Thesis (doctoral)--Stockholm Institute of Education, 1982?. / Bibliography: p. 241-255.

This thesis offers a critical reflection of a study I initiated to enhance self-esteem for self-actualization. The research process involved enhancing my own self-esteem before facilitating the enhancement of the self-esteem of my participants. This endeavour included the simultaneous exposure given to researcher and researched, with the aim of helping to attain the respective transformative potentials of the latter. An action research methodology was used, intending to improve my own practice and to involve and learn from the participants in order for all relevant stakeholders to capitalize from the learning experience. Whilst undertaking this study, I learned to reflect on my values, attitudes and relationships with my learners. I also became aware of how individuals‟ perceptions of themselves can influence other aspects of their development. This awareness enabled me to become more sensitive to the emotional needs of the learners in my care and also led to a greater understanding of their individuality. I came to comprehend the impact of a positive self-esteem on the learning process that aided me in developing an understanding of the positive impact an enhanced self-esteem has on how my learners view themselves. In the course of the research, I developed an awareness of the need to create a caring practice centred on values of gentleness, respect, kindness, awareness and recognition of individual strengths. These afore-mentioned values are premised on the recognition and acknowledgement of basic human rights, inclusivity, equality and social justice; principles reflecting my own living standards. This heightened vii awareness influenced the ways I organized the learning and teaching process in my classroom. Enhancing my own self-esteem and those of my learners basically involved interchangeable interventions such as encouraging involvement, allocating responsibilities, creating opportunities for assertiveness and being generous with affirmation, praise and motivation. These endeavours occurred within a social constructivist approach, enabling participants to construct their own epistemologies within their respective ontologies. My findings offer new conceptualizations about how an enhanced self-esteem can help individuals realize their fullest potential.

Although there are many studies of the results of non-promotion, few sociometric studies have been made which show that the over-age child is not accepted by his younger classmates. What happens, then, when a child is older than his age group? What are the effects on the social status of the overage child? The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to investigate the social acceptance status of the over-age child in a sixth grade classroom. / Typescript. / "A Paper." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / "August, 1957." / Advisor: Sarah Lou Hammond, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references.

The need for successful grouping of children in the primary school has been personally felt by the writer of this paper many times in her own classroom. In the years that have passed, some groups have seemed to progress quite satisfactorily in total development, while others have seemed disappointingly slow. Some groups have worked in almost perfect harmony while others have been in conflict. What dynamics were at work that contributed to successful grouping? What forces had retarded desirable growth? Much has been written recently about successful grouping of children. Enlightening evidences of good grouping practices have been reported. While some actual research studies have been conducted, most of the literature sampled reported opinions or individual suggestions for practice. The plan for this paper is to summarize the literature reviewed in the light of grouping according to the needs of children. / "A Paper." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: W. Edwards, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this paper is primarily that of determining what recreational needs exist today, what social changes have occurred to bring about these needs, what unit of society is most capable of taking the lead in meeting these needs, and what procedures may be adopted for meeting them. An interest in this subject has stemmed from observation of two main factors: (1) The existence of inadequate programs for meeting recreational needs in schools with which the writer has been associated, and (2) General indifference to or ignorance of the importance of educating for worthwhile use of leisure time. / "A Paper." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Virgil E. Strickland, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this study was to compare receptive language, expressive language, and socialization skills of preschool children who have a history of expressive language delay (ELD) with age mates who have a history of normal language development.

Acompanha: Vida longa aos jogos tradicionais: o site; Vida longa aos jogos tradicionais: sistematização de conteúdo para Ensino Fundamental I / Nos estudos a respeito dos Jogos Tradicionais como patrimônios culturais da humanidade, é preciso reconhecer que a permanência deles na sociedade é favorecida também pelos sentidos e interpretações que as próprias crianças, coletivamente, atribuem durante suas vivências. Em decorrência da necessidade de estudos que valorize o papel promovido pelas crianças na manutenção dos jogos tradicionais na sociedade contemporânea, surgiu o problema dessa investigação: quais os sentidos atribuídos pelas crianças aos jogos tradicionais atualmente, considerando a forma como interpretam tais manifestações e as trocas simbólicas efetivadas entre elas?. O estudo teve como objetivo geral a identificação dos sentidos atribuídos pelas crianças aos jogos tradicionais ensinados em aulas de Educação Física para uma turma de quinto ano do ensino fundamental, em 2016, na cidade de Cambé-PR. Tratou-se de uma investigação com predomínio na abordagem qualitativa, em que se correlacionaram características de três tipologias de pesquisa, a descritiva, estudo de caso e etnográfica. O principal instrumento de coleta das informações foi à observação participante promovida pelo investigador (próprio professor da turma), aliada com outros três instrumentos: diário de campo, imagens e produções estudantis. Pela análise das relações, interpretações e trocas simbólicas efetivadas entre os participantes do estudo, identificaram-se dois sentidos atribuídos aos jogos tradicionais: competição e exploração. A identificação desses sentidos revelou certa visão de mundo das crianças sobre tais manifestações. Assim, não é possível olhar para a preservação cultural dos jogos tradicionais apenas com os “louros do passado”, especificamente em situação de ensino nas aulas de Educação Física. Por conseguinte, nos processos educativos futuros, é imprescindível a valorização das crianças, reconhecendo-as como atores sociais que interferem no modo como os jogos tradicionais serão aprendidos e mantidos. / In the studies about the Traditional Games as cultural heritages of humanity, it is necessary to recognize that their permanence in society is also favored by the senses and interpretations that the children themselves collectively attribute during their experiences. As a result of the need for studies that value the role played by children in the maintenance of traditional games in contemporary society, the problem of this research has arisen: what are the meanings attributed by children to traditional games today, considering the way they interpret such manifestations and symbolic exchanges between them?. The purpose of this study was to identify the meanings attributed by children to the traditional games taught in Physical Education classes for a fifth grade class in 2016 in the city of Cambé-PR. It was an investigation with predominance in the qualitative approach, in which the characteristics of three typologies of research, descriptive, case study and ethnographic were correlated. The main instrument for collecting information was the participant observation promoted by the researcher (the class teacher himself), allied with three other instruments: field diary, images and student productions. Through the analysis of the relationships, interpretations and symbolic exchanges between the study participants, two meanings attributed to traditional games were identified: competition and exploration. The identification of these meanings revealed a certain world view of children about such manifestations. Thus, it is not possible to look at the cultural preservation of traditional games only with the "laurels of the past", specifically in teaching situations in Physical Education classes. Therefore, in future educational processes, it is essential to value children, recognizing them as social actors that interfere in the way traditional games will be learned and maintained.

This study investigates the nature of Asperger's Syndrome and specifically the social impairments experienced by learners affected by this syndrome. The incorrect social language, narrow interests and repetitive routines, and the deficits of theory of mind, central coherence and executive functioning of learners with Asperger's Syndrome are also outlined, and an attempt is made to relate these impairments to the social difficulties that learners with Asperger's Syndrome may experience in any inclusive setting. Chapters two and three comprise an in-depth literature study on this specific subject, thus forming a basis for the empirical research reported in chapter five. A qualitative research design is used, first to gain information about and understanding of the nature of the social impairments that afflict learners with Asperger's Syndrome, and secondly to gauge the effectiveness of using social stories as a means to assist the social development of affected learners. More specifically, an ethnographic research design has been chosen for its flexibility which readily permits last-minute adjustments to suit any design, and also because it helps to give meaning to personal encounters. The sensitive nature of the topic is another important reason for choosing this approach (ie. interaction with the researcher could be "fine-tuned" to achieve the ends of this adapted interview situation effectively, circumspectly and safely without undue upset for all concerned). The interview responses of two mothers of learners with Asperger's Syndrome, as well as the observation of these learners are reported. The results of the interviews and observations are checked against the literature study for corroboration in order to bring about a more positive awareness of the impairments experienced by these learners. The technique of social stories was investigated as a method of enhancing the social development of learners with Asperger's Syndrome. Three specific social stories were developed for this research in order to test the effectiveness of this method. Positive outcomes were achieved after implementation of the stories. Results of this study indicated that knowledge and understanding of Asperger's Syndrome, as well as positive attitudes, are critical to ensure the acceptance and accommodation of learners with Asperger's Syndrome in the school environment and in society as a whole. Also, the issue of accommodating learners with Asperger's Syndrome in an inclusive setting should receive concerted attention since it can have major implications for their educational prospects. / Educational Studies / Thesis (D. Ed.)

The phenomenon of social isolation among school children in most instances goes unnoticed by both teachers and parents and this oversight could have serious negative restraints on the socially isolated child's cognitive, affective, moral, personality and social development. Social isolation can be caused either through being rejected or neglected by the peer group. This study was carried out among primary and secondary school learners to detei:,mine the extent to which these children are socially isolated; and to identify factors contributing to learners' social isolation. The aim of the study is to provide teachers and parents with a foundation and rationale for effective intervention. A literature study was done to identify the factors influencing social isolation. Some of the factors identified were: social competence, self-esteem, psychological well-being, intelligence, academic achievement, moral values, physical disability, sports participation, self-perceived physical attractiveness, self-perceived physical disability, marital status of parents, parental supervision, parental acceptance, parental autonomy granting and parental conflict. All aspects of development (namely, physical, cognitive, affective, personality, moral and social) were studied in relation to the phenomenon of social isolation. By means of an empirical investigation, it was found after a regression analysis that self-esteem, obedience and social competence accounted for most of the variance in social isolation for primary school learners and in the case of secondary school learners, social competence, family supervision and self-esteem. The two most common factors were social competence and selfesteem. From the empirical findings it was also noted that learners' home language and grade were also associated with social isolation. The educational implications of the findings of the literature and the empirical study are discussed and guidelines given to assist teachers and parents to identify and eliminate the factors contributing to the development of isolation among school learners. If both parents and teachers take cognisance of these recommendations and try to implement them, it should help children in their self-actualisation and facilitate their attainment of adulthood with the least developmental restraints. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

This study investigates the everyday practices of young children acting in their social worlds within the context of the school playground. It employs an ethnographic ethnomethodological approach using conversation analysis. In the context of child participation rights advanced by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and childhood studies, the study considers children’s social worlds and their participation agendas. The participants of the study were a group of young children in a preparatory year setting in a Queensland school. These children, aged 4 to 6 years, were videorecorded as they participated in their day-to-day activities in the classroom and in the playground. Data collection took place over a period of three months, with a total of 26 hours of video data. Episodes of the video-recordings were shown to small groups of children and to the teacher to stimulate conversations about what they saw on the video. The conversations were audio-recorded. This method acknowledged the child’s standpoint and positioned children as active participants in accounting for their relationships with others. These accounts are discussed as interactionally built comments on past joint experiences and provided a starting place for analysis of the video-recorded interaction. Four data chapters are presented in this thesis. Each data chapter investigates a different topic of interaction. The topics include how children use “telling” as a tactical tool in the management of interactional trouble, how children use their “ideas” as possessables to gain ownership of a game and the interactional matters that follow, how children account for interactional matters and bid for ownership of “whose idea” for the game and finally, how a small group of girls orientated to a particular code of conduct when accounting for their actions in a pretend game of “school”. Four key themes emerged from the analysis. The first theme addresses two arenas of action operating in the social world of children, pretend and real: the “pretend”, as a player in a pretend game, and the “real”, as a classroom member. These two arenas are intertwined. Through inferences to explicit and implicit “codes of conduct”, moral obligations are invoked as children attempt to socially exclude one another, build alliances and enforce their own social positions. The second theme is the notion of shared history. This theme addresses the history that the children reconstructed, and acts as a thread that weaves through their interactions, with implications for present and future relationships. The third theme is around ownership. In a shared context, such as the playground, ownership is a highly contested issue. Children draw on resources such as rules, their ideas as possessables, and codes of behaviour as devices to construct particular social and moral orders around owners of the game. These themes have consequences for children’s participation in a social group. The fourth theme, methodological in nature, shows how the researcher was viewed as an outsider and novice and was used as a resource by the children. This theme is used to inform adult-child relationships. The study was situated within an interest in participation rights for children and perspectives of children as competent beings. Asking children to account for their participation in playground activities situates children as analysers of their own social worlds and offers adults further information for understanding how children themselves construct their social interactions. While reporting on the experiences of one group of children, this study opens up theoretical questions about children’s social orders and these influences on their everyday practices. This thesis uncovers how children both participate in, and shape, their everyday social worlds through talk and interaction. It investigates the consequences that taken-for-granted activities of “playing the game” have for their social participation in the wider culture of the classroom. Consideration of this significance may assist adults to better understand and appreciate the social worlds of young children in the school playground.