M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Pressure on children implies external forces making a compelling demand on their time and strength to comply with higher standards of excellence in the classroom and on the sports field. Modern society greatly admires competence and efficiency and places special emphasis on achievement, success and winning. As a result children I s education also reflects a tendency towards intense competition inside and outside the classroom. Several underlying causes are given for the pressure on children. Conflicting values and the expectations of parents and teachers are the most important causes which create a feeling of uncertainty inside the child. It is, therefore, essential for educators to reconsider their attitudes towards children. Pressure as a result of external forces often cause feelings of anxiety in children, affecting their learning abilities, creativity and personality development. In this regard the value of intrinsic motivation must be emphasized. This will enable a child to cope with failure and respond in a positive manner to the challenges of life. The role of competition in the lives of children must be appreciated and educators need to justify their actions on moral grounds. If competition helps the child towards self-fulfilment, promotes cooperation among people, creates equal opportunities for all, recognizes human dignity, sets realistic expectations and protects the individual's health, it can be regarded as healthy competition which can be instrumental in the upliftment of a child's self-image and self-confidence. A modular curriculum is often suggested as a solution for the problem of overloaded curricula which result in over structured lives where children have very little time for themselves. It is the intention of this study to create a greater understanding for the problem of increasing pressures on children in modern society.

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This study compares the scholastic achievement of 2,811 students enrolled in Fairfax County, Virginia, Public Schools for the 1983-1984 school year. Scholastic achievement of an experimental group of 1,068 students enrolled in combination or split/grade classes is compared with a control group of 1,743 students enrolled in regular graded classes. Five research questions were developed, three of which related directly to grade level student scholastic achievement by comparing test results for combination and regular grade classes, and two which attempted to identify any significance resulting from differences used by principals to select teachers and students for placement in combination classes. / Ed. D.

Historically, scheduling has not been a major concern for elementary school principals but has been viewed by many as the task of the secondary principal (Canady, 1985). Recently, however, more attention has been given to the merits of scheduling for several reasons. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of parallel scheduling upon classroom instructional time and the scores of elementary students in language arts and mathematics. Parallel scheduling was defined as the structuring Of the school day by the principal to ensure that specialist schedules (art, music and physical education) and the support schedules (special programs for selected students) enhance rather than fragment the instructional day. This scheduling design ensured that all children received direct teacher instruction without interruption to attend a pull-out program. It also reduced the number of students in the classroom during direct instruction in reading and mathematics allowing the teacher the opportunity to provide direct instruction to 12-15 students without the presence of the remainder of the students in the classroom. This encouraged efficient and effective use of instructional time during each school day. This study was designed to address the following questions: 1. What impact, if any, does the use of parallel scheduling as compared to a regular elementary schedule have upon elementary students? 2. Does the performance level of elementary students in parallel scheduling interact with student achievement? 3. Does parallel scheduling impact classroom instructional time? To accomplish this purpose, a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design was used as the researcher was unable to randomly assign the participants to the pilot and control groups. Data was collected from an assigned pilot school and a control school, that had been matched based on socio-economic level, size of school, and standardized test scores. All students in grades two, four, and five in the pilot and control schools served as subjects for the study. A pre and post-test, the Metropolitan Achievement Test, was utilized to measure growth and achievement of the elementary students. Analysis of covariance was the statistical method used to determine the relationship of parallel scheduled schools and regular scheduled schools with regard to reading, language and mathematics achievement. Secondly, the Classroom Check List, designed by Jane Stallings (1977), was used to collect data relative to the type of activities that were occurring in the classroom, the size of the group involved in their activity, and whether students were working directly with the teacher or independently. The Chi-Square test was used to determine the relationship between classroom activities, size of groups, and whether students worked directly with the teacher or independently. It was determined from this study that there were significant differences in the vocabulary, word recognition, total reading, math computation and post total battery achievement scores of children in parallel scheduling as compared to children in regular scheduled schools. No relationship could be established between classroom activities, the size of student groups, nor the direct interaction with teachers and parallel scheduling. Therefore, no relationship could be established between parallel scheduling and classroom instructional time. / Ed. D.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

There are two principal definitions of response-reinforcer contingency in the current literature which Scott and Piatt (1985) have labeled the phi coefficient and Rescorla index. For both definitions, contingencies are sensitive to two conditional probabilities of reinforcement, that given the occurrence and that given the non-occurrence of the criterion response. However, phi coefficient is sensitive also to the probability of the criterion response. In order to examine the relationship between children's perceived contingencies of teacher reinforcements, as defined by the phi coefficient and Rescorla index, and the children's perceptions of competence and measures of their academic performances, 119 5th grade children (54 boys and 65 girls) were studied. Two variables derived specifically from the phi coefficient, the probability of children's responses and the probability of teacher reinforcements, were also examined in their relationship to perceived contingencies and academic performance. In general, children's perceptions of teachers as both contingently rewarding and punishing, as defined by the phi coefficient and Rescorla index, were predictive of good academic performance by the children and teachers rating them as academically competent. Childrens' perceptions of their academic competence were also predictive of their academic performances and teacher ratings. The children's perceptions of academic competence were related to their reporting themselves as likely to produce positive achievement behavior but unlikely to produce negative achievement behavior. No significant relationship was found between the children's perceived contingencies of teacher reinforcements and their perceptions of their own academic competence. These results were discussed as supporting Bandura's self-efficacy theory. Thus, expectations of reinforcement contingency and expectations of personal competence jointly determine actual competence. The contingency findings support the utility of the Children's Perceived Contingencies of Reinforcements Questionnaire as a measure of contingency in the applied setting.

A Dissertation Submitted to the School of Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, / The idea of psycho-immunity stands as a relatively new field of inquiry focusing on resilience and coping instead of breakdown and pathology. In line with this shift in the literature, the present research has attempted to explore the relationship between the quality of mothering experienced by the child and subsequent patterns of perceived competence revealed by that same child. Black township children were selected as subjects as they are deemed to be a population "at risk" due to the cumulative political and socio-economic exigencies that have affected this community for many years. A total of 72 township children between the ages of 12 -17 were assessed. Both structured and supplementary unstructured instruments were employed in order to measure the quality of the maternal relationship on the one hand, and the child's perception of his/her own competence (or resilience) on the other. Results converged to indicate that for the sample investigated, it was the specific "holding" capacity, availability and involvement of the affectively engaged mother-figure that was most highly correlated with competence of a scholastic nature in early adolescence. Conversely, the intrusive mother who wields power as a parenting style was shown to be more likely to raise a child with a poor sense of social acceptance and competence. These findings provide penetrating insights regarding the potency of the maternal dyad in fostering resilience and competence in off-spring. They offer further understanding of the role of black parenting styles in either promoting or demoting the development of psychologically healthy youths who have the potential to become active participants in a new and more just South Africa. / Andrew Chakane 2018

The purpose of the study is to determine the perception or views of mathematics and science educators on performance of grade 12 learners in Mafikeng district. Little has been written about secondary school educators' views with regard to performance of learners in Mathematics and Science in developing countries like South Africa. The survey method was used to gather data. A 31 item questionnaire was used to evaluate perception of educators in the areas of: Support for educators, Educator involvement, Conditions for teaching and Educators' perception on how educational change affects performance of learners in Mathematics and Science. The subjects of the study were 89 Mathematics and Science educators in the Mafikeng district. The sample was selected from the 31 high schools including senior secondary schools in the district. The empirical investigation conducted revealed that parental involvement in their children's studies is a serious problem that needs immediate attention, in addition to educator qualifications and lack of learning support materials. The study also revealed that improving performance of learners, responsibility and involvement of educators, learners, parents, government and community is essential. The conclusions drawn from the study show that educators' perceptions on performance of learners in Mathematics and Science entail cooperative and supportive structure, regular communication among staff and monitoring of school work for both educators and learners is very important. It is also important that the findings of the research be implemented to improve learner performance. / Thesis (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2003

Orientador: Lígia Ebner Melchiori / Coorientador: Alessandra Turini Bolsoni Silva / Banca: Edna Maria Marturano / Banca: Silvia Regina Ricco L. Sigolo / Resumo: Vários estudiosos têm constatado a importância das Habilidades Sociais Educativas (HSE) de genitores e professores e sua relação com a prevenção do surgimento de problemas de comportamento em crianças. Por outro lado, seu déficit ou a utilização de práticas educativas negativas podem aumentar a probabilidade de desenvolvimento e/ou manutenção de problemas de comportamento infantis. Este estudo teve como objetivo descrever as habilidades sociais educativas (HSE) e práticas das professoras e genitores de crianças, com e sem problemas de comportamento, e também as habilidades sociais (HS), desempenho acadêmico e problemas de comportamento infantis. Participaram quatro crianças de séries iniciais do ensino fundamental de uma escola do interior paulista, duas julgadas sem problemas de comportamento e duas com problemas, segundo a visão das professoras. Os dados foram coletados na escola e na família e são apresentados com quatro estudos de caso. Com as professoras foram utilizados o TRF (Teacher's Report Form - Lista de Verificação Comportamental para Professores) e o Roteiro de Entrevista de Habilidades Sociais Educativas para Professores (RE-HSE-PR). Com as mães, foi utilizado o Questionário de Caracterização do Sistema Familiar e; em ambos os genitores foram aplicados o CBCL (Inventário de Comportamentos da Infância e Adolescência pré-escolares e escolares de 4 a 18 anos) e o Roteiro de Entrevista de Habilidades Sociais Educativas Parentais (RE-HSE-P). Além desses instrumentos, também foi realizada a observação de uma situação de uma situação estruturada de brincadeira entre pai-criança e mãe-criança com a finalidade de descrever os comportamentos dos genitores e das crianças. Descreve-se aqui os principais resultados obtidos. Em relação aos problemas de comportamento... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Many scholars have noted the importance of Social Educational Abilities (SEA) of parents and teachers and its relation with the prevention of the appearing of behavior problems in children. On the other hand, its deficit or the use of negative educational practices can problems. This study had to objective to describe the social educacional abilities and negative practices of the teachers and parents of children with and without behavior problems, and also social abilities (SA), academic performance and behavior problems in children. Four children of the class begginers of elementary school of the a school participated, two judged without behavior problems and two with problems, according to the view of the teachers, their parents and two teachers. Data were collected at school and in the family and are presented as four case studies. With the teachers were utilized TRF (Teacher's Report Form - Behavior Checklist for Teachers) and Interview Script Social Abilities for Teachers Education (RE-HSE-PR). With the mothers, we used the Questionnaire and Family Characteristics, in both parents were administered the CBCL (Behaviors With Inventory for Children and Adolescents for prechoolers and schoolchildren aged 4 to 18 years) and the Guide Interview Parental Social Educational Abilities (RE-HSE-P). Besides these instruments, it was also the observation of a structured situation of play between father-child and mother-child with the purpose of the describing the behavior of parents and children. Describes here the main results. In relation to behavior problems and academic performance the results show that: (a) mothers were more severe in assessing their children without behavior problems than teachers, (b) teacher of children with behavioral problems identified more behaviors problematic in students than their parents, (c) mothers... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:28:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-08-31Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:58:28Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 fonseca_bcr_me_bauru.pdf: 2456465 bytes, checksum: de6434f345609ce88a52f04a7c478728 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Vários estudiosos têm constatado a importância das Habilidades Sociais Educativas (HSE) de genitores e professores e sua relação com a prevenção do surgimento de problemas de comportamento em crianças. Por outro lado, seu déficit ou a utilização de práticas educativas negativas podem aumentar a probabilidade de desenvolvimento e/ou manutenção de problemas de comportamento infantis. Este estudo teve como objetivo descrever as habilidades sociais educativas (HSE) e práticas das professoras e genitores de crianças, com e sem problemas de comportamento, e também as habilidades sociais (HS), desempenho acadêmico e problemas de comportamento infantis. Participaram quatro crianças de séries iniciais do ensino fundamental de uma escola do interior paulista, duas julgadas sem problemas de comportamento e duas com problemas, segundo a visão das professoras. Os dados foram coletados na escola e na família e são apresentados com quatro estudos de caso. Com as professoras foram utilizados o TRF (Teacher's Report Form - Lista de Verificação Comportamental para Professores) e o Roteiro de Entrevista de Habilidades Sociais Educativas para Professores (RE-HSE-PR). Com as mães, foi utilizado o Questionário de Caracterização do Sistema Familiar e; em ambos os genitores foram aplicados o CBCL (Inventário de Comportamentos da Infância e Adolescência pré-escolares e escolares de 4 a 18 anos) e o Roteiro de Entrevista de Habilidades Sociais Educativas Parentais (RE-HSE-P). Além desses instrumentos, também foi realizada a observação de uma situação de uma situação estruturada de brincadeira entre pai-criança e mãe-criança com a finalidade de descrever os comportamentos dos genitores e das crianças. Descreve-se aqui os principais resultados obtidos. Em relação aos problemas de comportamento... / Many scholars have noted the importance of Social Educational Abilities (SEA) of parents and teachers and its relation with the prevention of the appearing of behavior problems in children. On the other hand, its deficit or the use of negative educational practices can problems. This study had to objective to describe the social educacional abilities and negative practices of the teachers and parents of children with and without behavior problems, and also social abilities (SA), academic performance and behavior problems in children. Four children of the class begginers of elementary school of the a school participated, two judged without behavior problems and two with problems, according to the view of the teachers, their parents and two teachers. Data were collected at school and in the family and are presented as four case studies. With the teachers were utilized TRF (Teacher's Report Form - Behavior Checklist for Teachers) and Interview Script Social Abilities for Teachers Education (RE-HSE-PR). With the mothers, we used the Questionnaire and Family Characteristics, in both parents were administered the CBCL (Behaviors With Inventory for Children and Adolescents for prechoolers and schoolchildren aged 4 to 18 years) and the Guide Interview Parental Social Educational Abilities (RE-HSE-P). Besides these instruments, it was also the observation of a structured situation of play between father-child and mother-child with the purpose of the describing the behavior of parents and children. Describes here the main results. In relation to behavior problems and academic performance the results show that: (a) mothers were more severe in assessing their children without behavior problems than teachers, (b) teacher of children with behavioral problems identified more behaviors problematic in students than their parents, (c) mothers... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)