Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / In assessing government ECD policy, this thesis focuses on three areas; access, quality, and costs. The study draws on interviews with key stakeholders working within the ECD sector generally, and uses survey data from a case study of Brown's Farm area in Cape Town. The research found that, some ten years down the line, ECD provision is still mostly privately provided by the informal sector through community-based facilities. Both formal and informal ECD facilities are unevenly spatially distributed such that they do not yet reach the most vulnerable poor children, especially in rural areas and informal settlements.

This study examined Early Childhood Development (ECD) teachers’ perceptions of ECD programs regarding benefits and opportunities for early intervention. Research indicates that young children with developmental delays and disabilities demonstrate better progress when intervention is offered early and in inclusive classrooms. A mixed method design was used to collect data from a purposeful sample of 81 ECD teachers in Chipinge district, in Zimbabwe. Both descriptive and regression analysis methods were used for data analysis. Findings indicated that there was a general lack of in-depth knowledge, and most teachers did not follow developmentally appropriate curriculum. Threats and challenges included: lack of knowledge and assessments to diagnose developmental delays, disabilities, as well as lack of developmentally and culturally relevant teaching materials. Regression analysis indicated that age, experience, location, and training are important variables explaining perceived benefits of ECD. This study offers research-based ways to address challenges and threats to effective ECD programs.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Early Childhood development is an important phase of development, wherein the trajectory of the child’s life can potentially be determined. However, not all children experience positive outcomes, and many present with psychopathology. In particular, psychopathology in children will manifest as either externalizing behaviours or internalising behaviours. The treatment of internalising disorders becomes increasingly complex, as there isn’t always outward behaviour to give evidence to the inward difficulties. Literature amplifies the importance of the role of the parent in ensuring the well-being of the child and in working towards healthy developmental outcomes.

Research shows that early childhood interventions with fidelity to Montessori model generate learner’s outcomes that outperform the traditional model. The evidence is confirmed in developed and in developing countries. This formative evaluation reports the results of a Montessori model in implementation in township of Mfuleni, located in Cape Town, South Africa. Providing insights into the functioning of the programme, the evaluation confirms that the roll out of the Montessori model is still underway which may explain the reason of the learners not outperforming the comparison group.

Child sexual abuse is rampant in Zimbabwe. This can be attributed to several Zimbabwean ecosystemic factors that contribute to the gravity of the problem. This study explored these ecosystemic factors that affect Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in Zimbabwe to determine appropriate strategies to apply so that CSE could be successfully be provided to early grade children in Zimbabwe. This qualitative study used an interpretivist paradigm which was underpinned by the ontological assumption that reality is not objectively determined, but socially constructed. In this study, a case study design was utilised, embracing a semi-structured interview and document analysis as data-gathering instruments. This study was informed by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theoretical framework. The main research question of the study was: What ecosystemic factors play a role in Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Zimbabwean schools? The secondary research questions were also as follows:  What are the teachers’ views and perceptions of teaching CSE in early grades?  How will parents perceive the introduction of CSE in the early grades?  In what way will the religious leaders perceive the introduction of CSE in the early grades as positive?  What are the cultural factors that impact on the teaching of CSE in early grades?  How do religious factors impact on the teaching of CSE in the early grades? The participants were ten early grade teachers, ten parents with children in early grades and five religious leaders. The study revealed that CSE was not taught to early grade children due to several ecosystemic factors. There is no CSE curriculum for early grade children in Zimbabwe. The teachers are uncomfortable to teach the subject because of the diverse cultural and religious beliefs of the Zimbabweans. Some churches believe CSE defiles innocent children. Their doctrines prevent other churches from teaching EMC to children before they reach the age of 14. The study recommended the development of CSE for early grades by teachers in conjunction with parents and religious leaders and the training of teachers to change their attitude towards the teaching of the subject as well as to provide them with appropriate content and teaching strategies. The provision of teaching and learning resources on CSE for teachers and early grade learners was also recommended. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Early Childhood Education / PhD / Unrestricted

Magister Artium - MA / Early Childhood Development (ECD) prioritizes the foundation for children aged 0-9 years old. This program focuses on the cognitive, physical, emotional, or holistic development of a child for the child to thrive and be a functioning member of society. Recently, this initiative has been prioritized by both the national government and UNICEF (Shapley, 2014; September 2014). In the Cape Town context one finds that large population of children are frequently exposed to extreme poverty and gang violence. They also lack the communication and literacy skills they require; this includes grasping basic ideas related to reading and writing and have little to no community support system.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / Several studies concur that children from a disadvantaged background are as prepared for formal schooling, compared to their advantaged peers who have access to attend good quality pre-schools. This is particularly true regarding the literature aimed at understanding the challenges that impede school readiness of Foundation Phase learners and the consequences of poor school readiness on learner’s school performance. The overall aim of the study was to explore Foundation Phase teachers’ experiences and perceptions of the challenges that impede school readiness.

Magister Artium (Child and Family Studies) - MA(CFS) / Children’s learning and development takes place in a range of contexts and this includes at Early Childhood Development centers and at home with family. Parent involvement in their children’s education has been viewed as an important variable that positively influence children’s education. Young children need quality childcare to develop their innate potential and prepare for formal education. Quality care provides nurturing relationships, a mentally stimulating environment, basic health and safety. The formal provisioning of Early Childhood Development falls under the mandate of the Department of Social Development for registered early childhood development centers and the Department of Education for Grade R, the preparatory grade for primary education. The study investigated the perceptions, experiences, and challenges of parents and early childhood development practitioners with regards to their access of early childhood services. The theory underpinning this study was Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system, which is based on the principle of interconnectedness within settings and the link between settings that affect individual development. The study utilised a qualitative approach and data were collected from parents and early childhood practitioners within the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. The findings regarding the perceptions of practitioners, principals and parents included perception of Early Childhood Development services, affordability, and contentment with ECD education, proximity of the centers and the role of the practitioners. The experiences of the parents, principals and practitioners highlighted in the study includes involvement of parents, training of practitioners, limited support from stakeholders, and scarce resources. In addition, lack of sufficient infrastructure, lack of adequate learning materials, underqualified practitioners and shortage of funds were noted as the challenges affecting the practitioners and the parents. The study recommended training of practitioners, infrastructure development. / 2023

Thesis advisor: Eric Dearing / Despite global efforts toward improving gender equity in education, gender-based disparities in learning opportunities and academic outcomes are still prevalent. Many gender differences in learning and academic outcomes begin emerging early in life, even before children start formal schooling. Both theory and empirical evidence point toward children’s exposure to gender-differentiated treatment from caregivers that arises from gendered stereotypes, expectations, and cultural norms. As young children’s brains have evolved to detect the subtlest nuances in their environments, even small gender differences in learning experiences could have lasting consequences in their developmental trajectories and later-life outcomes. In turn, understanding gender disparities in early learning opportunities is critical to catalyzing young girls’ and boys’ positive learning trajectories from early on. A major challenge for the field, however, has been the very limited attention given to these issues in low- and- middle-income countries (LMICs), where about 90% of the world’s children live. The present dissertation consists of three empirical papers focused on young children in LMICs, providing significant contributions to the cumulative knowledge on gender differences in early learning. Respectively, the three papers: (1) provide a thorough accounting of gender disparities across and within 71 countries, (2) uncover specific caregiving mechanisms that help explain these gender disparities in early learning outcomes across and within countries, and (3) delve into the perceptions and meaning makings of mothers and fathers about gendered parenting practices at the local level. By so doing, this dissertation pushes forward our understanding of gender disparities in early learning opportunities and development across multiple ecological levels. The results may help inform global policy and practice aimed at gender equity, a matter of social justice that has proven to affect the social fabric, economic vitality, and political stability of nations. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

This study on parent involvement in Early Childhood Development in KwaZulu Natal investigates the experiences of educators and parents of the different types of parent and community involvement as set out in the Epstein typology. In order to investigate this phenomenon a thorough background of the theory and practice of the Epstein model has been provided. In addition the work of other researchers that support the Epstein typology of parent involvement forms an integral part of the discussions. As parent involvement is the key focus of the study, parent involvement in education before and after 1994 are discussed. In this regard relevant educational policy and legislation that are designed to increase the role of parents and the community in Early Childhood Development are highlighted. Parents' role in the provision of Early Childhood Development is explored. The provision of Early Childhood Development in KwaZulu Natal, which provides a backdrop for the investigation, is exptained. In addition contextual factors that influence parent involvement in KwaZulu Natal are provided. The research methodology and the research design used in this study are described in detail. By means of a qualitative approach the experiences of a small sample of educators and parents in Early Childhood Development are explored using the six types of parent involvement that include parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home and collaborating with the community as set out in Epstein's comprehensive model. The experiences of educators and parents of Grade R learners of the six types of involvement have been included. Although all schools engage in some form of parent involvement, it is evident that not all schools involve parents in all types of parent involvement to the same extent. The study concludes with recommendations for developing strategies to involve parents more effectively in Early Childhood Development in KwaZulu Natal