Much of the existing research on primary physical education (PE) has focused on the supposed importance and potential of the subject at this age range, rather than on its actual nature and practice. It is repeatedly claimed within the literature that the development of movement skills during early learning experiences is significant as it lays the foundation for continuing participation in health enhancing physical activity. While much of the existing research has focused on the supposed importance of primary PE, further study in this area expresses concerns about the deficiencies in the preparation of primary generalists to teach the subject; over the quality of learning and teaching within the subject; and over a perceived lack of investment (in the long term) in the primary age phase. In the light of the comparatively limited research relating to primary PE, the reported issues which surround the provision of the subject and the current emphasis on its promotion through the PE and Sport Premium, the study aimed to examine change alongside continuity in what has been identified, rhetorically at least, as an important area of PE. Drawing upon data gathered from one-to-one interviews with 36 subject leaders (SLs), this study sought to describe and explain the nature and practice of primary PE and develop a more adequate understanding of what is actually happening in the name of the subject. The analysis of primary PE was undertaken through the use of a case study of one School Sport Partnership (SSP) in the north-west of England, with the theoretical framework for this study being formed by the figurational sociological perspective. The findings revealed that the most common model for the delivery of PE involved responsibility being shared between the generalist class teacher and either a sports coach or specialist PE teacher. The SLs recognised strengths and weaknesses in all of the three main approaches used. However, while they favoured the use of specialist teachers because of their subject knowledge and expertise, the more prosaic constraints of cost and flexibility meant that the use of coaches had become increasingly popular. Whether or not, the growth of coaches is de-professionalizing the delivery of PE, it certainly appears to be exacerbating any existing tendency to turn primary PE into a pale imitation of the sport-biased curricular of secondary schools. Ironically, the apparent ‘threat’ to the status of PE in the primary curriculum (as well as the status of PE specialists) posed by the growth of coaches in curricular PE in primary schools may well be exaggerated by the primary PE and Sport Premium which appears to have added momentum to a change of direction regarding staffing the subject – towards sports coaches and away from generalist classroom teachers and PE specialists. The data also showed that while the pedagogical approaches adopted in primary PE lessons did include some inclusive and developmentally appropriate methods, the overriding focus was on didactic teaching approaches being used to achieve narrow skills based outcomes. The historical dominance of games, the inclusion of primary teachers in lengthening chains of interdependence with sporting groups and individuals, and the conflation of sport with PE were all thought to have influenced the adoption of a teaching model that is unduly influenced by sport. It was also clear from SLs responses, that the prevalence of teaching methods that bind didactic and skill based pedagogy are unlikely to be challenged by the greater inclusion of sports coaches within primary PE. Finally, the contents of primary PE lessons were shown, by the data, to be dominated by sport and traditional team games; and to be organised around the timings of the major inter-school competitions and tournaments. Overall it was argued that the portents of a future with sports coaches as the main deliverers of primary ‘sport’ lessons are there for all to see, and that this apparent change is best understood by locating the subject leaders of PE in the networks of interdependent relationships that they have with others.

This research explores the process of becoming a teacher of primary physical education (PE) within an English University based Initial Teacher Training context. Despite the introduction of a National Physical Education and school sport subject strategy in 2003, academics and professionals in the UK and elsewhere have continued to suggest that primary PE is highly problematic, echoing the views of others expressed consistently over four decades. There have been regular calls for a significant increase in the time allocated to the subject within the structure of primary ITT and some have suggested that primary PE is best taught by ‘specialists’ as many class teachers feel most comfortable delegating this task to others. However, although some researchers have suggested that trainee primary teachers are more or less disposed towards the teaching of PE, little is known regarding the dual role of dispositional and structural factors, or the way in which they combine to result in particular primary PE practices. Data were collected over a three year period (2004-2007). The research was conducted within a university provider of primary ITT in the South of England and focused on trainees following a three year undergraduate degree route to Qualified Teacher Status. In Stage 1, an initial quantitative scale was administered to a large cohort of trainee primary teachers at the outset of their course. This was followed by a series of semi-structured interviews with a smaller sample of trainees. Qualitative data generated through semi structured interviews were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis as an organisational framework, creating descriptive coding and the presentation of organisational themes. This analytic process led to the development of a model to represent the relationship between structures, disposition and practice in primary PEITT. The outer dial of this model represents a typology of trainees in primary PEITT, which is the outcome of combined influences of structures and disposition. Four recommendations for practice are made, including the need to develop the structures of primary PE ITT with differentiated learning opportunities and to provide more effectively mentored practice in school settings. Whilst those trainees with a very negative disposition towards PE may be best advised to avoid teaching the subject altogether, the greatest potential for improving primary PE lies in the development of those trainees with an initially ambivalent attitude to the subject. This majority of trainees in the middle ground of the proposed typology may hold the key for long term improvements in the subject should ITT providers be able to respond to the identified learning needs. The findings of this research are particularly pertinent in light of current government plans to increase school based responsibilities within ITT.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Eritreans have been subjected to limited and unequal education provision. throughout their hundred years of colonial history. It was expected that in post-independence Eritrea education provision would be equitably provided to all the regions and ethnic groups in the country. The focus of the thesis is on understanding disparities in provision in primary schooling with particular emphasis on ethno-regional disparities and what precipitate these inequalities. This thesis presents an account of the state of primary schooling in Eritrea between 1992 and 2001. / South Africa

This is a report of an analysis of a project that aimed to pilot an environmental education curriculum development process and professional development model in a rural and historically educationally and economically disadvantaged area. The research looked at the topic “plants” as the biological content in the context of developing a school garden, which was an environmental system in this instance. The school garden was considered to be a local environmental issue that each and every teacher could relate to. The intention of this research was to determine which factors facilitated and hindered change in the teaching of botany in primary schools. The format of the research involved a preliminary study (to determine the participant’s initial environmental and plant knowledge) and then the main study, which followed the pre-post test format with interventions in between. This research is an example of a case study and the methods used to conduct the ”fieldwork” were guided workshops, compiling a booklet and developing a school garden. The main study’s starting point was that “active engagement promotes change”. Throughout this project active engagement was carried out to determine whether knowledge, skills and attitudes towards the environment could be changed by (i) the active participation of teachers in the production of a booklet on what and how to plant in a school garden and (ii) the actual development of a school garden. The initial findings of the main study were compared to the final findings to determine whether the active interventions resulted in change, be it positive or negative. One of teacher education’s most challenging tasks is to prepare botany teachers to enable them to deliver active participation instruction. The results of the research showed that the participating teachers had not become more environmentally literate although they did improved their plant knowledge. They had given lessons in the garden and utilized some of the activities from the booklet in their teaching. They had shared these with their colleagues and when materials from the garden were used they did have a positive effect on the classroom interaction. Thus they all saw the value of planting up their school garden and the merits in using actual plant material from these gardens. The Heads of the participating schools expressed the opinion that the project had been a success and many of the participants’ colleagues said that they had also changed their teaching to outcomes-based teaching and that their learner’s attitude was now positive towards plants. Most of the student group said that they had told their parents about the project and their parents said that they approved of them working in the garden thus learning life skills in a hands-on practical way. The overall impression of the school gardens at the end of the programme was one of general improvement and even nine months after the project, the participants remembered the majority of planting skills that they had accomplished during the year and still found it important for students to learn these skills. Thus the research findings support the idea that active engagement promotes change. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Plant Science / unrestricted

A dissertation subnitted to the Faculty of Education in Fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Education in the Department Educational Psychology and Special Education at the University of Zululand, 2007. / The current investigation consisted of three aims. The first aim was to assist educators identify learners who experience learning difficulties. The second aim was to investigate empirically the nature of learning difficulties most prevalent in the primary schools of the Mthatha District. The third aim was to determine appropriate intervention strategies that educators can employ to deal with learning difficulties. The researcher constructed and validated her own scale to meet the aims of the study. A questionnaire was administered to educators of ten primary schools in the Mthatha District. A sample of four teachers per school was selected. Results indicated that educators may identify learners with difficulties with the support of specialist staff, by involving parents, through the process of screening, observation and assessment, and by checking both intrinsic and extrinsic sources of barriers to learning. The most prevalent learning difficulties in Mthatha District are those related to poverty, overcrowded classrooms, and dependency of families on welfare grant as the main source of income. The appropriate intervention strategies that educators can employ include having access to and support of specialist staff and parents. The investigation proved conclusively that with the necessary support, for learners, educators and the education system at large, learning difficulties could be overcome.

The oral health knowledge, attitudes and practices of primary school children and teachers in Mofolo, Soweto were determined. The enabling and inhibiting factors for oral health promotion in the school environment were also assessed. The aim of the study was to determine if there was any difference in knowledge, attitudes and, practices in learners and teachers and their environment at schools that were exposed to a preventive, educational and tooth brushing programme and those learners and teachers that were not exposed to the programme. Three hundred and thirty-six primary school children six to twelve years of age from four primary schools in Mofolo, i.e. Itekeng, Vukani, Emsebeni and Tshedimoso completed questionnaires. Itekeng and Vukani primary schools were part of an existing tooth brushing, educative and preventive programme, and Emsebeni and Tshedimoso primary schools were not. Four focus group discussions (one from each school) were held with regard to knowledge of oral health and hygiene and the school environment. Seven teachers from two of the four schools and eight teachers from each of the other two schools attended the discussions. Both the learners and teachers at all the schools had little knowledge of dental care, like tooth brushing with fluoridated toothpaste. Frequency of brushing was poor. Most of the learners (61 percent) for the exposed learners and 50 perecent from the unexposed learners reported brushing their teeth once a day. Dietary habits of the learners revealed a high consumption of sugary snacks in between meals and sugar. Fifty-five percent of the exposed learners bought sweets and cakes and 56 percent of the unexposed learners bought fizzy drinks and fruit juices at school. Forty-six percent of the exposed and 58 percent of the unexposed learners said they took more than three spoons of sugar with their breakfast. . Utilisation of primary dental health services in the community by both teachers and learners was poor. More learners from the exposed schools (97 percent) than the unexposed (82 percent) had been to a dentist because they had a toothache. Only 1 percent from the exposed schools and 8 percent from the unexposed had been for a routine check up. Learners from both school categories and teachers had no knowledge of fluoride or benefits of water fluoridation. Over 98 percent of learners from both school categories had never heard of fluoride. The teachers believed it was their responsibility to teach learners and parents about oral health and showed willingness to participate in oral health promotion programmes. The main source of oral health knowledge among the learners was home. Several inhibiting factors to oral health promotion like poverty, lack of adequate oral health knowledge and poor school environment were identified in all the schools.There was no school policy regarding oral health promotion In conclusion, there were no significant differences in the reported knowledge, attitudes and practices between the learners and teachers from the two schools that were part of the preventive, educational and brushing programme and those from the other schools that were not part of the programme. This therefore shows that while preventive and educational programmes are an important component of oral health promotion, they are not adequate in changing knowledge, attitudes and oral health practices.

This thesis makes a conceptual contribution to the field of school leadership studies with a descriptive and analytical representation of the current practice and development of leaders in English Primary schools. The aim of the research is to investigate the development of nineteen school leaders, nesting their own vivid descriptions of their leadership development within a professional researcher enquiry for new knowledge and understanding. An extensive literature review locates the argument in a historical and cultural context, directed by the first research question: ‘What are the knowledge claims about the changes to school leadership and management in the policy and research literature in the last twenty-five years?’ The second research question asks: ‘What are the knowledge claims of the practice of school leadership in Primary schools as found in the official and research literature?’ Findings from the literature provide knowledge of the official expectations and advice given to school leaders in the implementation of their work. The literature also provides knowledge of leadership practice associated with issues of power, micro-politics, social and moral frames used by leaders as social agents in interpreting their leadership. Research questions three and four direct the field-research asking: ‘How are leadership roles practised and developed in Primary schools?’ and ‘What are the empirical findings that build knowledge of Primary school leadership practice and development?’ A case-study methodology structured the field-work, with qualitative research conducted in four Primary schools in North-West England during one academic year, 2008-2009. The empirical data for the case was primarily collected from nineteen members of four Senior Leadership Teams (SLT) through semi-structured interviews and observations of SLT meetings. The analysis of the full research findings is presented in an original construction of leadership, conceptualised as the PIVOT. This framework presents the key findings as integrated factors in a holistic frame around a central point, the PIVOT of leadership, which is explained as the Purpose, the Identity, the Values, the Options and the Trust, presenting wider issues for educational leadership decisions. The final research question five asks: ‘What recommendations can be made for policy and practice regarding school leadership development in Primary schools?’ Findings from the case-study make a contribution to knowledge about current school leadership practice and development, explained as a holistic, integrated approach underpinned by a wider, educative rationale, identified in the PIVOT framework. This raises issues for policy-makers and school practitioners in the development of Primary school leaders as educational leaders and provides a resource for further research enquiry by academic researchers with an interest in developing Primary school leaders.

The theoretical part of my thesis is based on a study of specialized literature and interview. It contains two parts focused on a history of breeding and the importance of breeding today with an interest on importance of school breeding. The present state of hobby breeding at Primary Schools in the Czech Republic was surveyed in frame of two questionnaires. Teachers and directors of Primary School were respondents of the first investigation, students of the Breeding School of the second one. In both surveys, the respondents were asked about actual existence of breeding at their school, farmed species, housing conditions and their attitudes and motives regarding this issue. Opinions of psychologists regarding this issue are a part of interviews presented in the first part of the work. There is a possibility to compare three insights on the same subject - by teachers, students and psychologists. Part of my thesis contains also a comparison of outcomes with similar research. Regrettably, there is a lack of literature data regarding the issue of school breeding.

Thesis (M.Ed.) -- University of the North, 1983 / Refer to the document

Thesis (M.A. (Translation Studies)) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / The research reported in this mini-dissertation is an ethnographic case study which sought to investigate the development of biliteracy in one of the rural primary schools in the Limpopo province. Its focus is on how Grade 3 learners engage with texts and the strategies that teachers use to promote biliteracy (in English and Sepedi). Data collection methods included classroom observation, semi-structured teacher interviews and analysis of teaching and learning materials and the print environment. A brief analysis of the school’s language policy was also completed. The research revealed that the learners are hardly being taught to read and write whether in Sepedi, (their home language) or in English. While the school language policy states that English should be introduced in Grade 2, it is actually taught only in Grade 3. Additionally, as the learners do not understand English, the teachers frequently code-switch into Sepedi and therefore the learners hardly get any exposure to English. Many other negative aspects were uncovered. Out of the 28 lessons scheduled to be observed only 20 lessons actually took place. The learners are therefore not actually spending the allocated time on literacy development. The teaching is highly routinised with teachers, by and large, using an approach that emphasises repetition and rote-learning. The learners hardly ever get a chance to engage with texts independently. Even the textbooks available are not used but are stored away in the cupboards. Teachers painstakingly copy material from the textbooks on to the chalkboard and learners then copy this into their exercise books. The classroom environment is uninspiring, as there are hardly any learning materials on display. The interviews showed that the teachers had not been adequately trained to teach literacy and were in fact unaware of more effective ways of getting learners to engage with texts. They saw themselves as victims of frequent policy and curricular changes and blamed Government for poor training and lack of resources. The study in fact confirms findings of earlier research that the acquisition of literacy is simply not taking place in the poor, rural schools of South Africa and there is indeed a crisis in education in these schools