No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Also available in print.

This study examined factors related to how the interactive behaviors of a group of Black kindergarten children, as demonstrated within the social organization of the classroom, may be related to reading readiness achievement outcomes. Cultural differences in language use, the demands for cooperation in mainstream schools, and established patterns of social interaction were examined as reasons for differential outcomes among blacks. Verbal and non-verbal forms of expression and social interactions, as displayed by students and teacher in the classroom, are related to whether students gain access to participation structures and, therefore, learning opportunities. In this ethnographic study participant observation was the method used to collect data. In the research classroom, linguistic form was not a factor in gaining access to participation strucures. This study suggests, however, that access to reading information was limited to competent students who complied with social and academic demands to gain access to participation structures operating in crucial lesson segments and, therefore, learning opportunities. / Ed. D.

"1994". / Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, School of English and Linguistics, 1995. / Bibliography: leaves 356-373 (pt. 1) / Introduction -- Research in joint book-reading and the discourse of literacy pedagogy -- The study : Part A: Research questions, preliminary analysis and participant selection -- Part B : Data gathering and preparation -- Language, context and semantic variation -- A semantic network for the description of linguistic interaction in joint book-reading -- Reading The three little pigs at home -- Results of the message semantic analysis of the interactive text -- Interpretations -- Joint book-reading in the discourse of literacy pedagogy -- Concluding comments -- Appendices. / The study contributes to the fields of educational linguistics and semantic variation by examining linguistic interaction during joint book-reading between mothers and four-year-old children, and between teachers and Kindergarten classes at the beginning of school. -- Joint book-reading was selected because of its centrality to the metaphor of a partnership between home and school in children's literacy development. The problem for the study was to investigate possible systematic semantic variation in linguistic interaction associated with social class locations of speakers, and relations between any such variants and features of interaction in joint book-reading in Kindergarten. -- A preliminary survey of 427 families in two sociogeographically contrasted sites established that joint book-reading was a common social practice, and gave sufficient indications of variation to justify an intensive socio-semantic study. Two sets of ten mother-child dyads, contrasted for class locations using Bernstein's (1990) theory of class relations, were constructed and recordings of joint book-reading sessions made by mothers. Recordings of interaction in two sets of ten Kindergarten classes in the same socio-geographical areas were made by teachers. -- Vygotsky's theory of semiotic mediation was the general resource used for interpreting children's learning, but it was necessary to resolve problems in the theory in the modelling of contexts for learning, and of mediational means. For this purpose the systemic functional linguistic concept of context of situation, as proposed by Halliday (1978) and expanded by Hasan (in press (a)), was deployed. -- Transcripts of recordings were analysed through a semantic network developed for the study, based on a network proposed by Hasan (1983). -- Semantic variation associated with class locations of families was found across all four metafunctions described within systemic theory, and one variant found to be associated with Kindergarten classroom interaction. The variable semantic features were interpreted as the realization of different principles regulating the individuation of experience, using Bernstein's theories of coding orientation and pedagogic discourse. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / 2 parts (373, 539 p.) ill

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Core5, a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) programme, on developing early literacy skills in struggling kindergartners and providing enrichment for high achieving kindergartners. Conducted through the positivist research paradigm, the research design of this study is a quantitative quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design using the probes AIMSweb Letter Name Fluency (LNF), AIMSweb Letter Sound Fluency (LSF), MAP K-2 Early Literacy, as well as a questionnaire regarding teacher perceptions of Core5 and its implementation in the classroom. This study used convenience sampling instead of probability sampling since many schools already use Core5. Fifteen schools in the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District was the target population. The sample group comprised of 751 kindergartners, aged five to six-year-olds divided into the treatment group, the partial treatment group, and the control group. Posttest analysis of LNF and LSF data confirmed all three groups made gains from the pretest, but an ANOVA indicated there was a significant difference between the three groups. A Bonferroni post hoc test determined the treatment group and the partial treatment group were significantly different from the control group. The posttest analysis of MAP K-2 Early Literacy data indicated that all three groups made gains from the pretest. An ANOVA suggested there was no significant difference between the three groups. Lastly, the end-of-year Core5 levels were correlated to the benchmark scores on LNF, LSF and MAP K-2 Early Literacy probes using Pearson’s r. The teacher questionnaire indicated that a majority of teachers have a favourable view of Core5, which is vital to the implementation of Core5 because their attitude is also a significant predictor of student use in the classroom. The findings indicate that Core5 is an effective CAI program to use as part of the kindergarten ELA curriculum. The findings also add to the volume of research on Core5, CAI programmes and blended learning. / English Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (English)

The Alternative Primary Program (APP), a classroom strategy for accommodating the academic readiness levels of entering first grade students, was implemented in two schools with high concentrations of economically disadvantaged students. For identification purposes, students were designated as Regular and Transitional First Grade students by utilizing existing school district guidelines, but were grouped heterogenously in reduced class size groups rather than being placed in self-contained classes. After two years in this setting, academic progress in the area of reading by students in the two pilot school sites was examined to determine the relative progress of Regular and Transitional (identified) students in comparison to one another. A second comparison was made to determine the relative progress of students in the APP with students moving through the same two schools in a previous student cohort. Heterogenously grouped students were evaluated periodically with an instrument used to assess pre-literacy stages of development including: Sense of Story, Sense of Word, Spelling Awareness, Letter and Word Recognition. The experimental instrument used in the study monitors student progress through three continuous stages of pre-literacy development. Assessment of students is carried out by classroom teachers for the purpose of directing instruction and determining appropriate instructional strategies for classroom use. The analysis of data produced by this measure and relating this data to other more traditional forms of reading achievement was one of the purposes of this study. Information produced by the Stages Assessment instrument was found to be reliable as an early indicator of readiness for reading instruction and predictive of later reading achievement. Multivariate analysis of variance techniques were used to analyze reading dependent variables. Multiple regression and discriminant analysis were used to analyze the relationship among reading achievement measures and indicators of reading readiness, including stages assessment data. Methodological limitations regarding the use of intact groups and problems relating to program implementation in a period of change are discussed. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this project was to create electronic books (E-books) for kindergartens to read during their center time. The E-books are intended for kindergarten teachers to use to help their students learn to read while utilizing the technology resources in their classroom. These E-books are teacher created so the cost is minimal and they can be copied and distributed to each student without worrying about copyright laws. Teachers can customize them to fit the current thematic unit they are teaching and once created, they can be used repeadedly without being damaged like paper books.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education