The introduction of a universal, full-time Preparatory Year in all Queensland schools from 2007 is a significant reform in early childhood education and care (ECEC) in that state. Rapidly increasing enrolment of children in full-time Preparatory Year programs in non-government schools has been a feature of the Queensland context over the past decade. These trends, along with efforts towards consistency of services and universal school starting ages across Australian states and territories have prompted this important reform to early education in Queensland. Constructions of the role of parents as consumers of early childhood services and/or partners in their children's early education suggest that consideration of parent views of this reform is both timely and strategic. This thesis reports the findings of a research project investigating parent conceptions of a Preparatory Year in a non-government school in outer urban Queensland. The research used a phenomenographic approach to elicit and describe the qualitatively different ways in which a group of 26 parents viewed the Preparatory Year. Analysis revealed that the range of parent conceptions of the Preparatory Year demonstrated varying emphasis on parent needs, child needs and preparation for future success in school and beyond. The study led to the construction of five categories of description outlining five different ways of understanding the Preparatory Year. The Preparatory Year was viewed in relation to (1) the current needs of the parents, (2) the current needs of the child, (3) preparation for Year One, (4) providing an advantage in primary school, and (5) preparation for future success beyond school. These five categories were linked and differentiated from each other by two central themes, or dimensions of variation: (1) a beneficiary dimension in which either the parent or the child were seen to benefit from the program, and (2) a temporal dimension in which the program was viewed in relation to meeting current needs or preparing for the future. The results of the study suggest that variation exists in the ways that parents may conceptualise the phenomenon of the Preparatory Year in Queensland. Analysis of the data further suggests that tensions exist around whether the Preparatory Year ought to emphasise preparation for the future and/or meet current needs of children; and whether those programs should meet the needs of the parent and/or the needs of the child. This thesis opens up the possibility of future tensions, with the potential for parent preferences for a formal interpretation of the Preparatory Year curriculum being at odds with the new play-based Early Years Curriculum Guidelines. Results of the study suggest that more attention be given to engaging parents and eliciting their views of the early childhood programs experienced by their children. Moreover, it provides an approach for ways in which parent views might be generated, analysed and incorporated into future policy developments and reforms.

The aim of the diploma thesis is to determine the benefits and the function of the preparatory class for children from socially disadvantaged environment. The main criterion for the benefits of preparatory class will be the assessment of teachers and assistants of the preparatory class but also the assessment of the teachers from primary school, who had the experience with teaching children who participated in the preparatory class. This thesis is mainly focused on students from socially disadvantaged environment but it will also compare students from socially disadvantaged environment with students from regular environment. Preparatory classes in the Czech educational system and the participation of students from different social environment in these classes is described and characterized in the first part of the thesis and it presents the issue of the influence of preparatory year for the entry to primary school. The practical part of the thesis is focused on the assessment of benefits of preparatory classes from chosen teachers' point of view. The author will make interviews with pedagogical workers from chosen schools in Jihlava (the thesis will be partly case study and it will follow the bachelor thesis of the author). The quantitative data will be refilled with the information from quantitative research (questionnaires).

Programmering tog 2018 ett stort kliv in matematikundervisningen och det är upp till varje enskild lärare att besluta hur programmering ska integreras i matematikundervisningen. Det var med denna bakgrund som Tekniskt basår på KTH Campus önskade utveckla programmeringslaborationer till studenter på Tekniskt basår 2018/2019. Uppdraget formulerades sedan om till att vi, istället, skulle leda ett fristående introduktionsmoment i programmering för nuvarande Tekniskt basårsstudenter (VT2019). Syftet med detta examensarbete var att kartlägga svårigheter som tidigare Tekniskt basårsstudenter haft då de läste sin första programmeringskurs på ett ingenjörsprogram. De funna svårigheterna skulle sedan ligga till grund för ett introduktionsmoment för nuvarande studenter på Tekniskt basår. En enkätundersökning på tidigare studenter utfördes för att samla in data för att identifiera svårigheterna som sedan kategoriserades genom en tematisk analys. Introduktionsmomentet skapades med mindre uppgifter utifrån idéer från problembaserat och induktivt lärande. Resultatet pekar på sju teman av svårigheter, nämligen abstrakt, komplext, teori, arbetssättet, kursen, nytt och övriga svårigheter. Resultaten av svårigheterna liknar det som tidigare kartläggningar av programmeringssvårigheter har funnit. Ett förslag på ett induktivt introduktionsmoment influerat av problembaserat lärande presenteras och analyseras utifrån de funna svårigheterna. Vidare forskning skulle kunna följa upp om studenterna upplevde att svårigheterna blev avdramatiserade genom introduktionsmomentet samt utvärdera hur introduktionsmomentet kan tas vidare på Tekniskt basår. / In 2018, programming became an integral part of mathematics education in Sweden. However, the choice of how to integrate it with the curriculum remains a decision of the teacher. Consequently, teachers at KTH’s Technical Preparatory Year announced a master’s degree project aiming to design programming labs in mathematics for students attending the program during 2018/2019. The degree project was reformulated to focus on introducing programming without the mathematical context. The aim of this master thesis was to pinpoint earlier students’ difficulties during the introductory course in programming of their engineering program at KTH. These difficulties would later be the basis of the programming introduction for the current Technical Preparatory Year students. A review of the research literature on the learning of programming identified a number of common areas of concern. In order to collect data to identify our prior students’ difficulties a survey was designed. The data collected in the survey was then categorized through a thematic analysis. The results indicated seven themes of difficulties: abstract, complex, theory, work procedure, programming courses, new and miscellaneous. The results are similar to those found in prior categorizations of programming difficulties. Taking these themes into consideration, a suggestion of the content for the introduction was presented based on ideas from inductive learning and problem based learning. Future research should focus on determining whether the introduction dealt with the difficulties and what the effects were. Furthermore, future research could develop the material for the introduction, in particular how students are assessed.

It is imperative to prepare South African learners to participate and function confidently within the context of a rapidly changing world. The curriculum of the South African Education System emphasises the significance of optimising learners‟ cognitive development as early as pre-school age to enable them to become creative and critical citizens who lead purposeful lives in a safe and prejudice-free environment. Despite continuous efforts by educators to optimise cognitive development, recently executed research studies indicate that cognitive development has not been adequately optimised in South African schools. This study was undertaken to establish the cognitive development level (cognitive and meta-cognitive skills and strategies, cognitive functions and non-intellective factors) of Grade R-learners and to determine the effect of an intervention programme, the Cognitive Enhancement Programme for Pre-schoolers (CEPP), on their cognitive development. By means of a literature study, I investigated whether, to what extent the cognitive development of Grade R-learners was taking place, and established which cognitive and meta-cognitive thinking skills and strategies, cognitive functions and non-intellective factors are required for effective cognitive development among Grade R-learners. In addition to this, the role of mediation for optimising cognitive development was investigated. A concurrent embedded mixed methods design was conducted in the implementation of the research. Intervention research within a quasi-experimental research design was applied. The data collection by means of a quantitative strategy (quasi-experimental research) and qualitative strategy (observation study) was executed simultaneously. By means of convenient sampling, one Grade R-class with twenty learners was subjected to a pre-test to establish their cognitive developmental level. The test results as well as the observations conducted during the pre-test revealed that the learners experienced problems related to their cognitive development. Ten of the twenty learners were then divided purposively based on their test performance into two experimental groups, Experimental Group A and Experimental Group B consisting of five participants each. Experimental group A and Experimental Group B took part in the CEPP intervention based on the principles of mediation on a rotational basis over a period of twelve weeks, during which intentional attempts were made to optimise their cognitive development. Both groups completed a post-test and delayed post-test (retention) to determine the effect of the CEPP intervention on their cognitive development. In addition to the test results, observations in the form of structured running and anecdotal records and reflective notes were utilised to understand the nature and quality of the cognitive development of the learners better. Furthermore, the effect of the intervention on their cognitive development was established. The cognitive development of Grade R-learners who participated in this study was optimised, which is a clear indication that cognitive capacity can be optimised when instruction is based on the principles of mediation / PhD, Teaching and Learning, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

It is imperative to prepare South African learners to participate and function confidently within the context of a rapidly changing world. The curriculum of the South African Education System emphasises the significance of optimising learners‟ cognitive development as early as pre-school age to enable them to become creative and critical citizens who lead purposeful lives in a safe and prejudice-free environment. Despite continuous efforts by educators to optimise cognitive development, recently executed research studies indicate that cognitive development has not been adequately optimised in South African schools. This study was undertaken to establish the cognitive development level (cognitive and meta-cognitive skills and strategies, cognitive functions and non-intellective factors) of Grade R-learners and to determine the effect of an intervention programme, the Cognitive Enhancement Programme for Pre-schoolers (CEPP), on their cognitive development. By means of a literature study, I investigated whether, to what extent the cognitive development of Grade R-learners was taking place, and established which cognitive and meta-cognitive thinking skills and strategies, cognitive functions and non-intellective factors are required for effective cognitive development among Grade R-learners. In addition to this, the role of mediation for optimising cognitive development was investigated. A concurrent embedded mixed methods design was conducted in the implementation of the research. Intervention research within a quasi-experimental research design was applied. The data collection by means of a quantitative strategy (quasi-experimental research) and qualitative strategy (observation study) was executed simultaneously. By means of convenient sampling, one Grade R-class with twenty learners was subjected to a pre-test to establish their cognitive developmental level. The test results as well as the observations conducted during the pre-test revealed that the learners experienced problems related to their cognitive development. Ten of the twenty learners were then divided purposively based on their test performance into two experimental groups, Experimental Group A and Experimental Group B consisting of five participants each. Experimental group A and Experimental Group B took part in the CEPP intervention based on the principles of mediation on a rotational basis over a period of twelve weeks, during which intentional attempts were made to optimise their cognitive development. Both groups completed a post-test and delayed post-test (retention) to determine the effect of the CEPP intervention on their cognitive development. In addition to the test results, observations in the form of structured running and anecdotal records and reflective notes were utilised to understand the nature and quality of the cognitive development of the learners better. Furthermore, the effect of the intervention on their cognitive development was established. The cognitive development of Grade R-learners who participated in this study was optimised, which is a clear indication that cognitive capacity can be optimised when instruction is based on the principles of mediation / PhD, Teaching and Learning, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

Programmering tog 2018 ett stort kliv in matematikundervisningen och det är upp till varjeenskild lärare att besluta hur programmering ska integreras i matematikundervisningen. Detvar med denna bakgrund som Tekniskt basår på KTH Campus önskade utvecklaprogrammeringslaborationer till studenter på Tekniskt basår 2018/2019. Uppdragetformulerades sedan om till att vi, istället, skulle leda ett fristående introduktionsmoment iprogrammering för nuvarande Tekniskt basårsstudenter (VT2019).Syftet med detta examensarbete var att kartlägga svårigheter som tidigare Teknisktbasårsstudenter haft då de läste sin första programmeringskurs på ett ingenjörsprogram. Defunna svårigheterna skulle sedan ligga till grund för ett introduktionsmoment för nuvarandestudenter på Tekniskt basår. En enkätundersökning på tidigare studenter utfördes för attsamla in data för att identifiera svårigheterna som sedan kategoriserades genom en tematiskanalys. Introduktionsmomentet skapades med mindre uppgifter utifrån idéer frånproblembaserat och induktivt lärande.Resultatet pekar på sju teman av svårigheter, nämligen abstrakt, komplext, teori,arbetssättet, kursen, nytt och övriga svårigheter. Resultaten av svårigheterna liknar det somtidigare kartläggningar av programmeringssvårigheter har funnit. Ett förslag på ett induktivtintroduktionsmoment influerat av problembaserat lärande presenteras och analyseras utifrånde funna svårigheterna.Vidare forskning skulle kunna följa upp om studenterna upplevde att svårigheterna blevavdramatiserade genom introduktionsmomentet samt utvärdera hur introduktionsmomentetkan tas vidare på Tekniskt basår. / In 2018, programming became an integral part of mathematics education in Sweden. However, the choice of how to integrate it with the curriculum remains a decision of the teacher. Consequently, teachers at KTH’s Technical Preparatory Year announced a master’s degree project aiming to design programming labs in mathematics for students attending the program during 2018/2019. The degree project was reformulated to focus on introducing programming without the mathematical context. The aim of this master thesis was to pinpoint earlier students’ difficulties during theintroductory course in programming of their engineering program at KTH. These difficulties would later be the basis of the programming introduction for the current Technical Preparatory Year students. A review of the research literature on the learning of programming identified a number of common areas of concern. In order to collect data to identify our prior students’ difficulties a survey was designed. The data collected in the survey was then categorized through a thematic analysis.The results indicated seven themes of difficulties: abstract, complex, theory, work procedure, programming courses, new and miscellaneous. The results are similar to those found in prior categorizations of programming difficulties. Taking these themes into consideration, a suggestion of the content for the introduction was presented based on ideas from inductive learning and problem based learning. Future research should focus on determining whether the introduction dealt with the difficulties and what the effects were. Furthermore, future research could develop the material for the introduction, in particular how students are assessed.

Detta arbete syftar till att utveckla ett förslag på ett utbildningsmaterial i form av en programmeringsorienterad fysik- och matematiklaboration. Målgruppen är i förstahand studenter som läser andra terminen i det ingenjörsförberedande programmet Tekniskt basår (KTH), men även studenter på motsvarande kunskapsnivå (tillexempel elever i gymnasiets naturvetenskapliga program). Laborationen konstruerades för att skapa förutsättningar för studenterna att:1) Visa på kritiskt tänkande,2) visa på kollaboration,3) öka ämnesförståelsen. Det föreslagna utbildningsmaterialet omfattar området beräkningsfysik, där en ickelinjärdifferentialekvation härled från en matematisk pendel ska lösas med hjälp avnumeriska metoder. Laborationens uppgifter formulerades med kritiskt tänkande som utgångspunkt och utfördes med parprogrammering som samarbetsform för kollaboration. I detta arbete undersöktes punkter 1) och 2) i en utbildningssituation med elever från andra terminen på Tekniskt basår. Fyra elevgruppers konversationer spelades in och en innehållsanalys utfördes på transkriberingen av ljudinspelningen. En mönsterjämförelsemetod användes för att stärka slutsatserna. Utifrån resultaten av undersökningsprojektet konstaterade vi att den teoretiska propositionen om att laborationskonstruktionen har medverkat till elevernas kollaboration och appliceringav kritiskt tänkande, har stärkts. / This work aims to develop a proposal for educational material in the form of a programming-oriented Physics and Mathematics lab. The target group is mainly students from the second semester in the Technical Preparatory Year program (KTH), but also students of equivalent knowledge level (for example, students in the upper secondary school- natural science program). The lab was designed to create opportunity for students to:1) apply critical thinking, 2) demonstrate collaboration, 3) increase subject understanding. The proposed educational material comprises computational physics, where a non linear differential equation derived from a mathematical pendulum is solved using numerical methods. The exercises in the lab were formulated with critical thinking in mind and pair programming was used as the context for collaboration. In this paper 1) and 2) were investigated in an educational setting with students from the second semester of the Technical Preporatory Year (KTH). The conversations of four student groups were recorded and a content analysis was performed on the transcriptions of the audio recordings. A pattern matching method was used to strengthen the conclusions. Based on the results of the research project, we found that the theoretical proposition that the construction of the laboratory work has contributed to the collaboration and application of critical thinking by the students,has been strengthened.

Detta arbete syftar till att utveckla ett förslag på ett utbildningsmaterial i form av en programmeringsorienterad fysik- och matematiklaboration. Målgruppen är i första hand studenter som läser andra terminen i det ingenjörsförberedande programmet Tekniskt basår (KTH), men även studenter på motsvarande kunskapsnivå (till exempel elever i gymnasiets naturvetenskapliga program). Laborationen konstruerades för att skapa förutsättningar för studenterna att: 1) Visa på kritiskt tänkande, 2) visa på kollaboration, 3) öka ämnesförståelsen. Det föreslagna utbildningsmaterialet omfattar området beräkningsfysik, där en ickelinjär differentialekvation härled från en matematisk pendel ska lösas med hjälp av numeriska metoder. Laborationens uppgifter formulerades med kritiskt tänkande som utgångspunkt och utfördes med parprogrammering som samarbetsform för kollaboration. I detta arbete undersöktes punkter 1) och 2) i en utbildningssituation med elever från andra terminen på Tekniskt basår. Fyra elevgruppers konversationer spelades in och en innehållsanalys utfördes på transkriberingen av ljudinspelningen. En mönsterjämförelsemetod användes för att stärka slutsatserna. Utifrån resultaten av undersökningsprojektet konstaterade vi att den teoretiska propositionen om att laborationskonstruktionen har medverkat till elevernas kollaboration och applicering av kritiskt tänkande, har stärkts. / This work aims to develop a proposal for educational material in the form of a programming-oriented Physics and Mathematics lab. The target group is mainly students from the second semester in the Technical Preparatory Year program (KTH), but also students of equivalent knowledge level (for example, students in the upper secondary school- natural science program). The lab was designed to create opportunity for students to: 1) apply critical thinking, 2) demonstrate collaboration, 3) increase subject understanding. The proposed educational material comprises computational physics, where a nonlinear differential equation derived from a mathematical pendulum is solved using numerical methods. The exercises in the lab were formulated with critical thinking in mind and pair programming was used as the context for collaboration. In this paper 1) and 2) were investigated in an educational setting with students from the second semester of the Technical Preporatory Year (KTH). The conversations of four student groups were recorded and a content analysis was performed on the transcriptions of the audio recordings. A pattern matching method was used to strengthen the conclusions. Based on the results of the research project, we found that the theoretical proposition that the construction of the laboratory work has contributed to the collaboration and application of critical thinking by the students, has been strengthened.

The rapid pace with which internet technology has entered our daily lives provides an opportunity for English language teachers to incorporate some such platforms in their teaching. This study investigates the attitudes of Saudi Arabian learners towards online communication in EFL. It takes place in a university preparatory program at Taibah University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Questionnaires and interviews were used to gather data pertaining to the attitudes’ of Saudi Arabian learners to online communication in EFL. In order to achieve its aims, this study uses both quantitative and qualitative data to inform EFL practitioners of learners’ attitudes towards English, online communication in general and online communication for EFL purposes. / Educational Studies / M.A. (TESOL)

The rapid pace with which internet technology has entered our daily lives provides an opportunity for English language teachers to incorporate some such platforms in their teaching. This study investigates the attitudes of Saudi Arabian learners towards online communication in EFL. It takes place in a university preparatory program at Taibah University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Questionnaires and interviews were used to gather data pertaining to the attitudes’ of Saudi Arabian learners to online communication in EFL. In order to achieve its aims, this study uses both quantitative and qualitative data to inform EFL practitioners of learners’ attitudes towards English, online communication in general and online communication for EFL purposes. / Educational Studies / M.A. (TESOL)