÃrio da EI, tendo em vista a prevenÃÃo do fracasso escolar no EF mediante a antecipaÃÃo de prÃticas de escrita, numa perspectiva restrita do prÃprio processo de alfabetizaÃÃo das crianÃas.
The present research intended to analyze how the strategies of curricular articulation used in a Fortaleza's municipal public school, in the last year of Early Childhood Education, which aim to give continuity to the development of a child in his transition to the first year of Basic Education, get materialized, considering the perspectives of the several segments of school community about this process. In Brazil, the moments of school transition stand out from the changes in the organization of Early Childhood Education, such as the extension of Basic School period, from eight to nine years, and the increasing in the required period of scholarity, from nine to fourteen years. The child's transition from Early Childhood Education to Basic Education is a delicate step in his school path, and may result in negative consequences to the individuals' development and learning (LERNER, 1996 apud FORMOSINHO, ARAÃJO, 2004). Therefore, this transition is a process that requires the planning of actions that can articulate the curricular models, as well as a reassessment about the teacher's pedagogic practice in relation to children (ZABALZA, 2007). This is a qualitative ethnographic research developed by the study of the case (BOGDAN, BIKLEN, 1994) of a class belonging to the last year of Early Childhood Education. For construction of the data, observations were made in order to get to know the current curriculum in this moment of transition, and interviews were conducted with the three segments of subjects (school staff, families and children) in order to assimilate their perspectives about the phenomenon. The research's data were analyzed in light of Developmental Psychology (WALLON, 1971, 2007) and the prospects of Formosinho (1998, 2008) and Zabalza (1998, 2007). The results show that the educational experiences of children in the Vida de CrianÃa School mainly focus on reading and writing activities, for which most of the time is destined. As a result of this priority, the jokes, the interactions, the participation of children and the activities involving other areas of knowledge, such as natural sciences and art, acquire little relevance in the school context. Thus, the analysis made of the pedagogical practices leads to the objective of adequately preparing Early Childhood Education, in order to prevent school failure in Basic Education by the anticipation of writing practice, taking into consideration that it is a restricted view of the process itself of children's literacy.
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Westberg, Johannes. "Förskolepedagogikens framväxt : Pedagogisk förändring och dess förutsättningar, ca 1835-1945." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala universitet, Historiska institutionen, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-8639.
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This dissertation contributes to the study of educational change and the conditions thereof. During the second half of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries, Swedish early care and education (ECE) programs underwent a comprehensive transformation as formal instruction was supplanted by early childhood education. My analysis of this transformation utilizes a comparatively long time-frame, an organizational historical perspective, and archival material from 44 ECE societies. It focuses on three types of ECE programs: infant schools, day nurseries, and kindergartens. Since philanthropic societies organized such programs, this study’s results are also of interest to the history of philanthropy. Early childhood education was established through a selection and adaptation process in which existing ECE programs were closed or changed as new ones were established. My investigation demonstrates that this occurred on the basis of the conditions in which individual ECE programs operated. Factors that stand out in this regard are the debate concerning infant schools, the funding of ECE programs, and the expansion of the mandatory elementary education system, together with changes in the dissemination of ideas about education and the establishment of municipal regulations. How these conditions contributed to educational change constitutes the substance of the dissertation. The results of this dissertation deepen our knowledge of the finances of ECE programs, their organizational niche, and their relations with municipal authorities. This study questions the significance for educational change within these programs that has been attributed to the growth of a romantic conception of childhood. It provides a new picture of the role of the kindergarten movement in this regard and ascribes to day nurseries a previously unobserved role in educational change. This dissertation thereby contributes to a revision of recurrent assumptions concerning educational change and of the connection between such change and general societal or ideological structures.
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Breakell, John. "The teaching of mathematics in schools in England and Wales during the early years of the Schools Council 1964 to 1975." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2002. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10019044/.
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This thesis examines the teaching of mathematics for pupils up to 16 years of age in schools in England and Wales during the early years of the Schools Council, 1964 to 1975. The thesis is divided into seven chapters. The first is introductory and includes a review of conceptual points and of major primary and secondary sources. The second chapter examines issues in the control of the school curriculum in the first 60 years of the twentieth century and describes the establishment of the Schools Council and its predecessor the Curriculum Study Group. Chapter three presents the results of an analysis of 176 mathematics text and reference books in use in schools in the early 1960s. The following three chapters provide detailed information about three major projects of the time: the Schools Mathematics Project which generated modem mathematics curriculum content directed initially at pupils in selective secondary schools, the Mathematics for the Majority Project, which concentrated on provision for pupils of average or below average ability, aged 13 to 16 years and the Nuffield Foundation Primary Mathematics Project, which focused on promoting changes in the methodology of teaching the subject. The major conclusions are that the survey of the books indicates that teachers favoured both traditional content and delivery. However, a number of primary schools were experimenting with new methodologies of teaching, persuaded by the influential recommendations of the Nuffield Project, whilst some secondary schools were introducing new content, nourished by the output of the popular Schools Mathematics Project. The School Mathematics and Nuffield Projects were important and successful contributors to radical changes in curriculum content and delivery, both immediately and in the long term. Enhanced content, first introduced by the former, forms part of secondary school curricula today, whilst the latter continues to influence current classroom practice.
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Santos, Adriana Dantas Wanderley dos. "A educação dos surdos na cidade de Salvador: reflexões sobre suas particularidades lingüísticas e os serviços oferecidos nos primeiros anos escolares." reponame:Repositório Institucional da UFBA, 2011. http://www.repositorio.ufba.br/ri/handle/ri/11872.
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Tendo identificado a pouca freqüência dos alunos surdos usuários da língua de sinais nas escolas regulares municipais da cidade de Salvador, o presente trabalho objetivou refletir sobre os fatores que têm influenciado a permanência ou ausência dos alunos surdos com esse perfil comunicativo nas referidas escolas. Para tanto, percorreu três caminhos metodológicos: identificou as instituições educacionais públicas e privadas sem fins lucrativos de atendimento às crianças surdas no período da educação infantil ao ensino fundamental I existentes na cidade de Salvador; entrevistou os profissionais da educação e familiares responsáveis pelos alunos surdos incluídos em tais instituições e analisou as informações construídas durante as entrevistas à luz de duas categorias de análise (aspectos pedagógicos da educação do surdo e opinião dos sujeitos sobre a política inclusiva). As visitas e entrevistas realizadas permitiram conhecer a realidade das instituições que oferecem atendimento educacional ao surdo. Tais espaços vivenciam situações diferentes, tanto com relação ao perfil dos alunos surdos atendidos, quanto com relação à dinâmica dos serviços oferecidos. Apesar do pouco número de alunos surdos usuários da língua de sinais encontrados nas escolas regulares, foi observada a presença de outro perfil de aluno. O principal perfil comunicativo dos alunos surdos incluídos nas escolas regulares refere-se a aquele grupo de sujeitos que conseguem se utilizar da fala para se comunicar. Em contrapartida, encontramos uma volumosa quantidade de crianças surdas usuárias da língua de sinais nas escolas de surdos. Questionados sobre esse fato, ao expressarem suas opiniões, os sujeitos da pesquisa apontaram o despreparo das escolas regulares como o principal fator determinante dessa realidade. Refletindo sobre as informações construídas durante a pesquisa, foram levantados possíveis fatores influenciadores da permanência ou ausência dos alunos surdos usuários da língua de sinais nas escolas regulares municipais. A crença da família de que o ambiente da escola de surdos impossibilitará o aprendizado da língua oral pelo surdo; o desejo da família de ver os surdos estudando com os ouvintes e a proximidade das escolas regulares das residências dos alunos surdos, foram fatores identificados como influenciadores da permanência desses alunos nas escolas regulares. Contudo, a ausência de uma língua comum entre o aluno surdo, o professor e seus colegas; o desconhecimento da escola sobre as particularidades educacionais do surdo e a recusa de algumas escolas regulares de matricularem esses alunos, têm sido os principais fatores determinantes da ausência dos alunos surdos usuários da língua de sinais nas escolas regulares. Nesse sentido, concluímos que a atual política educacional inclusiva, no âmbito da educação do surdo, precisa passar por profundas mudanças. A pouca frequência dos alunos surdos usuários da língua de sinais nas escolas regulares não se deve, apenas, ao despreparo das escolas, mas, principalmente, à inexistência de uma Política Inclusiva voltada à educação dessa população.
Salvador
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Powell, Rebecca L. "A study to investigate early childhood programs in relation to how well they prepare children for five year old kindergarten." Menomonie, WI : University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2004. http://www.uwstout.edu/lib/thesis/2004/2004powellr.pdf.
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Lake, Gillian. "Let's talk! : an intervention supporting children's vocabulary and narrative development through sustained planned play and group shared storybook reading in the early years." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2015. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:7bb60ed2-e7b3-4906-bcf4-d5bf3789c66b.
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An intervention, which targeted three- and four-year-old children's oral language, was developed for this study. The intervention was run over twice-weekly sessions, for ten weeks. Incorporating good Early Years practice, the first session in the week was a group shared storybook reading session with a puppet, where dialogic discussion took place and the children practised sequencing the story using visual prompts. The second weekly session consisted of planning, acting out and reviewing a planned pretend play episode based on the storybook which was read in that week's first session. Ninety-four children were randomly assigned to a control or treatment group and were tested at pre- and post-test on a battery of vocabulary and narrative assessments. The results of a Randomised Control Trial were positive in favour of the intervention. The most important of these results was a statistically significant effect on the receptive vocabulary of the children in the treatment group, with a large effect size, as measured by the standardised British Picture Vocabulary Scales (Dunn et al., 1997). There was also a significant effect on productive vocabulary, as measured by a Researcher-Designed Vocabulary Test (RDVT). This test was devised for the purpose of this study, testing one-word vocabulary, taken directly from the storybooks in the intervention. As this is not a norm-referenced, standardised test, caution is advisable in the interpretation of this result. A further positive effect concerned the narrative skills of the children in the treatment group, when compared to the children in a control group - the Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) score was higher in the treatment group, with a medium effect size. By examining the intervention by Randomised Control Trial, this study responds to the call from Lillard et al (2013) for more experimental research on pretend play and narrative. The acknowledgement of the role of the adult in the intervention coupled with the positive effect on the children's MLU and receptive vocabulary mean that the intervention, with further development, has the potential to be used as a Professional Development tool for supporting language development in the Early Years in the UK, in the future.