Orientador: Maria Cecília de Oliveira Micotti / Banca: Luciana Maria Giovanni / Banca: Flavia Medeiros Sarti / Resumo: Esta dissertação focaliza as práticas pedagógicas, referentes às interações das crianças com o mundo letrado, práticas essas realizadas na primeira etapa da educação infantil, que atende crianças de zero a três anos de idade. Em pesquisa buscamos averiguar, as concepções de ensino e de aprendizagem da leitura e da escrita, preponderantes nas práticas e nos discursos das educadoras. Inicialmente apresentamos um breve histórico dessa modalidade de ensino. A seguir focalizamos as concepções epistemológicas mais presentes no ensino para posterior análise das práticas pedagógicas e suas implicações no processo de aprendizagem da leitura e da escrita. A pesquisa foi realizada no município de Rio Claro - SP e a escolha das escolas municipais se deu por meio de uma classificação das mesmas em três grandes grupos: escolas grandes (com 12 salas de aulas), escolas médias (6 salas) e escolas pequenas (4 salas). Após esta classificação, uma escola de cada grupo foi sorteada de acordo com a tabela de Fisher e Yates (1957), totalizando 18,75% das creches do município. Participaram da pesquisa seis professoras e 11 monitoras inteirando 17 educadoras. A coleta de dados deu-se por meio das observações das aulas e de entrevistas com as educadoras. As observações foram registradas em diário de campo e gravação de áudio. As entrevistas foram feitas em momentos indicados pelas participantes e também gravadas em áudio e, depois, transcritas integralmente. Os dados coletados e analisados revelaram que a maioria dos encaminhamentos didáticos, observados, que focam a leitura e a escrita, em aulas, baseiam-se nas concepções epistemológicas empirista ou apriorista. Das seis professoras participantes da pesquisa quatro apresentaram em suas práticas, atividades consideradas "inovadoras". Os discursos tanto das monitoras quanto os das professoras mostraram uma mistura, ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The purpose of this dissertation is to focus on teaching practices related to children's interaction with the literate world. Such practices were performed in early childhood education, which cater to children aged zero to three years old. During the research, we verified the conceptions of teaching and learning how to read and write, which play a dominant role in educators' practices and speeches. Initially, we present a brief history of this mode of education. Following, we focus on the most common epistemological conceptions in teaching, so we can later analyze the teaching practices and their implications in the process of learning to read and write. The research was carried out in the Municipality of Rio Claro, SP, Brazil. The municipal schools were chosen according to their classification into three large groups: big schools (12 classrooms); medium-sized schools (six classrooms) and small schools (four classrooms). After this classification, one school of each group was picked according to the Fisher-Yates Shuffle (1957), totaling 18.75% of day-care centers in the Municipality. Seventeen educators participated in the research: six teachers and 11 teaching assistants. Data was collected by observing classes and interviewing the educators. The observations were registered in a field log and audio recordings. The interviews were performed at times arranged with the participants, and they were also recorded and, then, totally transcribed. The collected and analyzed data showed that the reading and writing-related didactic approaches observed in the classroom are based on the conceptions of either the empiricist or aprioristic epistemology. Four out of the six participating teachers presented "innovating" activities in their practices. Both the assistants' and the teachers' speeches showed a mixture of conceptions, thus demonstrating a contradiction between their practice and ... (Complete abstract electronic access below) / Mestre

This dissertation reports findings from a study of the social interactions of second graders as they engaged in daily periods of classroom free play. The purposes of the study were: (a) to examine how students used oral language and literacy practices to construct social identities and status relationships; and (b) to analyze how these everyday literacy practices and peer relations on the local level of the classroom were linked to broader, macrolevel social relations. The study focused on a group of children—consisting primarily of working-class Latina and African American girls—who played regularly in a play office that was set up in the comer of a Spanish-immersion classroom within an urban elementary school. Data collection included thirty-one hours of audio and videotape. Analysis consisted of thematic analysis fieldnotes, taped data, and students’ written artifacts, and microanalysis of key peer-play events. The microethnographic analysis combined Fairclough’s (1989; 1992) approach to critical discourse analysis with Bloome and Egan-Robertson’s (1993) framework for analyzing intertextuality as a social construction. The findings show that children used literacy practices, and formed complex play identities and relationships, which drew upon multiple discourses, including domestic family life, the adult workplace, the peer group, and romantic love. The results of the study were ambiguous and contradictory: girls defined themselves as strong females in their interactions with boys and in their fantasy play as ‘bosses’ of their own ‘companies’. However, their conceptions of being ‘boss’ were closely bound to performing clerical tasks and child care. Girls both sustained and resisted traditional love ideologies in the contradictory ways that they appropriated popular-culture texts. The results of the study indicate that peer-play literacy practices and social interactions are not politically neutral, but rather are deeply connected with how children form identities, status relationships, and ideologies of gender and class. Social theories of discourse need to develop more dynamic terms for adequately describing the complex, ambiguous, and contradictory processes in which subjectivities and relationships are constructed in children’s everyday peer play.

This study explored the interplay between early learning and development standards (ELDS) and emergent bilingual learners (EBLs) in PreK classrooms in Boston, Massachusetts. The study explored how preschool teachers and policy experts understand ELDS, and how teachers integrate ELDS with their practice generally, and specifically with regard to EBLs. To do so, it sought to understand the ways in which EBLs are positioned in Massachusetts’ ELDS; how ELDS are understood, perceived, and enacted in general education, sheltered English immersion (SEI), and dual language PreK classrooms; and how state and district level education policy experts perceive the relationships between Massachusetts language policy, ELDS, and the needs of young EBLs. The study contextualized ELDS within a sociocultural framework in order to provide an understanding of the role of standards in the early education of EBLs. Employing qualitative interviews and a review of ELDS documents, the study was situated within the context of the Massachusetts 2002 Question 2 legislation, which banned bilingual education and instead instituted SEI classrooms. The researcher found that Vygotsky and Rogoff’s sociocultural theories of learning were helpful in framing understandings of ELDS in their development and in practice. Using this lens allowed for depth in understanding the power dynamics in the development of ELDS, including reflecting on the dominant benchmarks considered in the writing of standards. As part of a systemic approach to educational equity, ELDS should be carefully reviewed within the context of a Eurocentric orientation in order to influence their nature. Using a sociocultural theoretical lens also allowed for depth in understanding ELDS implementation, including how children’s native languages and cultures are impacted by perceptions of EBL ability and achievement. The study offers suggestions including: reviewing and consolidating standards; changes to education and professional development (pre-service and in-service); policy changes in entry procedures for EBLs; more nuanced understandings of the inherent biases that undergird serving this population equitably; a heteroglossic view of dual language assessments; increasing workforce diversity; supporting paraprofessionals; improved communication with families; increased monitoring and feedback of ELDS; reconciling state and district early childhood work expectations; and an increased policy focus on EBLs.

In Experiment I, I tested the effects of a vicarious reinforcement procedure on the establishment of conditioned reinforcement for observing books (CR+ for observing books) using a pre- and post-intervention embedded with a multiple probe design across two dyads. All four participants could textually respond to kindergarten or first-grade level high-frequency words but choosing and prolonged looking at books (observing books) did not function as a preferred activity for them. The independent variable was the establishment of CR+ for observing books using a vicarious reinforcement intervention. During the intervention, the participants observed a peer confederate reading books while the confederate received frequent social approvals from the experimenter; the participants did not receive social attention (social praise from the experimenter) and were denied access to books during the intervention. The dependent variables were the rate of acquisition of textual responses and the duration participants spent observing printed words. Results in the first experiment showed three of four participants had an accelerated rate of acquisition of textual responses after books functioned as conditioned reinforcers. Two participants spent a longer time observing printed words after the establishment of CR+ for observing books. However, since denial and observation are components of vicarious reinforcement it is unclear whether vicarious reinforcement effects rather than observation by denial are responsible for the putative vicarious reinforcement effect. In the second experiment, I analyzed the necessity of social attention within the procedure and also investigated the sufficiency of the denial component. More specifically, I removed the vicarious reinforcement and isolated the effects of the observational conditioning-by-denial intervention (OCDI) on establishing CR+ for observing books in Experiment II. I selected six beginning readers who were in the process of learning to textually respond to high-frequency preschool words. The dependent variables were the rate of acquisition of textual responses, discriminative remembering (i.e., conditioned seeing), and measures of an observational learning repertoire. During the OCDI, two participants and a peer confederate were asked to perform the same task. Contingent upon correct responses, the confederate received books for emitting correct responses while the participants did not. Following the OCDI, all participants acquired CR+ for observing books and five of the participants demonstrated an increase in their degree of observational learning repertoires. Results from the second experiment showed all six participants had a faster rate of acquisition on learning new sight words, and they also demonstrated more accurate discriminative remembering responses after the establishment of CR+ for observing books. These findings are discussed with regard to the educational significance of CR+ for observing books as an empirical definition of reading readiness for young children. In addition, the findings call in to question whether prior literature on vicarious learning is in fact not necessarily a function of seeing response-consequence relations since the effect may be a result of observation under denial conditions.

Includes bibliography. / This study is a critical analysis of educare policy in South Africa with recommendations towards effective provision for the preschool child. The need for a radically revised policy, structure and provision system is based on the inadequacies, inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the present system. A quantitative descriptive research design is used in which use is made predominantly of secondary data and field experience of the writer. Data collection was hindered by the lack of information available and the reluctance of certain authorities to provide information as requested. The historical development of educare in South Africa is outlined. Legislation which, impacts on educare is recorded and the present education and care policies and structures are described. The extent of educare provision is quantified focusing on who is provided for and who is not. Gil's (1981) framework for Analysis and Synthesis of Social Policies is used in analysing educare policy within the Social Planning and Administration paradigm. The study contends that there is no clear unitary discernible educare policy in existence and this has resulted in fragmented structures controlling educare in this country. Particular attention is made to the ideological and value underpinnings of educare policy, structure and provision. The result is an array of services which are uncoordinated and inadequate in terms of the need and demand. The study concludes by making recommendations aimed at eliminating the inadequacies highlighted. A radically revised educare policy is proposed. A three-tier structure with defined responsibilities and functions at each level is suggested. It is the writers belief that implementation of these recommendations will contribute to the solution of problems faced in the educare field today.

The following content is a way of trying to understand how music is practiced in Swedish preschools. To understand this, we have looked into preschool teachers' interest and knowledge in music, to see if or how their musical background may affect their teaching methods and didactics about music. The study relies on interviews with eight preschool teachers. This data has then been subjected to a phenomenographic analysis. The background of our interest in this particular subject stems from an observation of how the utilization of music has decreased in Swedish preschools. We have seen less musical instruments in the environment, and the importance of music appears to have faltered over time. We also make an attempt at understanding why math and language hold priority over music in Swedish preschools. The study is based on two theoretical perspectives: Haberma's thoughts on modern society, and Vygotsky's sociocultural theory. The result shows that preschool teachers display a great interest in music, in addition to basic knowledge with grounds in their education. It also displays their willingness to use produced music from digital platforms. While the children receive opportunities to choose what music to play, the study also shows a lack of encouragement of the children's own music making by the educators. Factors such as a lack of time, routines, large groups of children, and loud noise are referenced as underlying reasons that limit childrens' opportunity to make music. Experiences of pressures from curricula and school subjects, in addition to the attitude of colleagues also affect the role music plays in everyday life.

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A focus on early literacy that became heightened in the early 21st century has had the unintended consequence of restricting our ideas about what children should be doing in classrooms, creating a preoccupation not only with literacy in general but also with a specific subset of early literacy skills that often reflect Eurocentric cultural norms and values. This can result in a proliferation of assessments, prescriptive curricula, and skills-based activities that allow little flexibility for teachers. A narrowing of curriculum and expectations, of behaviors that “count” as literacy, limits the potential for teachers to create literacy experiences that build upon the rich funds of knowledge that all children possess. Our understanding of how teachers have been impacted by this and the ways in which contextual variables mitigate expectations and requirements has not been sufficiently developed. In the face of such concerns, this study sought to include preschool teachers’ own descriptions of their literacy practices and their beliefs about early literacy development. Using a mixed-methods approach that included in-depth interviews as well as a questionnaire, narrative portraits were developed for eight pre-k teachers in Texas who worked in various program settings: Head Start, public prekindergarten, “braided” programs, as well as privately funded. A comparative analysis was also conducted, including the application of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory to disentangle the influence of different contextual factors. Teachers navigated a host of different influences on their early literacy practice from local stakeholders and colleagues to policies, cultural values and expectations, as well as shifting expectations for the early literacy skills pre-k children should have in order to be ready for kindergarten. Regardless of their settings or beliefs about teaching, teachers experienced barriers that at times impeded their ability to teach the ways they wanted to. They described a variety of activities and approaches to supporting emerging literacy skills, and they balanced requirements and expectations with a desire to tailor their instruction and learning opportunities in individually appropriate ways. Survey responses mirrored those of previous studies that utilized the same questionnaires in order to develop an understanding of preschool teachers’ literacy beliefs and practices. What emerged was a picture of eight different teachers who believe in the potential of all children and are committed to providing a strong education foundation for the children in their classes. The field of early childhood is notoriously fragmented due to an incoherent system of governance, funding streams, and settings, resulting in a host of complications including expectations that might contradict one another and a redundancy within requirements that means teachers’ time is frequently consumed with paperwork, competing curricula, and duplicate assessments. Future studies should continue to explore how teachers are impacted by the social and political contexts that surround education and literacy, and including teachers’ perspectives is a critical aspect toward the continual improvement of early childhood education.

The concept of flow was examined in relation to the play behavior of preschool children. Thirty-five preschoolers were encouraged to play a beanbag toss game on three separate occasions called Phases I-III. In Phase I, children were allowed to match their skills to the challenges of the task in a choice condition. In Phase II, one group of 12 children again played the game under the choice condition. Two other groups of 11 and 12 children were required to play the game under conditions in which the challenges of the task were assumed to be either greater than or less than their levels of skill. In Phase III, all children again played the game under the choice condition. Five measures of the characteristics of flow, including number of attempts, percentage of successes, ratio of evaluation-seeking behaviors to number of attempts, ratio of off-task behaviors to number of attempts, and ratio of time spent off task to time spent on task were obtained for all phases. A repeated measures MANOVA with three groups and three phases was used to examine the data. A significantly greater number of evaluation-seeking behaviors per attempt were found at Phase I than at Phases II and III, regardless of condition. A significant phase x group interaction for the variable percentage of successes was also found. Post hoc analyses indicated that children in the assigned easy group had a significantly higher success rate at Phase II than at Phases I and III, while the assigned difficult group had a significantly lower rate. The percentages of successes between the three groups were significantly different at Phase II only. The single exposure to an assigned level of challenge may have been insufficient to produce the predicted effects on the characteristics of the flow experience. Subjective comments of the children obtained in Phase II indicated there were some differences in the levels of enjoyment of the task between the three groups. These subjective perceptions offer a possible explanation for the lack of differences on the measures of flow. The subjective comments indicate that throwing the beanbag at the target was enjoyable to the children regardless of their ability to hit the target; therefore the level of challenge may not have been critical. Several suggestions for future testing of the flow model are offered. / Ph. D.

The 1986 Amendments to the Education of All Handicapped Children's Act (P.L. 99-457) require that the individual education plans for students ages three to five, "must include instruction for parents so that they can be active and knowledgeable in assisting in their child's progress" (U.S. House of Representatives Report, 99-860, p. 20). Expansion of special education services to preschool children, will require educators to increase their efforts to involve parents in the child's educational program. Because schools have traditionally focused on child needs, additional insights into the parent involvement process are needed to effectively implement broader-based models more likely to result in active parent involvement. The purpose of this study was to examine teacher and parent perspectives on involvement to better understand the involvement process. Teacher and parent interviews were conducted in a large well-developed public preschool program. The interviews, together with observations and program documents, were analyzed to gain a better understanding of involvement practices. The teachers interpreted the parents’ level of involvement according to how well they complied with teacher prescribed activities and teacher expectations. Parents rated as most involved were seen by the teachers as cooperating with child-level activities, expressing an interest in participating and providing positive feedback for teachers' efforts. However, parents identified as least involved were viewed as not initiating contact with the teacher or showing little interest in participating in program activities. Most teachers relied on positive feedback from the parents to continue their efforts with them and use it to define the relationship with them. The teachers attributed the variations in involvement to family characteristics and to their belief about the family's concern for the child's development. The meanings which the parents gave to the involvement practices were distinct for the least and most involved groups. How the parents conceptualized the child's development and their belief about their impact on it appeared to contribute to parents' perceptions about their role in the involvement process. These differences in role perception can explain their interactions with the teachers as well as their level of participation in activities. Levels of involvement can be further explained by the degree to which activities were relevant to a particular family's needs and the control they felt to act on their own behalf. The understandings gained from examining parent and teacher perspectives of the involvement process can help ensure effective involvement practices with families. / Ed. D.