The thesis in theoretical layer deals with issues of pedagogical secondary schools, particularly in methodological approaches to preschool education. The author will focuses on this topic from the perspective of high-school of pedagogy teachers. She will elaborate on psychological characteristics of a preschool age child in the context of integration and polyaesthetization. She will characterise processes by which personal values are formed. She will deal with dynamics of contemporary changes of both society and family and with perception of education in kindergartens in the field of personality concept of education. The research will introduce opinions on contemporary needs of pedagogical practice and its reflection on professional pedagogical, scientific and academic grounds that will be ascertained through the means of interviews with teachers having a long-time experience with teaching at pedagogical high schools in the Czech Republic and by survey among secondary pedagogical school's students.

The aim of this dissertation is to discover what kinds of books are the preschool children read by both their parents and their preschool teachers. The theoretical part defines the preliteracy of the readers and the preschool age, and describes the children's contact with books both at home and at kindergartens. Defines a book in the terms of a medium being in contrast to other communication means. The practical part is based on a mixed design of the research: the quantitative part uses the method of a questionnaire, and the qualitative part draws on the in-depth interviews, the respondents being the parents and preschool education teachers. At first, the questionnaires are compared. The decisive factors in parents and preschool educators selection of the books are characterized afterwards. The children are most frequently read storybooks and bedtime stories. Preschool teachers read out fables, parents do not. Furthermore, parents read out adventure literature. Thus, the parents and the school complement each other. Both at home and at school, children come into contact with prose as well as fiction. Adults prefer to read out older books, published mostly by Albatros Publishing, or they lend books in a library. At the same time, they carefully choose new titles of various publishing companies, for...

This thesis is devoted to the teaching profession with a focus on nursery school teaching. The theoretical part contains information about teaching as a profession, focusing directly on the prestige of nursery school teachers and describes the contemporary aspects of prestige. Finally, it is described in detail the development of the profession preschool teacher, as a source of ongoing professionalisation of teaching. The main objective of the research is to compare how the prestige of pre-primary teachers evaluated by teachers from other educational levels and preschool educators themselves. Furthermore, to determine how different the results of the investigation work of the author and poll by the Centre for Public Opinion Research (Centrum pro výzkum veřejného mínění - CVVM) at the Institute of Sociology of the prestige of the profession of 2013 and 2016. Design survey is mixed. The method is a questionnaire, structured interviews and document analysis. The results show the relative agreement with research by CVVM. Respondents rated significantly differently just 4 professions and teaching professions rated slightly higher than in the original survey. Comparison of the teaching profession, as evaluated by teachers, showed that each group of teachers (according to school grades) evaluated their...

My dissertation comes out of claim that the exploitation of library for children in kindergarten isn't systematically processed. But, it is apparent, acording international research (PIRLS, PISA), that the existence of library for children has positive influence to the development of reading literacy. The objective of my dissertation was the charting of the role of libraries for children in kindergarten. The dissertation were finding out how the library for children are used in kindergartens. What we need to build up to the functional library was the next topic of my dissertation. Both main topics were examinated in qualitative research. I used the design of case studying. I closely charted three cases of kindergarten where the library for children is used. It is needed to add relevant literature, interactive books and attractive books (inside and ouside). This way brings perfect and full using of library. Apart of this, it is the same with the appearence of the library. It is essential to captivate with attractive and nice appearence by children and adults too. KEYWORDS Children's library in the kindergarten, preschool children, preprimary education, work with books, books for children, readers, development, reading literacy, methods, case study.

The impetus for this study came from the findings of an evaluation of a Maths and Science through Arts and Culture (MStAC) Curriculum Intervention undertaken with Grade R teachers registered for a BEd(in-service) qualification at Rhodes University, South Africa. The intervention aimed to enrich Grade R teachers’ teaching of mathematics. Post-intervention classroom observations showed that, in spite of the intervention, teachers’ classroom practices did not change, and they were not using visual arts to teach mathematical concepts. This, together with the lack of research in the field of mathematics in early childhood, particularly in South Africa, motivated this research, a case study, which investigates how visual arts can be used to teach space and shape conceptualization in Grade R. I designed a research intervention underpinned by a constructivist model of teacher professional development located in reflective practice (Borko & Putman, 1995; Zeichner & Liston, 1996; Wilmot, 2005). Guided by Stacey’s (2009) notion of an emergent curriculum, I designed a three phase research intervention which involved selected Grade R teachers undertaking classroom-based research. Phase I built awareness around the notion of creativity; Phase II focused on making meaning of children’s behaviour and interests; and Phase III applied the knowledge and ideas from the Phases I and II to the teaching of space and shape. As an interpretive research study, it closely examines the participating teachers’ perceptions, experiences and reflections which were articulated in reflective reports and assignments. Following action research processes, the participant teachers engaged in the process of an emergent curriculum. They observed the behaviour interests of Grade R children, interpreted and made meaning of the evident behaviours, made decisions regarding extension activities, and planned accordingly. The findings of the study illuminate a model of teacher professional development that can support and enhance teachers’ practice. Understanding the notion of creativity and the ability to create a classroom conducive to creativity, are necessary components for teaching space and shape through visual arts activities. An emergent curriculum approach is proposed as an appropriate pedagogy for teaching children about space and shape through visual arts activities.

Parental involvement is legally mandated requirement in schools across the United States, and prevalent in special education legislation. However, methods for increasing and promoting parent involvement of minority subgroups in low socioeconomic areas are scarce. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and describe Haitian parents’ perceptions of their involvement in a structured parent intervention program and to describe the perceptions of their children’s teachers concerning the parents’ involvement in the program. In this study, the researcher used a descriptive qualitative case study methodology. All participants in the 5-month program implementation were interviewed at three points throughout the program. (pre, mid, and post). Findings of the present study revealed that these parents’ feelings towards parent involvement evolved throughout their participation in the program. Participants went from reported feelings of separation between home and school, to understanding the important role they can play in education. Additionally, as reported by the students’ teachers, the parents’ increased involvement and presence in the school/classroom had a positive impact on their children’s social and academic development. Through their participation in the program, as evidenced through interview responses, parents’ confidence increased as well as their ability to overcome initially identified barriers to involvement including English language acquisition, lack of time, an unclear understanding of special education services, and feeling un-wanted. This study found that parents’ perceptions of their participation were guided by two categories of motivators as identified through coding of interview responses: intrinsic motivators and extrinsic motivators. Through the program, parents who were intrinsically motivated to be involved in their child’s education embraced the whole program. Those who were extrinsically motivated also became more involved, however, their motivation was more dependent on society and perceived success of their child and their parenting. Perceptions of parent participants concerning their involvement in the program was found to be defined by the American culture in which their children are growing up, but equally in part by their Haitian roots and remaining ties to the island. Through their participation in the program, the parents were able to identify and explore opportunities for involvement, develop relationships with their children’s teachers, better understand the purpose of an IEP, and better themselves as individuals to in turn better the lives of their children.

The impact of high quality early learning experiences on a child's development is profound. Teacher quality has been deemed an important predictor of classroom quality, but currently teachers in Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) in the state of Florida are required to meet minimal training requirements. The purpose of this study was to examine an intervention including in-class coaching as a means of professional development to better prepare preschool teachers. The present study included and examination of the changes in environmental quality, child outcomes, and teacher perceptions after the intervention. Scores obtained were compared before and after the intervention. A two-tailed t-test revealed that the post-test was significantly higher than the pre-test. In particular, two sub-scales were statistically significant, including Space and Furnishings and Activities. The other sub-scales, including a measure of teacher-child interactions and language-reasoning were not significantly changed. An ANOVA indicated no significant differences in kindergarten school readiness scores between centers that received coaching for varying amounts of time. Teachers were interviewed to discover their perception of in-class coaching. After examining in-class coaching from the varying angles, conclusions were drawn: In-class coaching may significantly affect the quality of classrooms, as related to environmental aspects of quality but may not be improving child outcomes. In-class coaching may increase teachers’ validation, inspiration and may contribute to the teachers’ understanding of developmental appropriateness. Conclusions suggest that teachers with a native language other than English may receive additional benefits from an in-class coaching and that effective coaches must have many skills in order to create change in the classrooms in which they work. The final conclusion was that despite its merits, coaching may not be a long-term solution to classroom and teacher quality in the context of low educational requirements, minimal pay, high turnover, and low job satisfaction. Recommendations for future practice and research are suggested.

The purpose of this study was to examine how teachers describe instructional coaching. Instructional coaching has become a leading form of professional development in educational settings, yet there is a lack of empirical evidence that explains and clarifies it. One aspect of instructional coaching that is not known is how teachers perceive it. In order to gain understanding about instructional coaching, the perspectives of the teachers could provide valuable insight to benefit those involved in the practice. Instructional coaching and the schools where coaching takes place are complex in nature. Through the use of one-on-one interviews, an in-depth look at teachers’ perspectives provided insight into some of these complexities. Fifteen teachers in six child care centers participated in this study. Two qualitative strategies—inductive analysis (Hatch, 2002) and educational criticism (Eisner, 1998)—were used to analyze interview data from which three themes were formed: (a) instructional coaching is a means of building instructional capacity, (b) instructional coaching requires a supportive environment, and (c) instructional coaching increases children’s learning opportunities. The themes are perspectives from which to view and understand instructional coaching in preschool classrooms. One conclusion in this study was that all three themes were substantially supported by extant literature and empirical research. The implication for policy and practice is that instructional coaching is contingent upon change and change is difficult due to resistance by teachers and systemic issues. Five recommendations are highlighted in this study: (a) instructional coaches should demonstrate a high level of proficiency in educational knowledge and practice, (b) coaches should be involved in on-going professional development that includes communication training, (c) teacher supervisors should be involved in instructional coaching as instructional leaders, (d) instructional coaching should be intentional, and (e) instructional coaching should have child learning as its primary focus. Further research is needed to better understand the perspective of teachers in the field of early childhood education; the perspectives of instructional coaches in the field of early childhood education; and how to effectively involve teacher supervisors in the coaching process to develop teacher leaders and support them to assume the duties and responsibilities of highly effective instructional leaders who influence deep, sustained learning facilitated by problem-solving- and creativity-focused instruction

This quasi-experimental Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) study explored whether the vocabulary and reading comprehension mean scores of Hispanic Kindergarten ELs whose teachers were trained to utilize Dialogic Reading (DR) discourse were higher than the mean scores of Hispanic ELs in kindergarten whose teachers were not trained to utilize DR discourse strategies. Sixty-three self-identified Hispanic, English Language Kindergarten students and four teachers participated in the study. The teachers were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (DR trained) or control group by drawing names from a hat. Student assignment to experimental versus comparison group was based on the teacher’s assignment to either the experimental or comparison group. Thirty-one were assigned to the control group and 32 to the experimental group. The teachers were instructed to read the story to a group of six students (maximum) at a time, utilizing the DR discourse strategies they had been trained to implement. Subjects were read a story each week during the 8-week duration of the study. Teachers in the experimental group collaboratively selected 10 words each week from the Read Together Talk Together (RTTT) instructional stories that were utilized for vocabulary instruction. A test of homogeneity was conducted to evaluate whether the variance among the dependent variables was the same across the groups. An Analyses of Covariance (ANCOVA) was applied to analyze students’ vocabulary and comprehension mean scores in the experimental group and the comparison group. The results of the study demonstrated a significant increase in the vocabulary and reading comprehension mean scores for the students whose teachers had been trained in DR discourse strategies. When comparing the two groups, the results revealed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study was conducted to explore how DR discourse may be an effective technique to teach literacy skills. The findings of this study showed that vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension of Hispanic ELs were positively affected by the teachers’ inclusion of dialogue during storybook reading. Its outcomes accentuated the need for teachers to provide assistance to ELs as they develop vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension skills.

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2017-07-12T17:54:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Telma Cezar Martins.pdf: 4412550 bytes, checksum: 268807a698397f79d160f8a1ba7baf49 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-12T17:54:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Telma Cezar Martins.pdf: 4412550 bytes, checksum: 268807a698397f79d160f8a1ba7baf49 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-05-09 / This PhD dissertation analyses the influence of the whitening process on pedagogical practices in the context of early childhood education, especially in the environment of kindergartens. It aims to support both the understanding and the raise of awareness concerning the effects of whitening upon the development of the identity of children between 0 and 3 years old, especially when it comes to black children. Although the Law 10.639/03 had substantially fostered the inclusion of ethno-racial education in the different fields of education, the reproduction of whitening in kindergartens is still considerably frequent. Remarking that such reality affects society in general, among other kinds of harms whitening reinforces prejudice, discrimination, stigmatization and, as consequence, racism itself, and negatively influences the development of both the identity and self-esteem of black children. Taking into account the premises worked by critical authors from different areas of social studies, the theoretical grounding of this research is composed by those thinkers who, while questioning a Western society marked by the imposition of Eurocentric and US-centric hegemonic values, also demonstrate how education reproduces the same values. Alongside a critical dialogue with the relevant literature, whitening is examined in this research based on two empirical realities. For this purpose, the methodological tools employed during the fieldwork were ethnographic observation, interviews with the management team, and focal groups performed with the teaching staff of two municipal kindergartens in Santo André/SP as well with coordinators from the Educational Service of Santo André city’s Municipal Department of Education. The analysis of the data validated the hypothesis that the whitening process is still hegemonic in the educational practices in kindergartens despite the mandatory presence of ethno-racial education in those places, which is assured by the Law 10.639/03. In regard to education policies, this situation reinforces the need of qualifying the teaching and administrative staff of educational unities, which will produce spaces for fostering the discussion around the problems concerning the phenomenon of whitening and its many causes and consequences. / Esta tesis analiza la influencia del proceso del blanqueamiento en las prácticas pedagógicas relacionadas a la primera infancia, especialmente en las guarderías. El objetivo del trabajo es aumentar la comprensión y el conocimiento de los impactos de este proceso a la formación de la identidad del niño de 0-3 años, sobre todo el niño negro. Aunque la Ley 10.639 / 03 en gran medida ha contribuido a la inclusión del tema de la educación étnica-racial en los diferentes segmentos de la educación, la realización del blanqueamiento en el entorno infantil es todavía muy presente. Aparte de afectar a toda la sociedad, el blanqueamiento refuerza el prejuicio, la discriminación, la estigmatización y el racismo, influyendo negativamente en el desarrollo de la identidad y la autoestima de los niños negros. Basándose en presupuestos de los autores del pensamiento crítico de diferentes áreas de los estudios sociales, la base teórica de esta investigación se compone de las ideas de los pensadores que, cuando problematizan la sociedad occidental marcada por la imposición de los valores hegemónicos europeos y estadounidenses, también muestran la educación como la reproducción de estos valores. Además del análisis critico de las fuentes bibliográficas, este trabajo analiza el tema del blanqueamiento basándose en los resultados de dos investigaciones empíricas. Por lo tanto, como las herramientas metodológicas se utilizó la observación etnográfica, entrevistas con el equipo de gestión, y también la aplicación de grupos focales con los equipos docentes de dos guarderías infantiles municipales ubicadas en Santo André / SP y el Equipo de Coordinación del Servicio Educativo de la Secretaría Municipal de Educación de Santo André / SP. Los resultados del análisis de datos confirmaron la hipótesis de que, a pesar de que la educación étnica-racial sea obligatoria de conformidad con la Ley 10.639 / 03, el proceso del blanqueamiento se mantiene hegemónico en la práctica educativa cotidiana de los niños. En el contexto de las políticas educativas se desprende la necesidad de calificar el equipo pedagógico y administrativo de las unidades educativas, produciendo espacios para alimentar la discusión acerca de los problemas relacionados al blanqueamiento y las numerosas causas y consecuencias de este fenómeno. / Esta tese analisa a influência do processo de branqueamento nas práticas pedagógicas na pequena infância, notadamente na Creche. Tem por objetivo auxiliar a compreensão e a conscientização sobre os impactos que o branqueamento promove na formação da identidade da criança de 0-3 anos, especialmente da criança negra. Embora a Lei 10.639/03 tenha contribuído muito para a inserção da temática da educação étnico-racial nos diferentes segmentos da educação, a reprodução do branqueamento no ambiente da Creche é ainda fortemente presente. Dentre outros danos, ressaltando que essa realidade afeta toda a sociedade, o branqueamento reforça o preconceito, a discriminação, a estigmatização e, por sua vez, o racismo, impactando negativamente no desenvolvimento da identidade e da autoestima da criança negra. Partindo de pressupostos de autores do pensamento crítico de distintas áreas dos estudos sociais, o embasamento teórico desta pesquisa é composto por pensadores(as) que, ao problematizarem a sociedade ocidental marcada pela imposição de valores hegemonicamente eurocentrados e “estadunizados”, evidenciam também a educação como reprodutora desses valores. Além do diálogo crítico com as fontes bibliográficas, esta pesquisa examina o tema do branqueamento a partir de duas realidades empíricas. Para tanto, como instrumentos metodológicos de campo, foram utilizados observação etnográfica, entrevistas com a equipe gestora e aplicação de grupo focal com as equipes docente de duas Creches municipais, localizadas em Santo André/SP e da equipe de Coordenadoras do Serviço Educacional, da Secretaria Municipal da Educação de Santo André/SP. A partir da análise dos dados, confirmou-se a hipótese de que, apesar da obrigatoriedade da educação étnico-racial, designada nos termos da Lei 10.639/03, o processo do branqueamento mantém-se hegemônico nas práticas educativas do cotidiano das creches. Decorre dessa situação, a necessidade de, no contexto de políticas públicas educacionais, qualificar o quadro pedagógico e administrativo das unidades educativas, produzindo espaços para alimentar a discussão da problematicidade em torno do tema do branqueamento e das inúmeras causas e consequências desse fenômeno.