The thesis deals with comparison of pre-school and primary education and child's entry to school in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. It is devided into two parts, the theoretical part and the practical part. In the theoretical part is summarized pre-school and primary education from both countries. Through the historical overview we come to nowadays school educational systems, ongoing debates and policy trends planned for the future. The practical part deals with child's transfer from second to third grade in the Netherlands. With a use of the record sheets I follow and evaluate the child's development in the last year of preschool in the Czech Republic and in the second grade of Dutch primary school. The aim of the thesis is on to determine how are children in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands prepaired at the age of 5-6 years for entering the school. The question is whether Dutch children are affected and more prepaired from compulsory school attendance than children in the Czech Republic.

The diploma thesis deals with the issue of school maturity and readiness of pupils in the preparatory class. In the theoretical part the basic terminology from the field of pre-school education and problems of entering the elementary school is defined. There are also the principles of the preliminary test of school maturity described in detail. They are subsequently applied in practical research. The research part focuses on the comparison of the level of school maturity and readiness of pupils in the preparatory class and children in kindergarten. The survey was mainly conducted using qualitative methods, specifically through interviews, questionnaires and anamnesis. However, one quantitative method was also included - the standardized preliminary test of school maturity. This test focuses on fine motor skills and visuo-motor coordination ability. The research was carried out in preparatory classes and kindergartens in Mladá Boleslav and its surroundings. The goal of this diploma thesis was to find out whether education in a certain kind of preschool facility can affect children's readiness for school. Research results showed, that preparatory classes have better conditions for the development of a preschool pupil with postponement of school attendance than kindergartens. KEY WORDS Preschool...

The importance of school readiness and social-emotional development for children who live in poverty is well established. Head Start programs have championed the development of the whole child across all learning domains. The implementation of the K-12 Common Core State Standards (CCSS) focuses instructional skills on reading language arts, and math. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore Head Start teachers' perceptions and experiences of the CCSS implementation. The study was guided by the constructivist learning framework of Piaget and Dewey. Research questions explored the understanding and effects of the K-12 CCSS implementation from a group of 10 Head Start teachers in high poverty schools in a large urban district in Washington State. Data were collected through observations, interviews, and shared documents. Open coding was employed to look for common topics for thematic analysis. Emergent themes were related to goal setting for students, teacher training, and student development. Key findings showed early childhood teachers have 3 different sets of standards, and teachers in Head Start could not access others besides their own. Findings resulted in a document for early childhood teachers combining the CCSS; Washington State early learning standards; and goals used by Head Start teachers, in literacy, math, and social-emotional skills for children ages 4 to 6. With access to all early childhood goals, teachers can set goals for their students that precede or exceed the guidelines used at their own grade level. Implications for social change are the opportunity for teachers to meet the needs of their students, no matter their skill level, and allow students to excel beyond their classroom setting, toward greater educational opportunities.

The content of the research part was the creation of an intervention program that was realized with a group of ten children who are about to enroll to the first grade in April. This program had focused on the development in individual areas, in particular: fine motor skills, graphomotor skills, visual perception, mathematical pre-literacy, auditory perception and spatial orientation. The intervention program included 12 lessons that took place in the in kindergarten in the morning. We tought each lesson for about half an hour. Each lesson included five activities aimed at development of fine motor skills or graphomotor skills, visual perception, mathematical pre-literacy, auditory perception and spatial orientation. The whole program was motivated by the Squirrel Týnka and Krysík, who were represented by a puppet made out of a sock. All the individual activities were set to forest environment, home of the Squirrel Týnka. Thanks to the intervention program, children were able to improve in individual areas. The test of fifteen small tasks was run before the start of the intervention program. There was an input diagnostic program used to verify the effectiveness of the intervention program. The test of fifteen small tasks was run before the start of the intervention program The tasks focused on...

This study examined how the longitudinal associations among children’s negative emotionality, mothers’ depressive symptoms, parental warmth, and children’s school readiness and whether the associations vary as a function of fathers’ positive involvement in low-income South Korean families. Participants were 399 families including mothers (Mage = 32.54 years at Time 1), fathers (Mage = 35.23 years at Time 1), and children (Mage = 38.92 months at Time 1; 50.5% boys) in the Panel Study on Korean Children. Results revealed that children’s negative emotionality was indirectly associated with their school readiness three years later, through its association with mothers’ depressive symptoms and warmth. Mothers’ warmth mediated the association between mothers’ depressive symptoms and children’s school readiness, and fathers’ warmth mediated the association between fathers’ positive involvement and children’s school readiness. Our findings revealed the family processes underlying children’s school readiness development in low-income Korean family contexts. Our findings also provide information useful for efforts to detect family risks and to establish family policies to promote low-income children’s school readiness.

The aim of this study was to investigate the design and implementation of early intervention programmes used for disadvantaged learners in South Africa. The focus was on the Grade R class since it has been introduced to prepare learners for formal schooling. The extent to which the programme could influence the learner's skills were investigated. The design is defined in terms of the structure, goals, and content of the programme. The implementation strategy in this investigation is explained in broad terms to include ECD policies, delivery structures and modes, teacher preparedness and arrangements made at school level. The investigation was conducted as a case study in disadvantaged school-based Grade R classes of the Gauteng province. It established that the design of the Grade R programme followed the constructivist approach by combining the developmental and behavioural approaches to teaching. The design was commendable with regard to its goals and its duration. However, concerns were raised with regard to the structure and content of the Learning Area Programmes. An alternative design is recommended. The success of any programme depends to a large extent on implementation strategies used for delivery. This investigation established that policy formulation at national level followed international trends. Implementation power was devolved to the provincial departments in order to accommodate provincial diversity. However, structural deficits and undefined line functions were identified at provincial and district levels. The impact of this deficiency was evident in the Grade R classes. Finally this study concluded that although learners showed developmental gains, this cannot be regarded as the influence of the Grade R teaching because this age group is still developing and the change could be ascribed to maturation. The learners did not acquire basic literacy skills. Their poor language and intellectual abilities remain extremely low. / Educational Studies / D.Ed.(Psychology of Education)

This study constitutes an attempt to describe and analyse the quality of selected early childhood development programmes in South Africa, and provide criteria by which the quality of programmes could be assessed. The need for, and importance of, providing quality early childhood development programmes is highlighted. The influence of educational pf:lilosophies on programmes is recognised, hence the total development of the child and educational philosophies related thereto are discussed. Factors and components within programmes that contribute to high quality are explored. Moreover, criteria by means of which quality early childhood development programmes may be assessed, are provided. In this regard criteria for the formulation of aims, selection and the organisation of content, assessment, role of the teacher and parent involvement in programmes are suggested. It is against these criteria that selected early childhood development programmes in South Africa are described and analysed. programmes conclude the study. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Hierdie studie spreek die emosionele skoolgereedheid van voorskoolse kinders aan. Die voorskoolse kind met sy basiese emosies vanuit sielkundig opvoedkundige perspektief word in die studie van naderby beskou. Tydens die studie is die basiese emosies volgens Plutchik (1980) wat bepalend vir die emosionele skoolgereedheid van die skooltoetreder is, geidentifiseer. Na aanleiding van nuwe insigte waartoe gekom is, het die navorser 'n eie emosionele skoolgereedheidsevalueringslys volgens Plutchik (1980) se basiese emosies antwerp, wat as 'n maatstaf vir die evaluering van emosionele skoolgereedheid kan dien. 'n Empiriese ondersoek is onderneem om te bepaal of 'n aantal proefpersone volgens n emosionele skoolgereedheidsevalueringslys emosioneel skoolgereed is al dan nie. Emosionele tekorte is vanuit die emosionele skoolgereedheidsevalueringslys geidentifiseer, waarna diagnostiese en terapeutiese tegnieke vir emosionele skoolgereedmaking kortliks bespreek is. Opvoedkundige sielkundiges kan die diagnostiese en terapeutiese tegnieke as hulpmiddel gebruik om emosionele tekorte, wat moontlik 'n blokkasie vir emosionele skoolgereedheid inhou, aan te spreek. / This stidu addresses the emotional school preparedness (readiness) of pre-primary children. The pre-primary child with his basic emotions from a psychological educational perspective is examined more closely in this study. During this study the basic emotions according to Plutchik {1980) that determine the emotional school readiness of the school entrant, were identified. On account of new insights gained, the researcher designed a school readiness evaluation list of her own according to Plutchik's (1980) basic emotions. This list can serve as a guideline for the evaluation of emotional school readiness. An empirical study was undertaken to determine whether a number of experimental subjects {children) were ready for school or not. Emotional deficiencies were identified by means of the emotional school readiness evaluation list, whereafter diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for the emotional preparation of children were briefly discussed. Educational psychologists can use these diagnostic and therapeutic techniques as an aid to address emotional deficiencies, which may impede the emotional school readiness of children. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (met spesialisering in Voorligting)

The challenges of backlogs experienced amongst Grade R-learners, results in learners not being school and learning ready when entering Grade 1. Obstacles for example are insufficient stimulation, under developed perception, and poor gross and fine motor skills, require early intervention and ought to receive attention in Grade R. From the socialecological perspective and taking into consideration the great amount of learners in South Africa originating from deprived environments, the study is focused in the domain of the Social Deprivation Theory. The bio-ecological context within which learners find themselves, influence the cognitive and perceptual development of every learner. Epistemologically the study focuses on the similarity between Critical Theory and Interpretivism. Critical Theory highlights the meaning of experience as manifested in relation to social circumstances and developmental background. Interpretivism in this study focuses on the meaning which individuals attach to their experiences in the spotlight and results in greater understanding and insight of the researched phenomenon. Circumstances of deprivation occur worldwide, even in developed countries like United States of America (USA) and England. Already for decades in USA young children gain in their development through intervention in early childhood (Ludwig & Phillips, 2007). Duncan and Brooks-Gunn (2000) identified a relation between child poverty/deprivation and poor school performance in the USA. Research in England (Thompson, 2000) shows that the impact of social neglect of children have serious consequences. The National Education Policy Act (Pandor, 2008; SA DvO, 1997:2) uses Early Childhood Development (ECD) as an umbrella term which refers to the development processes whereby children physically, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, morally and socially grow and develop from birth to the age of nine years (SA, DoE, 1995, White paper 5,). The kind of education learners receive in Grade R is crucial to their further development in the education system (Van Zyl, Le Roux & Janse van Rensburg 2011, DvO, 1997:2). Learners lacking an adequate foundation may experience difficulties throughout their school career. In South Africa there is concern as to the standard of education and training, manifesting in a low pass rate on Grade 12-level. This study is undertaken to determine the current shortages in the South African educational system which may hinder the learning potential of Grade R-learners. An attempt is made to determine which handicaps/backlogs Grade R-learners experience, which fits the framework of the deprivation theory, which can undermine learner readiness. This study determine whether intervention by means of a perceptual-motor skills programme can enhance the school readiness of pre-school learners. Finally to determine which shortages/ backlogs exists in the perceptual-motor skills of Grade R nlearners from deprived backgrounds in South Africa. Guidelines for a perceptual-motor intervention program was developed through this study. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data-analysis is used in this study (Onwuegbuzie, Johnson en Collins, 2009). The dissertation is compiled in article format. In the first article of the study, the issues of teacher development and support mechanisms and equipment at primary schools and kindergartens are explored. Qualitative and phenomenological research was undertaken and information was gathered by means of questionnaires directed at teachers. In the following article the school readiness of 48 Grade R-learners from deprived backgrounds were tested. The research participants came from similar sosio-economic background, from quintile one and two schools. Seeing that those were the only primary schools with Grade R classes in that area, they were identified on behalf of their availability. In this study the data was analysed and descriptive statistics (means, averages, standard deviations, minimum and maximum values, percentages) and t-tests were used to determine variations in terms of perceptual motor skill development and learning readiness. An experimental group of 21 Grade R learners followed a 10 week long perceptual-motor skills intervention programme. In the follow-up school readiness test (article 3), results indicated that the intervention showed a positive response with regards to the school readiness of the Grade R learners. Drawing to a conclusion (article 4), the intervention programme is critically discussed and recommendations were made to all those concerned with Grade R teaching (teachers, principals, Departments of Education). The conclusion according to the results of the research shows that the intervention had a positive effect on the school and learning readiness of this group of Grade R learners. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

There are currently increasingly debated issues of entering the schooling, especially in the terms of levels of preparedness to enter the first grade and the school's requirements on the first- graders. This is due to a large number of often complex changes which the entrance into the first grade means for the children and their families. It is the best for the first-graders do all these changes without undue frustration, it is necessary that their physical, mental and neural development and readiness were on sufficient level. Because of extensiveness of this topic, only the part of it was selected for this thesis, as its name says: The level of graphomotor skills of preschool children before entering elementary school. The area of graphomotor skills is presented in the context of writing skills throughout this thesis. The legislative definition of compulsory school attendance and the issue of writing as an essential part of literacy is covered within the theoretical part. The topic of entry into the first grade and the school preparedness of children are explained. The area of graphomotor skills in the terms of the development, in the terms of relation to the coarse and fine motor skills, laterality and external conditions which affect graphomotor skills is covered in detail. The significance...