Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2016-04-25T20:10:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Amanda Maria Franco Liberato.pdf: 982382 bytes, checksum: d809c59a4775419f4c0bf28189be391d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:10:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Amanda Maria Franco Liberato.pdf: 982382 bytes, checksum: d809c59a4775419f4c0bf28189be391d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-11-25 / The object of this research is the formation of the student researcher under the perspective of these actors. The general purpose was to analyze the formation under the perspective of students’ researchers in three Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) partners of the Program Read and Write / Public School and University in Literacy / Literacy Exchange of the Government of the State of São Paulo. As specific objectives we listed the following: check if the student researcher develops activities to be delivered in training meetings and verify the students researchers if the advisor professors allow moments of exchange of knowledge coming from the practice in training meetings. Our hypothesis is that the formation of the student researcher does not occur effectively by some IHEs contrary the guidelines established by the official program and thus we seek to answer the following questions: How goes the training of students researchers in universities? How often? What are the topics covered in this training? Discussions allow the student researcher relates theory and teaching practice and takes ownership of the fundamentals of literacy? The training allows the stage in literacy courses is experienced from another viewpoint? Which? The universe of the research were three private IHEs located in São Paulo city whose subjects were six students researchers that study Pedagogy, from two of each institution. We used qualitative matrix method using a semi-structured interview as data collection instrument, as well as analysis of official documents governing this Program, namely: Communication SE 86, 2007; Resolution SE 86, 2007; Decree No. 51627, 2007, and Resolution SE 90, 2008. We have analyzed the interviews using the content analysis according to Bardin (2011). The research was based on the following authors: Ferreiro (1995 and 2003); Lerner (1995 and 2002) and Smith (1985, 2009 and 2011) in order to support the categories alphabetization and literacy; Contreras (2012), Nóvoa (1992) and Tardiff (2002) to reference the initial category of teacher education. As a result the researchers found that students in school A and B receive training more focused on administrative aspects, with few hours of study and reflection hindering the assessment of the basic concepts related to the literacy process, showing unsafe when immersed in school while the students researchers of the university C receive more geared to the pedagogical aspects of training, enabling them to have greater contact with the authors who discuss literacy in a constructivist perspective leading them to a better understanding of the concepts and therefore the procedures adopted by the regents teachers. We conclude that the students researchers from colleges A and B require theoretical study about the concepts related to literacy for better performance in the classroom. / O objeto da presente pesquisa é a formação da aluna pesquisadora sob a perspectiva desses atores. Teve por objetivo geral analisar a formação sob a perspectiva das alunas pesquisadoras de três Instituições de Educação Superior parceiras do Programa Ler e Escrever/Escola Pública e Universidade na Alfabetização/Bolsa Alfabetização do Governo do Estado de São Paulo. Como objetivos específicos, elencamos os seguintes: verificar se a aluna pesquisadora desenvolve atividades para serem entregues nos encontros de formação e verificar com as alunas pesquisadoras se os professores formadores possibilitam momentos de troca de conhecimentos advindos da prática nos encontros de formação. Partimos da hipótese de que a formação da aluna pesquisadora não ocorre de maneira efetiva por parte de algumas IESs contrariando as diretrizes estabelecidas pelo Programa oficial e, assim, buscamos responder as seguintes perguntas: Como ocorre a formação das alunas pesquisadoras nas universidades? Com qual frequência? Quais os temas abordados nessa formação? As discussões permitem que a aluna pesquisadora relacione teoria e prática pedagógica e se aproprie dos fundamentos da alfabetização? A formação permite que o estágio em salas de alfabetização seja vivenciado sob outra ótica? Qual? O universo da pesquisa foram três IESs privadas localizadas na cidade de São Paulo cujos sujeitos foram seis alunas pesquisadoras que cursam Pedagogia, sendo duas de cada instituição. Utilizou-se metodologia de cunho qualitativo, utilizando a entrevista semiestruturada como instrumento de coleta de dados, além de análise dos documentos oficiais que regem o referido Programa, a saber: Comunicado SE – 86 de 2007, Resolução SE – 86 de 2007, Decreto nº 51627 de 2007 e Resolução SE – 90 de 2008. Analisamos as entrevistas utilizando a Análise de conteúdo segundo Bardin (2011). A pesquisa se fundamentou nos seguintes autores: Ferreiro (1995, 2003); Lerner (1995 e 2002) e Soares (1985, 2009 e 2011) para fundamentar as categorias alfabetização e letramento; Contreras (2012), Nóvoa (1992) e Tardif (2002) para referendar a categoria formação inicial de professores. Como resultados constatamos que as alunas pesquisadoras da faculdade A e B recebem formação mais voltada aos aspectos administrativos, com poucas horas de estudo e reflexão dificultando a apreensão dos conceitos básicos referentes ao processo de alfabetização, mostrando-se inseguras quando imersas na escola, enquanto que as alunas pesquisadoras da universidade C recebem formação mais voltada aos aspectos pedagógicos, possibilitando que elas tenham maior contato com os autores que discutem a alfabetização numa perspectiva construtivista, levando-as a melhor compreensão dos conceitos e, consequentemente, dos procedimentos adotados pelas professoras regentes. Conclui-se que as alunas pesquisadoras das faculdades A e B necessitam de aprofundamento teórico a respeito dos conceitos referentes à alfabetização para melhor atuação em sala de aula.

[pt] No contexto de uma sociedade digital emergem abordagens educativas mediadas pelas tecnologias digitais que visam respeitar o tempo, o ritmo e a forma de aprendizagem de cada aluno individualmente. As principais ideias embutidas na lógica das aprendizagens híbrida e adaptativa – autonomia, protagonismo do aluno, personalização do ensino, acompanhamento e avaliação contínua da aprendizagem – não são novas e também estão presentes na educação tradicional exclusivamente presencial. A principal diferença reside no fato de reconhecer na tecnologia o potencial de expansão das formas e lugares de aprendizagem dos alunos, oportunizando uma via paralela e integradora, não substitutiva e nem tampouco de caráter simplesmente complementar ao ensino presencial, para alcance dos objetivos de aprendizagem. O objetivo geral desta investigação é apresentar a concepção, operacionalização e implicações de duas abordagens educativas mediadas pelas tecnologias digitais, a aprendizagem híbrida e a aprendizagem adaptativa. A tese foi estruturada no formato multipaper contendo três estudos independentes que resguardam unidade temática e alinhamento teórico, mantendo assim uma inter-relação. A adoção de um modelo alternativo para a escrita da tese de doutorado responde a demanda do objeto de investigação, que é plural, de caráter difuso e multifacetado. O primeiro estudo, uma revisão sistemática da literatura a partir da produção acadêmica na área de Informática na Educação, buscou identificar as concepções e características de modelos híbridos e adaptativos que objetivam a personalização da aprendizagem. O segundo estudo é o relato de uma experiência de formação online destinada a professores que procurou explorar os conceitos de aprendizagem híbrida e adaptativa, assim como mobilizar mecanismos para sua operacionalização. O terceiro estudo pretendeu verificar, a partir da percepção de professores das licenciaturas e da análise dos currículos de seus cursos, se a formação inicial de professores está alinhada às abordagens educativas emergentes supracitadas, assim como seu entrelaçamento com as políticas públicas educacionais, específicas e complementares, que visam a promoção da incorporação das tecnologias digitais à educação. Compõe também este trabalho uma introdução, onde é apresentado o enquadramento teórico-conceitual transversal aos três estudos, assim como uma síntese conclusiva, onde se apresenta uma discussão integrada dos resultados. Os resultados da pesquisa mostram a necessidade de maior interlocução entre os profissionais das áreas de Informática e Educação no desenvolvimento de ambientes e sistemas que suportem a aprendizagem híbrida e adaptativa, o que implica na realização de mais pesquisas de caráter experimental e, principalmente, na reconfiguração da formação docente, inicial e continuada, no sentido de preparar efetivamente os professores para exercerem seu papel, que já não é mais de transmissores do conhecimento, mas de mediadores no processo de aprendizagem, ressignificando seu modus operandi com base em uma tríade de princípios norteadores: design, curadoria, e orientação. / [en] In the digital society emerge educational approaches mediated by digital technologies that aim to respect the time, pace and form of learning of each student individually. The main ideas embedded in the logic of blended and adaptive learning - autonomy, student protagonism, customization, monitoring and continuous evaluation of learning - are not new and are also present in traditional classroom-based education. The main difference lies in the fact of recognizing in technology the potential of expanding the forms and places of learning, providing a parallel and integrative way, not substitutive and not simply complementary to face-to-face teaching, in order to achieve learning objectives. The general objective of this research is to present the conception, operationalization and implications of two educational approaches mediated by digital technologies, blended learning and adaptive learning. The thesis was structured in the multipaper format containing three independent studies that safeguard thematic unit and theoretical alignment, thus maintaining an interrelation. The adoption of an alternative model for writing the thesis responds to the demand for the research object, which is plural, diffuse and multifaceted. The first study, a systematic survey of the literature from the academic production in the area of Informatics in Education, sought to identify the conceptions and characteristics of hybrid and adaptive models that aim at personalization of learning. The second study is the report of an online training experience for teachers that sought to explore the concepts of blended and adaptive learning, as well as to mobilize mechanisms for its operationalization. The third study aimed to verify, from the teachers perception of the degree programs and the curriculum analysis of their courses, if the initial teacher training is in line with the emerging educational approaches mentioned above, as well as their intertwining with specific and complementary public educational policies, which aim to promote the incorporation of digital technologies into education. This work has also an introduction, where the theoretical and conceptual framework of the three studies is presented, as well as a conclusive synthesis, presenting an integrated discussion of the results. The research results show the need for greater interaction between professionals in the areas of Informatics and Education in the development of environments and systems that support personalized learning, which implies in the accomplishment of more experimental research and, mainly, in the reconfiguration of the teacher training in order to effectively prepare teachers to play their role, which is no longer a transmitter of knowledge but a mediator in the learning process, re-signifying its modus operandi based on the principles of curatorship, design and orientation.

[pt] A pesquisa investiga se o percurso trilhado na formação inicial é capaz de desconstruir discursos baseados no senso comum quando alunos de Letras Português / Inglês discorrem sobre a importância da aprendizagem da língua inglesa nas escolas. Para tal, o estudo qualitativo baseia-se nos conceitos da Teoria Social do Discurso de Fairclough (2001); nos estudos de Silva (2017) sobre os aspectos neoliberais que impactam o ensino da língua inglesa e nas considerações de teóricos que têm o ensino crítico do idioma como objeto de estudo, como Pennycook (2009), Jordão (2004, 2014) e Oliveira (2014). Como caminho metodológico, primeiramente investigou-se a presença de um senso comum acerca da justificativa para aprendizagem do idioma por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica de caráter histórico, pesquisa de anúncios promovendo a importância da língua e questionário com quarenta voluntários de diferentes faixas etárias e níveis de escolaridade. Após entendimento sobre o que o senso comum aponta como necessidade para a aprendizagem do inglês, foram analisados os discursos de oito graduandos de uma faculdade particular tomados por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas. Concluiuse que as falas dos alunos de períodos avançados apresentam menos elementos discursivos considerados como de senso comum; no entanto, de modo geral, o senso crítico com relação à aprendizagem do idioma não aparece de maneira clara em seus discursos, o que demonstra haver uma carência de um olhar mais crítico sobre o ensino de línguas durante a formação desses alunos. / [en] The research investigates whether graduation is capable of deconstructing discourses based on common sense when Portuguese / English students talk about the importance of learning English in schools. To this end, the qualitative study is based on the concepts of the Social Theory of Discourse by Fairclough (2001); in the studies by Silva (2017) on the neoliberal aspects that impact the teaching of the English language and in the considerations of theorists who have the critical teaching of the language as an object of study, such as Pennycook (2009), Jordão (2004, 2014) and Oliveira (2014). As a methodology, we first investigated the presence of a common sense in the reasons for learning the language through historical bibliographic research, search for advertisements promoting the importance of the language and a questionnaire with forty volunteers of different age range and educational levels. After understanding what is the common sense about the need for learning English, the speeches - taken through semi-structured interviews - of eight graduates from a private college were analyzed. As a conclusion, it is possible to say that the speeches of senior students have less discursive elements considered as common sense. However, in general, the critical sense regarding language learning does not appear clearly in their speeches, which demonstrates that there is a lack of a more critical look at language teaching during graduation years.

The problem this study addresses is the continuing ineffective teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) despite the popularity of in-service (INSET) programmes. As a means of situational analysis, ethnographic approaches were used to investigate the INSET participants in the four-year degree programme at the University of Botswana. Responses to one inventory containing second language teaching activities showed that the activities respondents know to characterize ESL classrooms do not facilitate much verbal teacher-pupil/pupil-pupil interaction. Responses to another inventory containing idealised course content showed evidence of needs the preparation programme was ignoring. This confirmed one of two study hypotheses that: there are specific second language teaching needs being ignored by preparation programmes for primary school language teachers. Document analysis verified the assumptions about what classroom English Language Teaching (ELT) was expected to achieve. However, lesson observation revealed that the products of the programme still taught and perceived English as a mental exercise, with the following results: the lessons were complicated, uninspiring, unenjoyable, restrictive, and ineffective. Questionnaire and interview results confirmed the second study hypothesis that: the confidence of non-native English-speaking teachers (non-NESTs) with regard to competence in English, which affects the effectiveness and efficiency of their teaching, is low. As a solution a model specifying the essential programme components for preparing ELT specialists in the primary school is proposed. The proposed model is however not prescriptive and the proposed content is neither exhaustive nor limiting, but only broadly suggestive of the content of each instructional component. It is hoped that the product of the proposed model will become not only a well-educated person in the arts but also a highly proficient and self-confident person in ELT. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

Second/international language (L2) education contexts are increasingly recognized as fertile ground for the learning about “otherness”, teaching a new linguistic code and another way of seeing the world. This study contrasts how culture teaching beliefs and visions develop among new secondary school international language teachers in curriculum/methodology classes in two distinct teacher preparation programs. Using a comparative, multi-case study approach with a mixed methods design, this research uses complementary data sources including three repeated questionnaires, individual, focus group interviews and classroom observations to examine changes in culture teaching beliefs/visions. The research was informed by a sociocultural perspective in teacher education, a proposed model of teacher education impact and current thinking in culture and intercultural learning including Byram’s (1997) framework of intercultural communicative competence and post-modernist definitions of culture. Comparisons between the teacher educators involved show that culture teaching practices are strongly situated in historically embedded paradigms, contextual constraints of learning environments and framed by practitioners’ culture teaching beliefs. Findings indicate that teacher candidates’ culture teaching beliefs and visions evolve on individual pathways, depend on reflection, and are firmly rooted in previous beliefs about culture and L2 learning. Teacher education practices in these programs prompted both a facilitative and tempering effect on teacher candidate culture teaching beliefs and visions. Enthusiasm and curiosity about culture teaching increased and some teacher candidates saw culture teaching having perspective-changing benefits. Alternatively, many teacher candidates began to see increased complexity with culture teaching leading to insecurity about culture teaching knowledge and cultural credibility. Teacher candidates cited increased awareness of curricular and time constraints, concerns with stereotypes, the daunting breadth of culture and a lack of culture teaching models. Teachers with the most teaching and “living away” experience exhibited more culture teaching familiarity. Despite a brief appearance of some intercultural approaches, an instructivist approach working with the material dimension of the target culture dominated teachers’ culture teaching visions. Implications include rethinking the structure of L2 teacher preparation programs to provide more critical, ethnorelative reflection on culture, teacher identity, and to situate and operationalize culture teaching in teacher beliefs and experiences.

Second/international language (L2) education contexts are increasingly recognized as fertile ground for the learning about “otherness”, teaching a new linguistic code and another way of seeing the world. This study contrasts how culture teaching beliefs and visions develop among new secondary school international language teachers in curriculum/methodology classes in two distinct teacher preparation programs. Using a comparative, multi-case study approach with a mixed methods design, this research uses complementary data sources including three repeated questionnaires, individual, focus group interviews and classroom observations to examine changes in culture teaching beliefs/visions. The research was informed by a sociocultural perspective in teacher education, a proposed model of teacher education impact and current thinking in culture and intercultural learning including Byram’s (1997) framework of intercultural communicative competence and post-modernist definitions of culture. Comparisons between the teacher educators involved show that culture teaching practices are strongly situated in historically embedded paradigms, contextual constraints of learning environments and framed by practitioners’ culture teaching beliefs. Findings indicate that teacher candidates’ culture teaching beliefs and visions evolve on individual pathways, depend on reflection, and are firmly rooted in previous beliefs about culture and L2 learning. Teacher education practices in these programs prompted both a facilitative and tempering effect on teacher candidate culture teaching beliefs and visions. Enthusiasm and curiosity about culture teaching increased and some teacher candidates saw culture teaching having perspective-changing benefits. Alternatively, many teacher candidates began to see increased complexity with culture teaching leading to insecurity about culture teaching knowledge and cultural credibility. Teacher candidates cited increased awareness of curricular and time constraints, concerns with stereotypes, the daunting breadth of culture and a lack of culture teaching models. Teachers with the most teaching and “living away” experience exhibited more culture teaching familiarity. Despite a brief appearance of some intercultural approaches, an instructivist approach working with the material dimension of the target culture dominated teachers’ culture teaching visions. Implications include rethinking the structure of L2 teacher preparation programs to provide more critical, ethnorelative reflection on culture, teacher identity, and to situate and operationalize culture teaching in teacher beliefs and experiences.

The problem this study addresses is the continuing ineffective teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) despite the popularity of in-service (INSET) programmes. As a means of situational analysis, ethnographic approaches were used to investigate the INSET participants in the four-year degree programme at the University of Botswana. Responses to one inventory containing second language teaching activities showed that the activities respondents know to characterize ESL classrooms do not facilitate much verbal teacher-pupil/pupil-pupil interaction. Responses to another inventory containing idealised course content showed evidence of needs the preparation programme was ignoring. This confirmed one of two study hypotheses that: there are specific second language teaching needs being ignored by preparation programmes for primary school language teachers. Document analysis verified the assumptions about what classroom English Language Teaching (ELT) was expected to achieve. However, lesson observation revealed that the products of the programme still taught and perceived English as a mental exercise, with the following results: the lessons were complicated, uninspiring, unenjoyable, restrictive, and ineffective. Questionnaire and interview results confirmed the second study hypothesis that: the confidence of non-native English-speaking teachers (non-NESTs) with regard to competence in English, which affects the effectiveness and efficiency of their teaching, is low. As a solution a model specifying the essential programme components for preparing ELT specialists in the primary school is proposed. The proposed model is however not prescriptive and the proposed content is neither exhaustive nor limiting, but only broadly suggestive of the content of each instructional component. It is hoped that the product of the proposed model will become not only a well-educated person in the arts but also a highly proficient and self-confident person in ELT. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

This thesis is a reflective exploration of the use and impact of using drama pedagogies in the English as a Second Language (ESL)/ English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. It stems from the problem of secondary school English language learning in Malaysia, where current teaching practices appear to have led to the decline of the standard of English as a second language in school leavers and university graduates (Abdul Rahman, 1997; Carol Ong Teck Lan, Anne Leong Chooi Khaun, & Singh, 2011; Hazita et al., 2010; Nalliah & Thiyagarajah, 1999). This problem resonates with my own experiences at school, as a secondary school student, an ESL teacher and, later, as a teacher trainer. Consequently, these experiences led me to explore alternative or supplementary teaching methodologies that could enhance the ESL learning experience, drawing initially from drama techniques such as those advocated by Maley and Duff (1983), Wessels (1987), and Di Pietro (1983), and later from process drama pedagogies such as those advocated by Greenwood (2005); Heathcote and Bolton (1995); Kao and O'Neill (1998), and Miller and Saxton (2004). This thesis is an account of my own exploration in adapting drama pedagogies to ESL/EFL teaching. It examines ways in which drama pedagogies might increase motivation and competency in English language learning. The main methodology of the study is that of reflective practice (e.g. Griffiths & Tann, 1992; Zeichner & Liston, 1996). It tracks a learning journey, where I critically reflect on my learning, exploring and implementing such pedagogical approaches as well as evaluate their impact on my students’ learning. These critical reflections arise from three case studies, based on three different contexts: the first a New Zealand English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) class in an intermediate school, the second a Malaysian ESL class in a rural secondary school, and the third an English proficiency class of adult learners in a language school. Data for the study were obtained through the following: research journal and reflective memo; observation and field notes; interview; social media; students’ class work; discussion with co-researchers; and through the literature of the field. A major teaching methodology that emerges from the reflective cycles is that of staging the textbook, where the textbook section to be used for the teaching programme is distilled, and the key focuses of the language, skills, vocabulary, and themes to be learnt are identified and extracted. A layer of drama is matched with these distilled elements and then ‘staged’ on top of the textbook unit, incorporating context-setting opportunities, potential for a story, potential for tension or complication, and the target language elements. The findings that emerge through critical reflection in the study relate to the drama methodologies that I learn and acquire, the impact of these methodologies on students, the role of culture in the application of drama methodologies, and language learning and acquisition. These findings have a number of implications. Firstly, they show how an English Language Teaching (ELT) practitioner might use drama methodologies and what their impact is on student learning. While the focus is primarily on the Malaysian context, aspects of the findings may resonate internationally. Secondly, they suggest a model of reflective practice that can be used by other ELT practitioners who are interested in using drama methodologies in their teaching. Thirdly, these findings also point towards the development of a more comprehensive syllabus for using drama pedagogies, as well as the development of reflective practice, in the teacher training programmes in Malaysia. The use of drama pedagogies for language learning is a field that has not been researched in a Malaysian context. Therefore, this account of reflective practice offers a platform for further research and reflection in this context.

The purpose of this study was to establish the perception of Grade One teachers regarding the school readiness of Reception Year learners in relation to the new national Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS). The study also provides recommendations on how to implement CAPS in Grade R so that teachers, learners and parents experience the easiest possible transition to Grade One. The research took the form of a case study, building on current trends related to the subject of Reception Year CAPS curriculum implementation, and using the Interpretive approach as its essential, functional paradigm, which focuses on experiences of the world based on the culture and previous experiences of each individual, with an emphasis on mutual understanding. By using this strategy to explore Grade One teacher perceptions regarding the school readiness of the Reception Year learners, this project was centred on an in-depth and detailed analysis of a person, group or situation as a sample of the whole, and involved a systematic collection of data and analysis. This led to a conclusions-based report on the findings, all the while focusing on five Grade One teachers and their Head of Department at a public primary school in Pretoria, Gauteng. Preliminary findings suggested that learners coming into Grade One could in fact be adequately prepared during Grade R for successful assimilation in the CAPS curriculum material, if all stakeholders overcome the challenges they face during this important phase of academic development. This study has shown that varying amounts and levels of training amongst the teachers is a hindrance to proper CAPS curriculum implementation and therefore, the Head of Department, the school and ultimately the Department of Education has to ensure parity in the area of teacher training in terms of CAPS curriculum implementation. The study has shown that, due to the different sites where learners did their Reception Year, the school and the Grade One teachers faced learners who came into their classrooms with differing levels of exposure to the formal schooling system. Some learners may have no CAPS curriculum exposure at all. This means that, if the Department of Education is to succeed in implementing the CAPS curriculum in Grade R, then it needs to assist schools more in the form of providing funds for primary schools to build and add space for the Grade R classrooms. Finally, the study showed that a language backlog remains one of the main challenges learners have to face. Historically, Early Childhood Development Centres were never required to use English as a medium of instruction. In fact, teaching in the preschool classroom, which includes Grade R, is still mostly done in one of many mother tongue languages, depending on the location of the centre. With the move to make Grade R part of formal schooling and moving the Reception Year class to a primary school, CAPS requires careful curriculum implementation from Grade R to Grade Three, although instruction in English is only required from Grade One. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Specialisation in Curriculum Studies)

The purpose of this study was to establish the perception of Grade One teachers regarding the school readiness of Reception Year learners in relation to the new national Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS). The study also provides recommendations on how to implement CAPS in Grade R so that teachers, learners and parents experience the easiest possible transition to Grade One. The research took the form of a case study, building on current trends related to the subject of Reception Year CAPS curriculum implementation, and using the Interpretive approach as its essential, functional paradigm, which focuses on experiences of the world based on the culture and previous experiences of each individual, with an emphasis on mutual understanding. By using this strategy to explore Grade One teacher perceptions regarding the school readiness of the Reception Year learners, this project was centred on an in-depth and detailed analysis of a person, group or situation as a sample of the whole, and involved a systematic collection of data and analysis. This led to a conclusions-based report on the findings, all the while focusing on five Grade One teachers and their Head of Department at a public primary school in Pretoria, Gauteng. Preliminary findings suggested that learners coming into Grade One could in fact be adequately prepared during Grade R for successful assimilation in the CAPS curriculum material, if all stakeholders overcome the challenges they face during this important phase of academic development. This study has shown that varying amounts and levels of training amongst the teachers is a hindrance to proper CAPS curriculum implementation and therefore, the Head of Department, the school and ultimately the Department of Education has to ensure parity in the area of teacher training in terms of CAPS curriculum implementation. The study has shown that, due to the different sites where learners did their Reception Year, the school and the Grade One teachers faced learners who came into their classrooms with differing levels of exposure to the formal schooling system. Some learners may have no CAPS curriculum exposure at all. This means that, if the Department of Education is to succeed in implementing the CAPS curriculum in Grade R, then it needs to assist schools more in the form of providing funds for primary schools to build and add space for the Grade R classrooms. Finally, the study showed that a language backlog remains one of the main challenges learners have to face. Historically, Early Childhood Development Centres were never required to use English as a medium of instruction. In fact, teaching in the preschool classroom, which includes Grade R, is still mostly done in one of many mother tongue languages, depending on the location of the centre. With the move to make Grade R part of formal schooling and moving the Reception Year class to a primary school, CAPS requires careful curriculum implementation from Grade R to Grade Three, although instruction in English is only required from Grade One. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Specialisation in Curriculum Studies)