Adults can mentally relive experiences from their past and anticipate possible future events, a process called mental time travel (MTT). Recently, several theorists have argued that the ability to mentally travel through time may not emerge until 3- to 5-years of age. This proposal is based on evidence from a wide range of research, including investigations into children’s recall, planning and differentiation of the times of events in the past and the future. However, as yet there has been no dedicated effort to find out how and when MTT develops. The current series of studies brought together a wide range of resources with the aim of designing a series of novel paradigms to measure aspects of MTT development between 3- and 5-years of age. The first of these novel approaches asked children to report events that occurred to them “yesterday” and would occur to them “tomorrow”, revealing that by 4- to 5-years of age most children could accurately do so. Another series of studies examined children’s ability to anticipate a different, future situation, finding that only by 4- to 5-years did children’s behaviour reflect differences in an anticipated future environment. Subsequent studies focusing on children’s discrimination of past and future also suggested that by 4- to 5-years children could distinguish the different causal impact of past and future events on the present. Another task revealed that during the preschool years children become better at differentiating the times of events from throughout their own lifespan. These new data provide support for the claim that the ability to mentally travel into one’s own past and future emerges during the preschool years. This thesis describes the first directed investigation into the development of MTT as a whole, bringing together much of the empirical and theoretical literature for the first time. The tasks designed are new approaches to investigating MTT and represent a starting point for future research. This thesis also introduces and discusses theories for the development of MTT, aiming to stimulate discussion not just of when it emerges, but how, and what processes may underlie the transition.

Adults can mentally relive experiences from their past and anticipate possible future events, a process called mental time travel (MTT). Recently, several theorists have argued that the ability to mentally travel through time may not emerge until 3- to 5-years of age. This proposal is based on evidence from a wide range of research, including investigations into children’s recall, planning and differentiation of the times of events in the past and the future. However, as yet there has been no dedicated effort to find out how and when MTT develops. The current series of studies brought together a wide range of resources with the aim of designing a series of novel paradigms to measure aspects of MTT development between 3- and 5-years of age. The first of these novel approaches asked children to report events that occurred to them “yesterday” and would occur to them “tomorrow”, revealing that by 4- to 5-years of age most children could accurately do so. Another series of studies examined children’s ability to anticipate a different, future situation, finding that only by 4- to 5-years did children’s behaviour reflect differences in an anticipated future environment. Subsequent studies focusing on children’s discrimination of past and future also suggested that by 4- to 5-years children could distinguish the different causal impact of past and future events on the present. Another task revealed that during the preschool years children become better at differentiating the times of events from throughout their own lifespan. These new data provide support for the claim that the ability to mentally travel into one’s own past and future emerges during the preschool years. This thesis describes the first directed investigation into the development of MTT as a whole, bringing together much of the empirical and theoretical literature for the first time. The tasks designed are new approaches to investigating MTT and represent a starting point for future research. This thesis also introduces and discusses theories for the development of MTT, aiming to stimulate discussion not just of when it emerges, but how, and what processes may underlie the transition.

This thesis is about the design of technology for children from five to eight years of age. The majority of available guidelines and principles for design or evaluation of technology support the design of products aimed at adults. The limited guidelines available for design of young children's technology do not focus sufficiently on age-related requirements or they offer high-level advice that is only useful in the planning stages of design. Working from the assumption that knowledge available in the literature provides sufficient information to support this process, my aim with this study was to demonstrate how a dependable and useful set of guidelines for the design of technology for children aged five to eight years could be derived from an existing body of knowledge. Development of the guidelines firstly involved research into the psychological theories of children's development to identify those elements of development and the characteristics of children that may have bearing on children's use of technology. Secondly, the literature on children's development of specific skills such as literacy and mathematics was investigated. The available literature on young children's use of technology was studied next and, finally, the applicability of existing design guidelines and principles for children's products evaluated. Throughout this literature investigation the researcher gathered design-relevant factors that could potentially become design guidelines. Using qualitative data analysis techniques, more than five hundred such data elements were systematically coded, processed, analysed and categorised. The result is three hundred and fifty guidelines organised into a framework of six categories and twenty-six subcategories that integrates the relevant theoretical fields and provides practical support for designers. To demonstrate the credibility and usefulness of the emerging guidelines they were used to do an evaluation and re-design of an existing product aimed at the target group. The thesis reports in detail on the different stages of the research, and systematically takes the reader through the process of deriving guidelines from existing theory and research findings, and integrating them into a useful framework. / School of Computing / PhD. (Computer Science)

This final thesis is focused on analysing the support of cognitive development of the clients of a social services centre through its activities which are aimed at a concrete target group senior citizens. The aim of the thesis is to find out whether the senior citizens' cognitive skills are developed through these activities or whether these activities have other meanings for the clients. Another aim is to find out whether the criteria concerning development of cognitive skills, the way they were defined by Reuven Feuerstein, are fulfilled. Another part of the thesis is also a description of the activities held by the social services centre so that a reader could understand the results better.

A presente dissertação traz uma pesquisa sobre a aprendizagem da operação de divisão, com crianças do 4º ano do Ensino Fundamental. O objetivo da pesquisa era verificar se, através de uma proposta de ensino em que as crianças pudessem vivenciar a operação de divisão em variados contextos e situações, seria possível favorecer a (re)construção de seus esquemas e provocar sua aprendizagem. A metodologia adotada foi o estudo de caso, com a aplicação da sequência didática elaborada em uma turma de uma escola municipal da cidade de Gravataí, Rio Grande do Sul. A elaboração da sequência didática, assim como a análise dos registros orais e escritos de sua implementação, apoiou-se nos estudos realizados sobre a teoria dos campos conceituais, de Gérard Vergnaud, e em trabalhos de outros autores que estudam a construção das estruturas multiplicativas. Foi possível verificar que houve avanços na aprendizagem da operação de divisão por parte das crianças daquela turma. Através dos registros coletados e dos diálogos estabelecidos, foi possível compreender as maneiras como as crianças compreendiam e lidavam com situações de divisão e observar a mobilização e a reformulação de seus esquemas frente às situações vivenciadas em sala de aula. / The present dissertation presents a research on the division operation learning with children of the 4th grade of Elementary School. The purpose of this research to verify if, through a teaching proposal in which children could experience the division operation in various contexts and situations, it would be possible to favour the (re) construction of their schemes and to develop their learning. The methodology adopted was the case study, with the application of the teaching sequence elaborated in a group of a municipal school of Gravataí, Rio Grande do Sul. The elaboration of the teaching sequence, as the analysis of the oral and written records of its implementation, was supported by the studies accomplished with the Theory of Conceptual Fields by Gérard Vergnaud, and by papers from other authors that study the construction of multiplicative structures. It was possible to verify that there were advancements in the learning of the division operation by the children of that group. Throughout the collected records and the dialogs established, it was possible to understand the ways children understood and dealt with the division situations and to observe the mobilization and the reformulation of their schemes faced to the situations experienced in the classroom.

Submitted by Edileide Reis (leyde-landy@hotmail.com) on 2013-05-13T16:07:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Sampaio.pdf: 371162 bytes, checksum: eb109fcc7138e5eb0e4c3410f3fec223 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Alda Lima da Silva(sivalda@ufba.br) on 2013-06-04T20:50:22Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Sampaio.pdf: 371162 bytes, checksum: eb109fcc7138e5eb0e4c3410f3fec223 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-06-04T20:50:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Sampaio.pdf: 371162 bytes, checksum: eb109fcc7138e5eb0e4c3410f3fec223 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / O desempenho de estudantes do Ensino Médio da Rede Particular de Ensino de Salvador, no que se refere à produção escrita, tem decaído em qualidade. As evidências disso são notórias. A resposta inadequada ao ensino da escrita, mais especificamente de um tipo textual que percorre as três séries do Ensino Médio, tem sido atribuída ao descompromisso e capacidade deficitária desses jovens. O interesse pela questão repercute nesta pesquisa, que reúne três caminhos teóricos na busca do entendimento desse fenômeno: a Análise do Discurso de linha francesa quanto à dificuldade do sujeito enunciador de produzir textos que tenham a transparência necessária ao entendimento do interlocutor, na educação que se pretende dialógica; a função da escola no que diz respeito à formação de estudantes de consciências críticas (PAULO FREIRE) bem como de sujeitos interactantes e, por fim, a integração do trabalho didático de produção de textos na teoria de VYGOTSKY de que a aprendizagem promove o desenvolvimento mental, não o inverso, e também de que a aprendizagem da escrita acrescenta à vida novos e complexos ciclos de desenvolvimento de processos mentais, equivalentes em importância aos da aquisição da linguagem. Após a análise desses elementos como responsáveis pela tessitura do trabalho pedagógico de ensino da produção escrita, são analisados 18 textos de alunos da 1ª série do Ensino Médio, apresentados como resposta a dois diferentes temas. Nesses textos, usando o paradigma indiciário de GINZBURG (2003), buscam-se as configurações singulares e as regularidades que se ocultam sob a opacidade nesses espaços de dissenções (FOUCAULT, 2004). Chega-se, assim, à suposição, ainda que preliminar, de que esses enunciadores de discurso opaco são frutos da sociedade, da escola e da visão equivocada de professores quanto ao desenvolvimento cognitivo de estudantes desse seriado. / Salvador

This study was directed to explore the practicability of play therapy as a support system to primary schools in order to offer the child an optimal learning opportunity. A need exists to support primary schools, to establish therapeutic services which will be available to all children with emotional, behaviour and social problems. Gestalt play therapy can be used as a source of support within the context of the primary school. It is important that the therapist and teacher have sufficient knowledge around the different developmental phases of the child. In this study the focus was on the general characteristics, cognitive, social- and moral development of the primary school child. A qualitative approach and by utilizing semi-structured interviews, were used in order to collect the data concerning the study. Results from the empirical research indicated that there is a definite necessity for therapeutic services, as support systems at primary schools, in order to assist the child to reach his/her maximum potential. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Spelterapie)

The research study was determined by the fact that child development is important and that teachers/caregivers must acknowledge every child's level of development, age, individuality, social and cultural background when planning a program. Children are complex beings and therefore the literature study focused on pre-schooler, three to five years, child development during this stage and domains and principles of development. Semi-structured interviews were based on literature study and used to guide the interviews. After analyzing the data themes and sub-themes was identified and verified with literature. The teachers/caregivers were able to share knowledge, experiences, needs and concerns. To conclude recommendations were made to help teacher/caregivers to plan how to include child development in their daily program. / Social Work / M.Diac (Play Therapy)

This research study investigated preschoolers' naive theory of the human body in understanding the cause of death. The empirical investigation showed that urban and suburban preschoolers (ages 5 and 6) have an understanding of a naive theory of the human body and that some do make reference to a 'vitalistic causality' in explaining organ function. Furthermore, most of the participants gave an external explanation for the cause of death (e.g. gunshots, poison, sticks), but those participants who gave an internal (biological) explanation for the cause of death were well-informed about the biological teleology of body organs. These findings conclude that education, socio-economic factors and culture influence the acquisition of a naive theory of biology. The need for guidance to educators, in explaining the concept of death to preschoolers, was further emphasised. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Ontluikende geletterdheid is waarskynlik die belangrik:ste tema wat in hierdie proefskrif behandel word. Die doelbewuste skepping van ouderdomsrelevante geleenthede vir die kleuter om op 'n informele wyse blootstelling en deelname aan luister- praat-, lees- en skryfvaardighede te ervaar, dien as vertrekpunt. Vroee ontwikkeling van geletterdheidsvaardigbede, as komponent van kognitiewe ontwikkeling by die kleuter, bet geblyk noodsaaklik te wees- nie net ten aansien van skoolgereedheid nie, maar ook ten opsigte van sy uiteindelike selfverwesenliking. Die oogmerk strek dus verder as die afiigting van die kleuter tot 'n toereikende vaardigbeidsvlak ten einde skoolgereed te kan wees. In teenstelling met die lank bestaande beleid in Suid-Afiika, wat bepaal bet dat voorskoolse onderwys byna uitsluitlik die onderrig van perseptuele vaardigbede moes bebels, word 'n alternatiewe benadering m hierdie proefskrif aangedui. Hulpverlening met geletterdheidsontwikkeling as doelwit behels waarskynlik 'n meer omvattende scenario ten einde die beboeftes van die affektief-, kognitief-, sosiaalwordende kind aan te spreek. Ontsluiting van 'n nuwe wereld van kennis waardeur nonne, boudings en vaardighede aangeleer word, bet 'n direkte invloed op die kwaliteit van sy totale lewe. By uitnemendbeid skep uitkomsgerigte onderwys die geleentbeid om reeds op voorskoolse vlak, geletterdbeidsvaardigbede op 'n informele wyse aan te leer. Die mite dat primere skole aileen die voorreg beskore is om leerders te leer lees en skryf, word krities in hierdie studie bevraagteken. Die klemverskuiwing is reeds sigbaar in die nuut-aangekondigde onderwysbeleid naamlik dat die leerprogram Geletterdheid minstens sowat 40% van die daaglikse onderrigprogram in die grondslagfase moet geniet. Die wyse waarop geletterdheidsvaardighede aangeleer kan word, word indiepte bespreek. Eweneens word belangrike prosesse waardeur die ontwikkeling van 'n fonologiese-, semantiese- en sintaktiese bewussyn, aan die orde gestel. Die aanleer van geletterdheidsvaardighede blyk nie alleen noodsaaklik te wees vir die ontwikkeling van lewensvaardighede nie dit bewerkstellig toegang tot en die begryping en belewing van die werklikheid wat die mens omring. / Emergent literacy is probably the most important theme addressed in this thesis. The purpose is to create age related opportunities for the pre-school child to experience exposure and participation in listening-, vocal-, reading- and writing abilities on an informal basis which serves as a point of departure. Early awareness of literacy abilities as a component of cognitive development of the pre-school child has proved to be essential - not only in respect of school readiness, but also with regard to ultimate selfactualisation. The aim therefore goes beyond the mere training of the pre-school child to an adequate level of competence to be well prepared for formal schooling. Contrary to the well established policy in South Africa which determined that pre-school education should be limited to the exclusive teaching of perceptual abilities, an alternative approach has been considered in this thesis. Assistance with a view to literacy development probably encompasses a more inclusive scenario in order to address the requirements of the emotional, cognitive and social developing pre-school child. Exposure to a new world of knowledge through which norms, attitudes and abilities are acquired, has a direct influence on the quality of his total life. Outcomes based education provides an excellent opportunity to acquire already at pre-school level, literacy skills on an informal basis. The myth that only primary schools have been allotted the privilege to teach learners to read and write, is being critically questioned in this study. The change in emphasis is already evident in the recently announced education policy, namely that the daily learning programme Literacy must include at least 400/o of the foundation programme phase. The manner in which literacy skills can be acquired are discussed in depth. Simultaneously Literacy must include at least 400/o of the foundation programme phase. The manner in which literacy skills can be acquired are discussed in depth. Simultaneously important processes affecting the development of a phonological, semantic and syntactic cognition are discussed. The acquisition of literacy skills appears not only to be important to the development of life skills - it accomplishes access to and the comprehension of as well as the perception of the reality surrounding man. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Sielkundige Opvoedkunde)