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My goal in undertaking this research was to contribute to strengthening kindergarten educational practices in Kuwait with particular focus on literacy development. I was interested in the instructional techniques, tools, methods, language activities that would make sense to Arabic kindergartners and help them learn the formal, written register (i.e., formal literary Arabic) required in Kuwait. To this end, I used part of my graduate studies in education visiting and observing several kindergarten classes in the United States. During those visits, I noted that storybook reading was given a great deal of attention. Storybook reading is the process by which the teacher shares the content of storybooks with students, while at the same time encouraging social interaction (reading, showing illustrations, and encouraging student participation and conversation). This early exposure to storybook reading appears to support early literacy for American school children. My aim in undertaking this study was to develop an appropriate and effective literacy program for young children in my country. Specifically, I wanted a case of literacy development and storybook reading that might reveal important patterns in teaching early literacy. I planned four research objectives: (1) to document and analyze a Head Start teacher's verbal explanation of literacy teaching and storybook reading; (2) to observe the teacher's practices with respect to literacy teaching and storybook reading; and (3) to examine the extent and nature of students' participation in classroom literacy activities including storybook reading. My method of data collection was ethnographic, incorporating participant observation and verbal exchanges. I used the two methods simultaneously. Participant observation (including field notes, jot notes, reflective journal, audio-tapes, video-tapes, pictures, and artifacts) gave me richer access to the internal dynamics of the storybook reading event. Verbal exchanges, including in-depth interviews and informal discussions, enabled me to examine the participants' perceptions of literacy and literacy events. In-depth interviews enabled me to probe for participants' explanation of any unusual observations. Informal discussion enabled me to probe certain situations that I did not anticipate, ask for explanations of things that just cropped up, and give the teacher and the students opportunities to share with me things they felt I should know. The Head Start teacher explained that literacy spans most other activities and is a part of every day life. According to her, literacy occurs naturally while children are engaged in everyday routines at home, school, or in the community. She added that children learn reading and writing long before formal instruction and that there is a connection between print and the visual symbols that surround it. The use of storybook reading, she said, helps children to develop a positive attitude to books and a global sense of the world. To help children acquire literacy, the teacher provides an appropriate physical environment, including storybook reading, interaction with others, extensive involvement in literacy activities, and a generous display of print. The teacher used a multi-method approach and stimuli before, during, and after reading the story. Storybook reading was used to increase children's access to books, introduce the children to book conventions, integrate literacy and other curricular activities, encourage and empower students to actively participate in their learning, and to encourage cultural appreciation, and intercultural sensitivity. The students played several important roles during storybook reading: listening, conversing, collaborating, making decisions, choosing the books to be read, making seating arrangements, and helping the teacher. The four focal children manifested different reading characteristics including play reading, reading awareness, reading skills, reading development, writing and art, writing play, writing awareness, and writing skills. The findings of this study indicate that storybook reading is not only a source of enjoyment but an important stepping-stone to other language skills and a great stimulus for creativity in young children. To extend the insights that I have gained from the study to my country, and as instructor in the Kindergarten Curriculum Instruction Department of the Kuwait Basic College of Education, I plan to model some of the most significant findings of the study in my teaching and teacher training activities. Aspects of the findings that I plan to model are: (a) integrated learning; (b) learner-centered education; (c) collaborative learning; (d) variations in method; and (e) student empowerment. In addition, I plan to implement a follow-up action research enabling my students to develop and implement a more child-centered, and more meaningful instructional practices in Kuwaiti kindergarten classrooms. Another way in which I plan to extend the benefits of this research to my country and other Arab-speaking countries is to publish this study in Arabic. / Ph. D.

No description available.

<p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Detta arbete handlar om hur den första undervisningen av läs- och skrivinlärning kan bedrivas. Utgångspunkter för undersökningen var att jag anser att det är av stor vikt att lära sig läsa och skriva i dagens samhälle och det är ett högt prioriterat mål i läroplanen. Eftersom jag i mitt yrke ska arbeta med läs- och skrivinlärning tänkte jag att jag behövde mer kunskap om hur den egentligen går till. Jag ville också veta hur man kan bedriva undervisning på ett sätt som gynnar alla elever, eftersom alla lär på olika sätt. Jag har undersökt hur pedagoger som arbetar med elever i förskoleklass och klass 1 kan bedriva sin undervisning i ämnet.</p><p>Min problemprecisering lyder:</p><p>Hur kan man utforma läs- och skrivundervisningen i förskoleklass och klass 1?</p><p>Detta område har i arbetet diskuterats utifrån olika litteraturstudier. Jag har också gjort intervjuer med tre pedagoger; en förskollärare, en lågstadielärare och en 1-7 lärare.</p><p>Det viktigaste som kom fram i min undersökning är att undervisningen kan bedrivas på flera olika sätt och att varje lärare måste hitta sin egen fungerande metod. Man bör dock använda sig av en blandning av syntetiska och analytiska metoder och arbeta med bokstavsljud istället för namnen på bokstäverna. Man bör också ha en undervisning som är varierande och lustfylld för eleverna och det är viktigt att man individualiserar undervisningen efter elevers olika behov.</p><p>Nyckelord: analytisk metod, läsinlärning, skrivinlärning, syntesisk metod, undervisning</p> / <p>Abstract</p><p>This document is about how the first teaching of literacy learning can be done. I think that it is very important to learn how to read and write in the society of today and it´s clearly written in the curriculum that it is important for the pupils to learn how to read and write, this is the starting point of this examination. Since my profession means that I will be teaching literacy learning I felt that I needed more knowledge in the subject. I also wanted to know how to teach in a way that favour all pupils, since every child learn in different way. I did study how teachers that works with pupils in their first years at school can run their teaching in the subject.</p><p>My question at issue is:</p><p>How can the teaching of literacy learning be done with pupils in their first years at school?</p><p>This subject has in this document been discussed out of different literature. I have also done intervjues with three teachers.</p><p>The most important that I learned from this examination is that the teaching can be done in many different ways, every teacher needs to find their own way of working. You should however use a mixture of synthetic and analytic methods and work with the sounds of the letters instead of their names. You should also make the teaching varying and pleasurable for the pupils and it is important that you individualize the teaching to the different needs your pupils have got.</p><p>Keywords: literacy learning, synthetic method, analytic method, teaching</p>

Sammanfattning Detta arbete handlar om hur den första undervisningen av läs- och skrivinlärning kan bedrivas. Utgångspunkter för undersökningen var att jag anser att det är av stor vikt att lära sig läsa och skriva i dagens samhälle och det är ett högt prioriterat mål i läroplanen. Eftersom jag i mitt yrke ska arbeta med läs- och skrivinlärning tänkte jag att jag behövde mer kunskap om hur den egentligen går till. Jag ville också veta hur man kan bedriva undervisning på ett sätt som gynnar alla elever, eftersom alla lär på olika sätt. Jag har undersökt hur pedagoger som arbetar med elever i förskoleklass och klass 1 kan bedriva sin undervisning i ämnet. Min problemprecisering lyder: Hur kan man utforma läs- och skrivundervisningen i förskoleklass och klass 1? Detta område har i arbetet diskuterats utifrån olika litteraturstudier. Jag har också gjort intervjuer med tre pedagoger; en förskollärare, en lågstadielärare och en 1-7 lärare. Det viktigaste som kom fram i min undersökning är att undervisningen kan bedrivas på flera olika sätt och att varje lärare måste hitta sin egen fungerande metod. Man bör dock använda sig av en blandning av syntetiska och analytiska metoder och arbeta med bokstavsljud istället för namnen på bokstäverna. Man bör också ha en undervisning som är varierande och lustfylld för eleverna och det är viktigt att man individualiserar undervisningen efter elevers olika behov. Nyckelord: analytisk metod, läsinlärning, skrivinlärning, syntesisk metod, undervisning / Abstract This document is about how the first teaching of literacy learning can be done. I think that it is very important to learn how to read and write in the society of today and it´s clearly written in the curriculum that it is important for the pupils to learn how to read and write, this is the starting point of this examination. Since my profession means that I will be teaching literacy learning I felt that I needed more knowledge in the subject. I also wanted to know how to teach in a way that favour all pupils, since every child learn in different way. I did study how teachers that works with pupils in their first years at school can run their teaching in the subject. My question at issue is: How can the teaching of literacy learning be done with pupils in their first years at school? This subject has in this document been discussed out of different literature. I have also done intervjues with three teachers. The most important that I learned from this examination is that the teaching can be done in many different ways, every teacher needs to find their own way of working. You should however use a mixture of synthetic and analytic methods and work with the sounds of the letters instead of their names. You should also make the teaching varying and pleasurable for the pupils and it is important that you individualize the teaching to the different needs your pupils have got. Keywords: literacy learning, synthetic method, analytic method, teaching

Den formella läs- och skrivundervisningen i Sverige inleds i årskurs 1. Hur läs- och skrivundervisning bedrivs kan skilja sig åt mellan olika klasser. Trageton (2005) har utvecklat en läs- och skrivinlärningsmetod där inlärningen sker via dator. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka och utvärdera hur ett antal läs-, skriv- och språkförmågor påverkas av Tragetons läs- och skrivinlärningsmetod via dator jämfört med traditionell läs- och skrivinlärning. I studien deltog totalt 26 elever i årskurs 1 på en skola i Östergötland. Datorklassen utgjordes av 13 elever i en klass med läs- och skrivinlärning via dator. Kontrollgruppen utgjordes av 13 elever i en klass med traditionellt läs- och skrivinlärningssätt. Grupperna testades med ett flertal läs-, skriv- och språktest på hösten och våren. Resultaten visade att datorklassen hade fler antal deltagare som kvalificerade sig för testning av läsning på samtliga nivåer. Resultaten på skrivtest visade att kontrollgruppen hade bättre läsbarhet av handstil medan datorklassen var bättre på skriftligt berättande på dator. Resultaten indikerar att båda inlärningssätten har effekt på läs- och skrivinlärningen hos elever i årskurs 1 och att vart och ett av inlärningssätten stärker olika förmågor inom läsning och skrivning. / Formal literacy education in Sweden begins in first grade. How reading and writing education is conducted may differ between classes. Trageton (2005) has developed a literacy learning method in which the computer plays a significant role. The aim of this study was to examine and evaluate how a number of literacy and language abilities are affected by computer based literacy learning developed by Trageton, compared to traditional literacy learning. In the present study, 26 students in first grade from a school in Östergötland participated. The computer based group consisted of 13 students who attended a class in which computer based literacy learning was used. The control group consisted of 13 students who attended a class in which traditional literacy learning was used. A number of literacy and language tests were administrated in both fall and spring time. The results showed that more participants in the computer based group, than in the control group, qualified for reading tests at all levels. The results in the writing test showed that the control group performed better in handwriting while the computer based group performed better in written narratives on the computer. The results of the present study indicate that both literacy learning methods have an effect on reading and writing skills in students in first grade. The results also indicate that each of the learning methods improve various reading and writing skills.

The study seeks to investigate four preschool teachers’ views of making literacy learning a pleasurable experience in preschool class and to identify any differences in their views. The study is based on interviews with four teachers with at least ten years’ experience of work in preschool class. The teachers work in three different municipalities. The result shows that making literacy learning pleasurable is a complex concept, which means that a varied way of working is necessary so that as many pupils as possible will find learning to read a pleasurable experience. Above all, the teachers make learning to read a pleasure through shared activities, in which play, reading aloud and linguistic awareness are important elements in the teaching. The Bornholm model is a common denominator in the work of learning to read for the four preschool teachers, as a consequence of which the teachers’ views of making literacy learning pleasurable are relatively similar.

The local district in this study has not made adequate yearly progress in the past several years in language arts literacy on state assessments. Particularly problematic were poor reading skills among district students. Poor literacy skills negatively affect student learning across the curriculum. The purpose of this case study was to identify teachers' and administrators' perceptions of best literacy practices, professional development, and administrative decisions regarding literacy learning for primary students in reading at a strong performing elementary school in the district. The target school was selected to help address reading failure for the low-performing schools in this district. Bloom's taxonomy of learning, which indicates that higher-level learning is based on foundational knowledge that is often provided at the primary level, was the framework for this study. A bounded case study was conducted that included a purposeful sample of 7 elementary teachers of language arts from Pre-K to 2nd grades and 2 administrators at the target elementary school. Classroom observations and interviews were used to collect data. NVivo was used to assist in coding, analysis of data, and identification of recurring themes. The findings indicated that an outcome-based curriculum incorporating Bloom's levels of learning coupled with supportive district decisions regarding literacy were key components driving literacy success at the target school. The findings were incorporated into a policy paper as a project to propose and support elementary level reading curriculum changes and administrative decisions regarding literacy success for elementary students in the local district. Implications for positive social change might be far reaching as elementary school students in this district benefit from literacy skills that improve their academic success and ultimately their overall quality of life.

Den här studien går ut på att undersöka vilka arbetssätt lärare använder sig av när det gäller undervisningen i läsutveckling i skolans tidigaste åldrar, samt varför de väljer just dessa. Studien bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra verksamma lärare i förskoleklass och årskurs 1. Resultatet av undersökningen är att lärarna blandar flera olika metoder, och arbetssätt, för att individanpassa sin undervisning och nå varje enskild elev. / This study aims to examine the working methods that teachers use in reading development in the early years education, as well as why they choose these methods. The study is based on qualitative interviews with four active teachers in preschool-class and first grade. The result of the study says that teachers mix different methods, and approaches, to individualize their teaching and reach each individual student at their level.

A longitudinal study lasting 3.5 years was conducted to investigate complex grammar development, focusing on acquisition of the passive and type 3 conditionals, and its relationship with a number of domain-general, domain-specific and environmental factors. 128 children (M = 5 years 10 months) were tested at the beginning and towards the end of each school year starting from Year 1. The administered measures included established tests of fluid intelligence, short-term and working memory, seriation, grammar, vocabulary, literacy and arithmetic, plus newly-developed tests of passive and conditional sentence acquisition, and arithmetic word problem solving. It was demonstrated that grammar acquisition is not complete even when children start Year 4 of primary school (M = 8 years 7 months), when the current study was completed. At that time, 32% of children have not acquired type 3 conditionals and 89% showed no understanding of centre-embedded sentences. However, only 3% showed no passive sentence acquisition. Fluid intelligence, verbal STM and WM, ability to seriate, vocabulary and parental education level were all found to contribute to individual differences in complex grammar acquisition, independently of age differences and, where relevant, independently of non-verbal ability. There were differences between the passives and the conditionals in their relationship to these variables. Complex grammar development was found to be a significant predictor of reading comprehension, spelling and arithmetic performance, independently of age, non-verbal ability, verbal STM and WM. The findings demonstrate the inter-relatedness of higher cognitive functions, particularly domain-general with domain-specific ones. Modularity in its strictest sense (informational encapsulation, functional isolation) is not present in normally developing brains. Educational applications of the results are discussed.