This qualitative phenomenological study is one of few that investigate the information-seeking behaviour of younger elementary school children. Recent cognitive research has established that there are considerable and rapid intellectual changes throughout childhood, meaning that studies and/or models outlining the information-seeking experiences of older students and adults might not identify, explain or address the unique information needs of younger elementary school students. The study, conducted over 14 weeks in Winter 2006 with 12 volunteer students from two grade-three classes within a Montreal elementary school sought to answer three research questions: 1) How do grade-three students seek information in support of a class project? 2) What are the barriers faced by grade-three students in seeking and using information? 3) Do any models of information-seeking behaviour in whole or in part inform a model specific to grade-three students? Six different types of data collection techniques were employed: participant observation, interviews with the students, class teacher and parents, questionnaires, self-evaluations, journals, and final projects. The study revealed that students in the earlier grades of elementary school are seeking and using information in both print and digital formats and experiencing difficulties in both media. In print, selection of materials was not straightforward nor was the location of information within them. Difficulties were encountered with the selection criteria and the use of metadata lists. In the digital domain, lack of strategic planning before starting a search, problems in generating search queries, spelling, keyboarding, and extracting information were observed. In addition to these problems, several barriers outside of the students' control were identified that impact on their information seeking on the Web (e.g. search engine design, lack of appropriate sites for young students, inefficient filtering systems) and in print (e.g. out-of- date and/or lack of print reference resources, classification and/or indexing schemes). Information culled from the Internet was rarely read in any depth on-screen; instead, the students printed the material in order to peruse it at a later time, much as they would with a book. The study provides insight into the barriers faced by children when seeking information, how they use information in an educational context, and how they can be helped to better exploit the information resources available to them, as well as a model of information-seeking behaviour specific to grade-three students.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of cross-age tutoring by high school students on the affective perception of fourth graders in the areas of self-concept, perception of self as a student, perception of self as a social studies student, and perception of self in the school environment. The tutoring was done in social studies--specifically in Arizona history--relating to the culture, history, and environment of the students' own surroundings. A rationale for the study was based on the social learning theory. High school students modeled behavior for the elementary students and reinforced positive learning experiences dealing with their own culture. This experience would enhance the elementary students feelings of self-worth, and improve their self-perception. The literature was reviewed from three aspects: cross-age tutoring, self-concept, and affective perception. Eight elementary classrooms, four experimental and four control, in four schools in the southwest part of Tucson, Arizona were involved in this one study. Nine hypotheses were tested dealing with self-concept and perception of self. Results of the study were assessed through the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale pre- and post-measures, and the Affective Perception Inventory. An analysis of data was subjected to a two-factor analysis of variance using a hierarchical design. The primary aspect of this design is the assumption that an individual's score is partly influenced by the social unit of which the individual is a member. In all categories the treatment of cross-age tutoring had no effect on the experimental means. The hypotheses did not prove to be significant at the F = .05 level of significance. (A significant difference was found in the direction of the control group's mean score on the post self-concept scale.) It is the finding of this study that there were too many variables, other than the tutoring process, that could not be controlled. A further examination of the results shows that there were significant school within treatment effects, in the perception of self in the school environment, which indicates that the treatment interacted with classroom variables.

Depressive symptomology was examined in this study as a function of conflict and intimate support with parents, friends, and siblings among a non-clinical sample of 223 predominately white sixth-grade early adolescents. Moreover, sixth-graders' depressive symptomology was examined as a function of conflict management self-efficacy and intimate support self-efficacy. The purpose of the present study was twofold: 1) to explore the effects of intimate support and conflict in family and friend relationships on sixth-grade early adolescent depressive symptomology, 2) to determine whether poor conflict management skills self-efficacy and poor intimate support self-efficacy are linked with depressive symptomology in sixth-grade early adolescents. Friend relationship qualities had little impact on depression in sixth-graders. However, the presence of conflict and deficits in family intimate support, especially from parents, was associated with increased depression. Increased levels of depression also corresponded with lower ratings of conflict management self-efficacy and intimate support self-efficacy. Moreover, relationship difficulties combined with self-efficacy deficits to affect depression.

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The perspective on the social construction of childhood has dominated research on children and childhood in recent years. The aim of this study was to contribute to these debates and gain an understanding of the vulnerabilities and resiliency factors in the lives of children from a working class schooling context in KwaZulu-Natal. Twenty seven children, twelve boys and fifteen girls were interviewed using interviews, questionnaires and focus groups. Participatory research techniques including children's drawings and mind mapping were used. The children's perspectives revealed that there are various risk factors that they are exposed to which include crime, violence, bullying, racism from teachers, gender stereotyping, child abuse, pollution, HIV/Aids, alcohol and drug abuse. Concerns that children have about their future include possible unemployment of their parents, the rising cost of schooling and contracting HIV/ Aids. Despite this, the children identified various resiliency factors in their lives such as grand parents, good neighbours, caring teachers and a comprehensive school programme that includes sport. A common theme across participants in this study was religion as an identifying and resiliency factor in their lives. The findings stress the need for schools to address exclusionary pressures that impact on the well-being of children in this schooling context. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu- Natal, 2005.

Math anxiety is a greatly understudied construct in children. In adult and adolescent samples, research shows that a number of factors are related to math anxiety including negative self-perceptions and outcomes. It is unknown if these same factors are related to math anxiety in children. This study was conducted to identify factors related to math anxiety in second grade children. Using Bandura's (1989) theory of triadic reciprocity as a theoretical model, children (n=91) and their parents (n=81) completed a series of self-report measures on math anxiety, math self-concept, reading self-concept, math self-efficacy, and aspects of the home math environment. Results indicated that the strongest predictor of math anxiety in second grade children was their level of math self-concept. The addition of environmental factors did not significantly increase the amount variance explained in math anxiety. Furthermore, despite research with adults that shows strong gender differences in math anxiety, no gender differences in math anxiety were found in second grade children. The discussion focuses on possible explanations for these findings as well as directions for future research. / Department of Educational Psychology

M. Ed.

Teachers appear to feel challenged by children’s off-task behavior in the classroom. Children’s off-task behavior can result in reduced academic engagement, increased teaching stress, and strained teacher-child relationships. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of kinder training on young children’s on-task behavior in the classroom. This study utilized an experimental single-case methodology and a multiple baseline across subjects design. Three elementary school teachers conducted weekly individual play sessions with students they identified as frequently exhibiting off-task behavior. The three children ranged in age from five to six years: two males and one female, two Caucasian non-Hispanic and one biracial. Two trained observers repeatedly assessed the child participants’ on-task behavior using the Direct Observation Form throughout the baseline and intervention phases. The findings provide support for kinder training as an effective play-based professional development-training model that can improve children’s on-task behavior. Results demonstrated that all child participants showed improvement in on-task classroom behavior. Visual analysis revealed that all child participants demonstrated a positive change in on-task behavior during the intervention phase. All teacher participants reported observing improvement in the child participants’ on-task behavior and teacher-child relationships. Teachers’ post-intervention reports supported the notion of reciprocal interactions among teacher-child relationships, understanding of children’s lifestyle and goals of misbehavior, and children’s on-task behavior.