Magister Educationis - MEd / Learners in mainstream schools have diverse learning needs and experience a variety of learning barriers. Many of the learners struggle to read and write, and are therefore in need of assistance to enhance their academic performance. In addition, schools and teachers tend to assess leaners predominantly through writing methods and prefer text-based approaches in the form of writing over numerous other forms of assessment methods prescribed in the National Policy Pertaining to the Programme and Promotion Requirements (NPPR) (DBE: 2012). However, there are other ways through which learners can be assessed. This study explored the use of scribes as an alternative method to assist learners with learning barriers. The study examined the challenges relating to alternative methods of assessment within the inclusive education paradigm which seeks to accommodate different learning needs in South African schools. The study investigated factors that influence the implementation of alternative assessment to assist learners with diverse learning barriers. This study was conducted within the framework of a qualitative case study research methodology. Data collection methods included the use of questionnaires, document analysis and semi-structured interviews with teachers in Cape Town at a primary school (which constituted the case). The research eek answers to the following research question to understand why the phenomena exist; What factors influence the use of alternative assessment methods such as the use of scribes? The research also aimed to understand teachers‟ views and perceptions regarding the implementation and processes of alternative assessment methods.

In the early 1960s, civil rights organizers in American cities designed a novel response to the urban and educational crises unfolding around them: hiring local residents, primarily the mothers of schoolchildren, to work in public schools. Local hiring, they argued, would improve instruction, connect schools to communities, and create jobs. Working with allies in antipoverty programs and teacher unions, they created demonstration programs and pushed funding for them into federal law. American school districts responded by hiring half a million community-based paraprofessional educators between 1965 and 1975. Today, despite the waning of the movements that created their positions, over one million paraprofessionals work in public schools. “The Work of Education” explores the lives and labor of community-based para-professional educators from 1953 to 1983. These educators took part in struggles to create their jobs, and once hired, they made themselves essential to students, parents, and teachers. They built on these classroom solidarities to secure and expand community-based educational work through unionization. Their campaigns transformed the social geography of public schooling and expanded the social welfare state in an era of scarcity. Their work generated new pedagogies and curricula, new models for teacher recruitment, and new opportunities for progressive politics and labor organizing in the 1970s. This project reveals a structural, job-creating side of the War on Poverty and an understudied legacy of black and Hispanic freedom struggles led by women. Community-based educators imagined a more equitable, democratic future for American cities. Their ideas and organizing strategies might yet inspire those who seek such a future today.

The aim of this research is to explore the views of pupils, parents and teachers about homework at Maylandsea Community Primary School. Specifically it is designed to investigate their opinions about the value and purpose of homework, about what sort of homework they think may be most suitable for primary aged children, about the different roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in the homework process and about ways in which homework activities might promote children’s involvement and their enjoyment of learning. These collected views were then used to prepare a framework to provide guidance, clarification and exposition in order to assist members of the school community. This research is designed to address the paucity of understanding about homework in a primary school and to discover if and why parents, pupils and teachers think that homework is valuable and worthwhile. This study is located within a qualitative, epistemological paradigm and it employs a social constructivist research methodology. The researcher adopts the stance that homework is a socially constructed, socially described and socially conceptualised activity. This is insider research and the researcher is also the school’s headteacher. There is an acknowledgement that action research models and participatory enquiry approaches have influenced the research design but have not defined it. This research is a single case study located within one semi-rural primary school in Essex. This study finds that parents, pupils and teachers recognise that homework has an important role to play in helping primary age children to learn, in developing positive learning habits and in promoting good personal and social skills. It discovers that there is confusion about parents’ roles in supporting homework. It demonstrates that homework should be made meaningful for families and engaging for pupils and that the foundation for successful homework lies within the quality of the tripartite relationships between teachers, children and parents. This thesis offers a new framework to support teachers and families and it concludes that, whilst existing literature is ambivalent in terms of the value, purpose and effectiveness of homework, stakeholders at this primary school consider it to have positive benefits both for learning and for the personal development of young children. However, these benefits are most evident when the homework tasks are interesting, varied, personalised and relevant to learners’ needs. Families are supportive of homework when they can appreciate that it is meaningful to them and their children.

This study focuses on science education in primary school. The aim is to systematize and exemplify the content in primary science, not only scientific content but everything surrounding teaching in science, in the forms of a didactical model. The study was performed in grades 1-3 (ages 7-10) in a Swedish primary- and lower secondary school. Four primary school teachers and their classes were followed in their teaching in science education. The empirical data consists of field notes, video- and audio recordings from in total 17 science lessons. The results show how science education in primary school contains much more than just teaching a scientific content. The results also show how teachers, in relation to, and simultaneously with, the scientific content, also teach students in speaking, reading, writing and in social interaction with others. The three types of content areas that were identified were systematized into a didactical model called ‘didactic score’. The didactic score highlights that all these parts in the teaching situation is performed simultaneously, but that different parts may be fore fronted and other parts may be put in the background during the process of teaching. The teacher has a prominent role in directing the students’ attention towards the different parts in the didactic score, in order to give the students conditions for creating continuity in the learning process.

Book Summary: Gode læringsmiljøer for børn giver ideer til, hvordan man kan skabe gode udviklings- og læringsmiljøer i daginstitution og skole, så børn på samme tid kan have gode børneliv og lære noget i inspirerende og spændende omgivelser.

Theses (MSc.(Med.)(Pharmacy))--University of Limpopo, 2009. / Background: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the current diagnostic label for children presenting with significant problems with attention, and typically with impulsiveness and excessive activity as well. It is the most common neurobehavioural disorder of childhood, and therefore critical to clarify the diagnosis. ADHD is a seemingly heterogeneous group of behaviour disorders affecting between 5% - 10% of primary school children. Overdiagnosis of ADHD and overprescribing of stimulants are considered problems in some communities, emphasising the need for careful evaluation and diagnosis. Methylphenidate is currently the first choice of treatment. The main focus of this study was to investigate whether the diagnosis of these children was done by field experts according to the criteria as set in the DSM-IV TR. This influences the decision to prescribe methylphenidate and the monitoring of the child during treatment. Method: The parents of 50 clinically diagnosed ADHD children, from various primary schools situated in Polokwane, were interviewed and completed a questionnaire. Results: The findings indicated that 20% of the sample did not meet the DSM-IV TR criteria. 28% of the sample was advised to take methylphenidate by people without appropriate clinical knowledge of ADHD. The final diagnosis and prescribing of methylphenidate is overwhelmingly done by General Practitioners (47%). ADHD symptomatology (hyperactivity - impulsiveness and inattention) was not taken in account when prescribing methylphenidate. There was no definite monitoring of patients before and while on methylphenidate. Positive improvements in ADHD symptoms after methylphenidate therapy, shows that methylphenidate is still prominent and successful in the pharmacotherapy of the ADHD child. Conclusion: Based on the results of the study there does not appear to be enough evidence that proper protocols or guidelines were followed. Some children were diagnosed as having ADHD with insufficient evaluation and in some cases stimulant medication was prescribed when treatment alternatives might exist. It seems that not all clinicians prescribing methylphenidate have the necessary professional experience and/or qualifications regarding ADHD. This is an indication that there is a need for South African guidelines similar to The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Clinical Practice Guidelines and the European Clinical Guidelines for Hyperkinetic Disorder. However, with correct diagnosis and individualised prescribing and usage of methylphenidate, there will be positive improvements in ADHD symptoms after methylphenidate therapy.

This study describes the effects of gender and age on peer acceptance in primary-grade, multiage classrooms at Edith Bowen Laboratory School at Utah State University. The population described consisted of six multiage classrooms composed of male and female students from 6 to 8 years old. The classrooms were approximately balanced by gender and age. Students spent the entire day and received all instruction in the multiage setting. Students completed "Work With" and "Play With" sociometric rating-scale instruments. For both instruments, results revealed the existence of "gender cleavage"--both genders preferred work and play partners of their own gender. In general, age accounted for more variance in peer acceptance scores for older students than younger students. However, eta-squared statistics demonstated that except for 8-year-old males, gender accounted for much more of the variance in peer acceptance scores than age. The correlation coefficient for paired peer acceptance scores for each student on the two instruments was .94. These results support the conclusion that students did not differentiate responses based on "Work With" and "Play With" criteria . Test-retest reliabilities for the "Work With" and "Play With" instruments with a 1-week testing interval were .94 and .92, respectively.

This study examined the different types of mathematical errors exhibited by primary level pupils in Brunei when working with fractions. In addition, the study examined pupils' attitudes towards the learning of fractions and investigated if there were gender differences among Bruneian pupils' performances with fractions and with their attitudes towards fractions. The study was longitudinal in nature and its two phases involved a single cohort of Primary 5 pupils followed through a full year period in four government-funded primary schools in Brunei Darussalam. Pupils' mathematical errors were assessed by means of researcher-developed paper-and-pencil tests, while pupils' attitudes towards the learning of fractions were measured by means of an adapted version of attitude questionnaire that has been used previously with Bruneian pupils. Guided by six research questions, a number of statistical analyses were carried out to ensure the validity and reliability of the instruments used. These included piloting and revising the instruments, the use of Cronbach's alpha with the items in the attitude questionnaire, and the calculation of the Pearson Product Correlation Coefficient between scales of the questionnaire. The data was analysed by calculating the percentages and means of occurrences of each type of error. Paired and independent sample t-tests were carried out in order to investigate gender differences in pupils' errors and the impact of further instruction on fraction at the P6 level, while the GLM test was administered in order to investigate if there were significant change in pupils' attitudes towards fractions from the pre- to the posttests. Qualitative information obtained through pupils' interviews, field notes and lesson observations was used to support the quantitative data. / The study revealed that though pupils' achievement in the post-test improved, their performances on fraction work remained generally unsatisfactory. Many pupils in the study continued to have difficulty with the basic operations on fractions and resorted to the use of keyword strategies in dealing with word problems. Despite the pupils' unsatisfactory performance in the diagnostic tests, they generally held very positive attitudes towards the learning of fractions. No significant gender differences were observed either in pupils' performance in working with fractions tasks nor with their attitudes towards the learning of fractions. The findings of this study also highlight a number of issues for mathematics teachers to consider when dealing with fractions, and the findings also have implications for the quality of the instructional activities provided by the teachers, for the impact of language transfer in the medium of instruction - that is, from Bahasa Melayu to English at the pupils' Primary 4 level- and for the quality of the teacher training program in Brunei.

The last fifteen years has seen an increase in the availability of calculators for use by schools and students. Educational authorities in Australia, the United States of America and the United Kingdom have come to recommend the student use of calculators from Kindergarten upwards. This recommendation has attracted continuing controversy, specifically regarding the use of, calculators in primary schools. Such controversy prompts an important question: What views do primary teachers themselves hold on this issue? This report examined the findings of a study into primary teachers' present attitudes toward the student use of calculators in primary mathematics classes. Data were collected from a questionnaire administered during 1990 to a sample of teachers undertaking their fourth year of study for a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at three university campuses in New South Wales, Australia. Those teachers who supported the primary student use of calculators believed that calculators are a technological tool for use in mathematics, that they increase childrens' confidence, they take the focus off computation in doing problems and that children use them outside the classroom. It was found that of these teachers, 55% supported the introduction of calculators before the end of Year 2. A total of 4% did not support their use at all in primary mathematics classes. This study concluded that there was not overall support from primary teachers for the introduction of the calculator into Kindergarten as recommended in the National Statement on the use of Calculators for Mathematics in Australian Schools / Master of Education

ABSTRACT Seagrass beds, mangrove forests and coral reefs as a part of marine environments play an important role in the coastal regions. These environments support the coastal communities by providing resources such as food and income. For many years, marine environments have been facing destruction the majority of which is caused by human impact. The lack of knowledge of how to use and manage the marine resources wisely and sustainably is one reason why marine environments are still facing degradation. Primary school children who live in two coastal villages in Lombok Island, Indonesia were questioned about their conceptual understanding of their local marine environments and their ideas about sustainability in these environments. Using an interpretive methodology framework, children and their teachers from Grades 5 and 6 in two primary schools in coastal villages, and elders in the villages were studied and. The data gathered from the children through questionnaires and interviews, and from teachers and elders through interviews. Quantitative and qualitative analysis was used to analyse this data. The children's experiences in their marine environment appear to have strong connection with their knowledge. Their knowledge also developed by interaction with the people in the communities. Children value their local marine environment as a place that provides food for them and their parents teach them to respect it. Long traditions such as dumping waste in the beach or sea has an impact on children from fishing families and creates a contradiction between the positive values they have and negative attitudes they act on. The children are not taught environmental education in the schools since it is not a compulsory subject and teachers lack knowledge about the marine environment. Teachers and elders feel the importance of teaching about the marine environment to their children to give them the knowledge and ability to use the marine resources in sustainable way. For children who are a part of coastal communities, learning about their local marine environment should be made a priority to so they have basic knowledge and understanding in using the marine environment in sustainable ways. Marine environmental education should not only educate children in formal school but also educate people in the communities. The coastal communities as a whole should be working together to achieve the aims of education and conservation. Additionally, the school as a whole needs to support the implementation of marine environmental education.