This dissertation presents a case study of a grade one-two class in the suburbs of Vancouver. The twenty-two students are diverse in terms of academic ability, culture, language, age, and personality. Participatory Democracy is researched. Participatory Collaborative Action Research is the methodology. The researcher, classroom teacher, and the students themselves, are immersed in the research setting as partners. Participatory Democracy is an inclusive arrangement where classroom members contribute to decision-making affecting the classroom. Therefore, the research methodology and the research topic are the same activity in which reflection by the participants yields both data and learning outcomes. The research and the classroom community develop together. Within this social orientation, autonomy and responsibility are investigated. An analysis of each concept and their relationship is offered. Possibilities for shared authority are also examined. These and other elements are conceptually intertwined and not easily separated. Complexity Theory is presented as a way of framing classroom research. A Participatory Democratic classroom is conceived of as a dynamic adaptive system, similar to an organism or society. This community is understood ecologically. It is self-organizing and continually coevolving. The importance of a sense of community as a context for learning about social elements becomes evident. An understanding of autonomy, responsibility, shared authority, and their relationship is demonstrated by children through their friendships and sometimes through verbal expression. The students and teacher establish negotiated, dynamic boundaries in which students express their autonomy within the limits of responsibility to the community. Since participation depends on discourse, non-verbal active discourse is encouraged in this community as legitimate communication and a support for language development. Authority, understood as embedded in the community, with the teacher as its interpreter, is shared with students. Rule setting is complex and dynamic, not absolute. Rules are explained and negotiated. An effort to achieve consensus forms the basis of decision-making. Within a democratic community that promotes participation and appreciates the complexity of social structures, the teacher must promote a sense of community, negotiate curriculum, negotiate frames for behavior and learning, plan and assess collaboratively, and reflect on the constantly changing complexity of the classroom community.

This dissertation presents a case study of a grade one-two class in the suburbs of Vancouver. The twenty-two students are diverse in terms of academic ability, culture, language, age, and personality. Participatory Democracy is researched. Participatory Collaborative Action Research is the methodology. The researcher, classroom teacher, and the students themselves, are immersed in the research setting as partners. Participatory Democracy is an inclusive arrangement where classroom members contribute to decision-making affecting the classroom. Therefore, the research methodology and the research topic are the same activity in which reflection by the participants yields both data and learning outcomes. The research and the classroom community develop together. Within this social orientation, autonomy and responsibility are investigated. An analysis of each concept and their relationship is offered. Possibilities for shared authority are also examined. These and other elements are conceptually intertwined and not easily separated. Complexity Theory is presented as a way of framing classroom research. A Participatory Democratic classroom is conceived of as a dynamic adaptive system, similar to an organism or society. This community is understood ecologically. It is self-organizing and continually coevolving. The importance of a sense of community as a context for learning about social elements becomes evident. An understanding of autonomy, responsibility, shared authority, and their relationship is demonstrated by children through their friendships and sometimes through verbal expression. The students and teacher establish negotiated, dynamic boundaries in which students express their autonomy within the limits of responsibility to the community. Since participation depends on discourse, non-verbal active discourse is encouraged in this community as legitimate communication and a support for language development. Authority, understood as embedded in the community, with the teacher as its interpreter, is shared with students. Rule setting is complex and dynamic, not absolute. Rules are explained and negotiated. An effort to achieve consensus forms the basis of decision-making. Within a democratic community that promotes participation and appreciates the complexity of social structures, the teacher must promote a sense of community, negotiate curriculum, negotiate frames for behavior and learning, plan and assess collaboratively, and reflect on the constantly changing complexity of the classroom community. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

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published_or_final_version / abstract / Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Elementary-school children (4th-6th grades)--Perceived parenting methods and scholastic achievement--Harter's Self-Perception Profile--Parent-Child Relationship Questionnaire--Gender and ethnicity factors.

Solicitud de embargo por publicación en revista indexada. / El presente trabajo de investigación es con el propósito de describir el desarrollo de la autonomía de niños de cuatro a cinco años en situación de COVID-19, a través del Online learning. Para ello se utilizó un enfoque cualitativo: un estudio de caso en el cual se observó a 105 niños de cuatro a cinco años (pre-kinder) de un colegio privado de Lima Metropolitana con la participación de docentes y padres de familia. Los instrumentos utilizados para esta investigación fueron dos listas de cotejo, una para los docentes y otra para los padres de familia. Esta lista de cotejo permitió identificar el desarrollo de la autonomía durante el primer y segundo semestre, las observaciones se realizaron al término de cada semestre. Al finalizar el año se analizaron los resultados del desarrollo de la autonomía de los niños. Estos demostraron que sí hubo, en su mayoría, desarrollo de la autonomía durante la situación de Covid-19. El aporte principal de este trabajo es contribuir con un instrumento que permita observar el desarrollo de la autonomía de los niños a partir de la percepción de los padres de familia y docentes en un ambiente de aprendizaje Online. / This research was carried out with the objective of describing the development of autonomy in children aged between four and five years old via Online learning lessons amid the COVID-19 pandemic For this purpose, a qualitative approach was utilized. The case study consists of 105 children aged between four and five years (pre-kindergarten) attending a private school in Lima who were observed with the participation of teachers and parents. The instruments used for this research were two checklists: one for the teachers and another for the parents. These checklists, completed at the end of each semester, allowed to identify the development of autonomy between the first and second semesters. The results of the children’s autonomy development were analysed at the end of the year, and showed that mostly, there was autonomy development during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main contribution of this work is to provide a framework that allows to observe the development of children’s autonomy based on the observations of parents and teachers in an Online learning environment. / Tess

The phenomenon of social isolation among school children in most instances goes unnoticed by both teachers and parents and this oversight could have serious negative restraints on the socially isolated child's cognitive, affective, moral, personality and social development. Social isolation can be caused either through being rejected or neglected by the peer group. This study was carried out among primary and secondary school learners to detei:,mine the extent to which these children are socially isolated; and to identify factors contributing to learners' social isolation. The aim of the study is to provide teachers and parents with a foundation and rationale for effective intervention. A literature study was done to identify the factors influencing social isolation. Some of the factors identified were: social competence, self-esteem, psychological well-being, intelligence, academic achievement, moral values, physical disability, sports participation, self-perceived physical attractiveness, self-perceived physical disability, marital status of parents, parental supervision, parental acceptance, parental autonomy granting and parental conflict. All aspects of development (namely, physical, cognitive, affective, personality, moral and social) were studied in relation to the phenomenon of social isolation. By means of an empirical investigation, it was found after a regression analysis that self-esteem, obedience and social competence accounted for most of the variance in social isolation for primary school learners and in the case of secondary school learners, social competence, family supervision and self-esteem. The two most common factors were social competence and selfesteem. From the empirical findings it was also noted that learners' home language and grade were also associated with social isolation. The educational implications of the findings of the literature and the empirical study are discussed and guidelines given to assist teachers and parents to identify and eliminate the factors contributing to the development of isolation among school learners. If both parents and teachers take cognisance of these recommendations and try to implement them, it should help children in their self-actualisation and facilitate their attainment of adulthood with the least developmental restraints. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The phenomenon of social isolation among school children in most instances goes unnoticed by both teachers and parents and this oversight could have serious negative restraints on the socially isolated child's cognitive, affective, moral, personality and social development. Social isolation can be caused either through being rejected or neglected by the peer group. This study was carried out among primary and secondary school learners to detei:,mine the extent to which these children are socially isolated; and to identify factors contributing to learners' social isolation. The aim of the study is to provide teachers and parents with a foundation and rationale for effective intervention. A literature study was done to identify the factors influencing social isolation. Some of the factors identified were: social competence, self-esteem, psychological well-being, intelligence, academic achievement, moral values, physical disability, sports participation, self-perceived physical attractiveness, self-perceived physical disability, marital status of parents, parental supervision, parental acceptance, parental autonomy granting and parental conflict. All aspects of development (namely, physical, cognitive, affective, personality, moral and social) were studied in relation to the phenomenon of social isolation. By means of an empirical investigation, it was found after a regression analysis that self-esteem, obedience and social competence accounted for most of the variance in social isolation for primary school learners and in the case of secondary school learners, social competence, family supervision and self-esteem. The two most common factors were social competence and selfesteem. From the empirical findings it was also noted that learners' home language and grade were also associated with social isolation. The educational implications of the findings of the literature and the empirical study are discussed and guidelines given to assist teachers and parents to identify and eliminate the factors contributing to the development of isolation among school learners. If both parents and teachers take cognisance of these recommendations and try to implement them, it should help children in their self-actualisation and facilitate their attainment of adulthood with the least developmental restraints. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)