This study investigated the learning experiences of White pre-service teachers who were dispatched to serve as tutors at an urban Afterschool Program in which all of the enrolled students were Black/African American. The sophomore level pre-service teachers served as tutors to fulfill a required experiential learning component for an introductory multicultural course. This study examined the contents of the reflective journals they kept for twelve weeks. Based on the contents of the journals, this study addressed the following research questions: 1. What do White pre-service teachers focus on in the critical reflective process? 2. What are the White pre-service teachers’ personal assumptions about teaching, learning and interacting with African American students? 3. How do White pre-service teachers express their understanding of the impact of race on the teaching and learning process? 4. What do White pre-service teachers learn in afterschool tutoring programs in urban settings in which all students are Black/African American? This qualitative study is a narrative inquiry that used archived data from the written reflections of nine White pre-service teachers. The narrative reflections were crafted in ’ response to a series of prompts based on Brookfield’s (1995) approach to assisting teachers in the process of reflection. The findings from this study revealed that the White pre-service teachers had a spectrum of learning experiences. The focus of their reflections were on teaching techniques, behavior/discipline issues and the importance of relationships. While many appeared to learn that their initial deficit model assumptions about the Black/African American students were unfounded, they did not fully recognize the cultural wealth within the students’ community. They learned that creative teaching methods that were culturally responsive fostered better learning experiences for both the White pre-service teachers and the Black/African American students. Also, engagement in meaningful learning activities diminished behavior and discipline problems. While the White pre-service teachers made inroads in the dispelling of their preconceptions, they appeared color-blind by their lack of reflection on race. Also, they appeared to support Critical Race Theory’s definition of the master narrative in their failure to recognize and critique schooling as a racial stratification system. / Department of Educational Studies

National and international assessment results, research studies and reports point to South Africa as having educational challenges, specifically with mathematics, science and language. Addressing some of these issues is a key aim for the SANC project at Rhodes University, the context in which this study takes place. Working from a broad Vygotskian perspective of learning and development, this study had a dual focus and investigated how Grade 3 learners’ mathematical proficiency progressed (or not) whilst participating in after school maths clubs over the course of a year, and explored how the mediation offered in the clubs enabled or constrained the emergence of zones of proximal development (ZPD) and thus learning for the club learners. Methodologically, this study works within a largely qualitative, interpretive research paradigm and is designed using a longitudinal case study research strategy. Two after school maths clubs formed the empirical field. The study drew on a range of data collection methods to investigate the dual nature of the research questions for Grade 3 learners. Examples include adapted one-to-one mathematical proficiency interviews and paired task based interviews. The study highlighted the relationship between the multiple roles I played both within the research study and within the SANC project context and emphasises the influence and future implications for these various roles within the SANC project and beyond in terms of my own role as club mentor, for the future design of the SANC project maths club programme and for broader teacher and club facilitator development within and beyond the project. This study has offered insight into how mathematical proficiency may develop in Grade 3 South African learners and as such is an important contribution to the newly developing field of both numeracy and primary educational research in Southern Africa. Additionally, the research findings point to the clubs, as an example of an out-of-school time (OST) programme, providing potentially enabling spaces for both recovery and extension of mathematical proficiency in learners as these spaces are free from several contextual constraints that teachers face in their classrooms. Furthermore, it was found that learners showed development of their conceptual understanding, procedural fluency and adaptive reasoning as proposed by Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell (2001). The use of various elements of the Maths Recovery (MR) programme (Wright, 2003) in the research process has highlighted various important contributions for broader research. For example, the need to investigate less time consuming approaches to both diagnostic assessment and learner mathematical profiling. Findings from this study support Meira and Lerman’s (2001, 2009) recently developed notion that catching attention is key to the creation or emergence of a ZPD. The study found that a combination of ‘attention catching’ and ‘tuning in’ enabled the creation (emergence) and sustainment of ZPDs in club learners. The study proposed the notion of tuning in where participants in a mathematical interaction continually adjust to each other in order to communicate mathematically. Furthermore, the study found that when attention is not caught or the participants are not tuned in, the learning activity may still be useful in assisting learners to consolidate their existing learning and / or build confidence and as such is particularly relevant to the South African context where fluency in calculating is weak (Hoadley, 2012; Schollar, 2008). This emergent notion of ‘flow’ additionally can play a supporting role in the emergence of a ZPD. The study also found that the manner in which the mediation was offered is important. The results show that the mathematical contributions learners make during interactions captured the mentors’ attention and resulted in mediation that was intentional but spontaneous, flexible, responsive and in-the-moment. This study makes theoretical and methodological contributions to various aspects of mathematics education research particularly with regard to how ZPDs emerge and are sustained and how mediation is offered to facilitate the emergence of ZPDs. Additionally, some aspects of the Learning Framework in Number (LFIN) as part of the Maths Recovery programme have been extended to work in a South African after school club context and to provide useful information for both learner progression over time and for planning of club activities. As such this study thus also contributes to the newly developing field of primary mathematics research in South Africa and to the body of research on primary after school learning programmes both locally and internationally.

Through a qualitative case study approach this research investigated the nature of three Grade 4 learners’ mathematical learning dispositions. It further explored how these dispositions evolve within the context of their participation in a weekly after school mathematics club over time. Of particular significance the research drew on the dispositional frameworks of Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell’s (2001) and Carr & Claxton (2002) and pointed to ways in which these framework can be usefully brought together to provide a richer picture of learning dispositions. Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell’s (2001) framework of mathematical proficiency involves five interrelated strands of which productive disposition is the fifth strand and largely underresearched (Graven, 2012). This strand is defined as ‘the tendency to see sense in mathematics, to perceive it as both useful and worthwhile, to believe that steady effort in learning mathematics pays off, and to see oneself as an effective learner and doer of mathematics’ (Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell, 2001, p. 131). Carr & Claxton (2002) similarly argue for the importance of learning dispositions and point to the importance of resilience, playfulness and resourcefulness as three key indicators. The research outlines findings of the three case study learners in terms of data obtained from a questionnaire and interview about students’ learning dispositions. The interview asked learners various questions including for example, complete the sentence ‘Maths is…’, describe an effective learner of mathematics and say what you do if you don’t know an answer. The instrument was first administered orally and learners were asked to write their answers (in May 2012) and a year later it was administered as an interview by the club facilitator (in May 2013). While there is the limitation of comparison due to the different ways in which learners responded in 2012 (written) and 2013 (oral) the shifting nature of responses in certain respects provides some indication of shifts towards increasingly productive dispositions. Additionally the research analysed detailed transcripts of video recordings of several club sessions over a five-month period. Findings suggest ways of extending dispositional frameworks and that learners have restricted dispositions particularly in terms of sense making and resourcefulness across time. The findings also suggest shifts in dispositions over time especially in terms of seeing steady effort as paying off.

This study examined the nature of learning within an afterschool mathematics club established by the South African Numeracy Chair project. The study sought to establish what sort of progress in mathematical learning occurred in a grade 3 afterschool maths club, using assessment instruments associated with the Learning Framework in Number. The study also sought to understand the nature and effects of mentor mediation in the maths club, using Vygotsky’s notion of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) together with the notion and practice of scaffolding. The study made use of a variety of data collection techniques, including one-to-one assessment interviews, task-based interviews and observations. In line with the case study approach adopted, four learners were selected for interviews. The assessment interview results revealed that, in terms of proficiency in early arithmetical learning, all four learners showed progress after spending four months in an afterschool maths club. Even though they were found to have advanced in their Strategies for Early Arithmetic Learning (SEAL), some of them were observed still using their fingers to support their counting. Such strategies were likely to mirror the teaching approaches used in their usual school mathematical lessons. The overall findings in terms of learners’ proficiency and progress give rise to concerns about current number teaching practices in their school, which emphasize the standard written algorithm in the lower primary grades. The study also made use of Vygotsky’s notion of the ZPD to analyse the nature of mentor-peer mediation. Witnessing the learners’ use of trial and error strategies during the task-based interview allowed both mentors to support learners through understanding their thinking, prompting them and encouraging them to reflect on their answers and develop more effective strategies. Learners progressed through the ZPD at different paces and in different ways, with ‘aha’ moments happening at different points for individual learners. Their progression in the ZPD seemed to depend on interaction among all participants, which varied according to what was contributed and what requested by each participant. The findings revealed that although there was evidence of learners achieving success at the tasks in task based interviews there were also there were also some learners who experienced difficulties. Additionally, in order to argue that learning was fully realised within the ZPD would have required follow up task based interviews to assess the extent to which learners were able to complete the tasks independently without the scaffolding of mentors. This was not possible within the scope of this research but would be useful in future research.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka skillnader i tolkningar när det kommer till samverkan mellan olika lärarkategorier i grundskolan, förskoleklass och fritidshemmet. Vårt mål var att synliggöra skillnader i uppfattning om begreppet samverkan mellan de olika lärarkategorierna. Genomförandet av vår studie utgick från en kvalitativ metod, där datainsamlingen bestod av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Vi använde oss av ett bekvämlighetsurval och snöbollsurval då vi kontaktade lärare som vi kände, som sedan ledde till kontakt med andra lärare. Studieobjekten i vår studie bestod av tre fritidslärare, tre förskoleklasslärare och två klasslärare. Resultatet visar att en engagerad rektor var en viktig pusselbit i ett fungerande samverkansarbete, samt att det fanns skillnader i tolkningar mellan fritidslärare och klasslärare i hur begreppet samverkan tolkas i verksamheten. Önskan om gemensam planeringstid var något som framkom som en viktig pusselbit för samtliga respondenter i relation till samverkan. Resultatet tyder på att förskoleklasslärare och klasslärare upplever samverkan med fritidslärare som positivt och ser det som en tillgång, medan fritidsläraren kan uppleva samverkansarbetet komplicerat när de arbetar mot en klass, då arbetsuppgifterna kan vara diffusa eller varierande. Slutsatsen som kan dras från studien går att koppla till grunderna för samverkan som litteraturen anger. En positiv dialog där alla inblandade parter får komma till tals samt att de ser varandra som en tillgång i deras arbete i verksamheten.

The 21st Century Community Learning Center Program is a key component in the No Child Left Behind Act. It presents an opportunity for students and their families to continue to learn new skills after the regular school day has ended. The focus of the program is to provide expanded academic enrichment opportunities for children attending low performing schools. Tutorial services and academic activities are designed to help students meet local and state academic standards in subjects such as reading and math. In addition, programs provide youth development activities, drug and violence prevention programs, technology education programs, art, music, and recreational programs. The purpose of this study was to analyze the components of a rural 21st Century Community Learning Center program located in Tazewell, Tennessee, and to determine the impact of the center on the education and welfare of the students and their families who live in this rural town and attend the three Claiborne County schools involved in the grant program. The study focused on the extent to which Claiborne County’s 21st Century Community Learning Center Program was successful in implementing the criteria set forth by the U.S. Department of Education concerning the eight components necessary to be an effective after-school program. The findings from the study indicated that these eight components were being implemented; however, there were also areas of need that should be monitored closely to ensure that the program continues to progress towards becoming an exemplary after-school program.

Syftet med studien är att öka kunskapen om vilka olika synsätt som lärare i fritidshem har på arbetet med inkludering och inkludering av elever i behov av särskilt stöd i skolan och fritidshemmet. Frågeställningarna författarna har i studien är: Vad innebär begreppet "inkludering" för lärare i fritidshem? Hur arbetar lärare i fritidshem med inkludering och inkludering av elever i behov av särskilt stöd? Undersökningens datainsamlingsmetod är kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer och respondenterna som deltar är åtta lärare i fritidshem. Resultatet analyseras utifrån dilemmaperspektivet där resultatet synliggör två dilemman som handlar om innebörden av begreppet inkludering och tillvägagångssätt i arbetet med inkludering. Resultatet visar att respondenterna arbetar med inkludering genom anpassningar, stöttning i skolan, rastaktiviteter och styrda aktiviteter i fritidshemmet. Utifrån resultatet uppfattar respondenterna att begreppet inkludering är när det finns en gemenskap där alla får vara med. / The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge about different views teachers in after-school programs have about the work with inclusion and inclusion of students in need of special support in school and after-school programs. The questions at issues of the study are: What does the concept of inclusion mean to teachers in after-school programs? How do the teachers in after-school programs work with inclusion and inclusion of students in need of special support? The data collection method of the study is qualitative semi-structured interviews and the respondents who participate in the study are eight teachers in after-school programs. The result is analyzed from the dilemma perspective and the result makes two dilemman visible that is about the meaning of the term inclusion and the course of action in the work with inclusion. The result shows that the respondents work with inclusion by adjustments, support in school, restactivities and controlled activities in after-school programs. By the result it shows that the respondents perceive that the term of inclusion is when there is a community where all students participate.

Efter att fritidshemmet år 2016 fick ett eget kapitel i läroplanen styrktes fritidslärarnas uppdrag ytterligare och från den första juli 2019 blir det krav på behörighet och legitimation för lärare i fritidshem. Med anledning av att yrket har gått, och går igenom förändringar, kan det öppnas upp för att nya förmågor och kunskaper blir av värde att ha i verksamheten jämfört med tidigare. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vad verksam personal inom fritidshem anser är värdefulla kvaliteteter, kunskaper och förmågor att besitta vid arbete inom fritidshem. Vi vill även undersöka hur personal inom fritidshem ser på sin yrkesroll och sitt uppdrag. Studien har en kvantitativ metod där vi använt oss av webbenkät för att få in data från personal inom fritidshem, 53 stycken valde att besvara enkäten. Vårt resultat pekar på att ledarskapsförmåga och kunskaper kring konflikthantering är det som är mest värdefullt vid arbete inom fritidshem. Att inneha en relevant pedagogisk utbildning är av vikt men det innebär inte att en person nödvändigtvis är lämplig för arbete inom fritidshem. Kunskaper samt personliga förmågor är mer värdefullt än en relevant pedagogisk utbildning. Det som är minst viktigt att inneha är yrkeserfarenhet samt kunskaper kring digitala verktyg. Resultatet pekar även på att personal inom fritidshem anser att deras arbetsuppgifter ska ha en koppling till fritidshem, alternativt grunda sig i fritidspedagogik, även under skoltid. Våra respondenter tar tydligt avstånd från skolans ordinarie verksamhet, och vill inte arbeta som elevassistent eller resurs i klass.

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