The purpose of the study is to visualize how four preschool teachers working with multilingual preschool children. The study's problem consists of the following questions:  How do pre-school teachers work with the aspect of language of multi-lingual chrildren? How is the use of mother tongue/native language perceived by pre-scool teachers? The methodological approach is qualitative, and all data is collected through qualitative method - interviews. The interviews was conducted in two different preschools, with two pre-school teachers from each kindergarten. We call one of the preschools Glädjen, which is more centrally located in a multicultural area where many of the children are multilingual. While the other preschool we call the preschool Delfinen, which is more centrally located in a Swedish dominatinged area. The theoretical basis I am using to support my study is Vygotsky's socio-cultural perspective and previous research by Anne Kultti (2012), Anders Skans (2011) and Polly Björk-Willén (2006).

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates teachers' language practices in multilingual classrooms with regard to their attitudes, skills and strategies in their management of linguistic diversity among learners in their first year of primary school. Both the critical interpretive theoretical paradigm adopted and the qualitative research approach employed in the execution of the study presupposed gathering rich data, which a case study design of research assured. The data for the study was gathered from four year one classrooms purposively selected based on parameters that were deemed of interest in this study. These included, but were not limited to, the location of the school, the linguistic diversity among learners in the classrooms and the literacy traditions of the first languages spoken by the learners in the target classrooms. Although the specific context provided real input to the study, the findings may be relevant to language-in-education issues in many other African countries, and even in multilingual communities beyond. The study reveals yawning discrepancies between language policy and practice; between teachers' beliefs about linguistic diversity and their actual language behaviour in the classrooms; and between the definitions of mother tongue provided by the Ministry of Education and teachers' re-interpretations of these definitions in the various contexts studied. The study further indicates that teachers are working in an environment that is not supportive of effective policy implementation. This very limited policy implementation support is reflected in teacher training and preparation, teacher placement criteria, text book production and school examinations. This study indicates that even a sound understanding of linguistic diversity among teachers and their best intentions to give learners a sound foundation, is only the beginning of literacy development of young learners in Kenya. It recommends a new and incisive look at critical aspects of the education system in an effort to synchronise the different levels at which policy and practice need to meet. Various well-informed choices need to be made in the creation of a supportive environment for effective policy implementation. This should include among other things a change in the language-in-education policy to move away from early-exit to late-exit mother tongue education, and more first language maintenance in bilingual or multilingual classrooms. If learners are to benefit from mother tongue instruction in line with current research in the field, much needs to be done. Based on the insights gained in this study, a revision of teacher education curricula to include the management of linguistically diverse learners and improved language awareness is suggested, as is flexible curriculum delivery, scrapping of formal examinations in the early years and introduction of alternative assessment methods in these levels. In later years, bilingual (in some cases even multilingual) tests are bound to lower the drop-out rate and produce more understanding and less rote learning. The aim should be to assure multilingual, multiliteracy development and academic achievement for all learners regardless of their particular linguistic backgrounds. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek onderwysers se taalpraktyke in veeltalige klaskamers ten opsigte van hulle houdings, vaardighede en strategieë in die hantering van talige diversiteit onder leerders in hulle eerste jaar van primêre onderrig. Sowel die vertolkende teoretiese paradigma wat gevolg word as die kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering wat die studie aanneem, het daarop gereken dat ingesamelde data ryk sou wees aan inligting; die navorsingsontwerp, naamlik dié van gevallestudie, verseker die verkryging van sulke data. Die studie is gebasseer op inligting wat ingesamel is in vier klaskamers van leerlinge in die eerste skooljaar. Die betrokke navorsingsterreine is telkens doelbewus gekies op grond van die parameters wat belangrik was vir die studie. Dit sluit in, maar is nie beperk tot, die ligging van die skool, die talige diversiteit van die leerders in die klaskamers en die geletterdheidstradisies van die onderskeie eerstetale van die leerders in die geteikende klaskamers. Alhoewel hierdie spesifieke konteks verseker het dat die studie in 'n werklike situasie geanker is, is die bevindinge waarskynlik relevant tov taal-in-onderrig kwessies in verskeie ander Afrikalande, en selfs ook in veeltalige gemeenskappe elders. Hierdie studie onthul gapende ongerymdhede in die verhouding tussen taalbeleid en praktyk; tussen onderwysers se oortuigings rakende talige diversiteit en hulle werklike taalgebruik in die klaskamers; en tussen die omskrywings van moedertaal wat deur die Ministerie van Onderwys voorsien word en die onderwysers se herinterpretasie van hierdie omskrywings binne die verskillende kontekste wat ondersoek word. Die studie dui verder daarop dat onderwysers in ʼn omgewing werk wat nie die effektiewe implementering van beleid ondersteun nie. Sodanige beperkte ondersteuning in die implementering van die beleid word weerspiëel in die opleiding en voorbereiding van onderwysers, die plasingkriteria van onderwysers, die publikasie van handboeke en skooleksamens. Hierdie studie toon aan dat selfs 'n goeie begrip van talige diversiteit onder onderwysers en hulle beste voornemens om aan leerders ʼn vaste grondslag te bied, net 'n eerste tree is in die geletterdheidsontwikkeling van jong leerders in Kenia. Dit stel ʼn nuwe en indringende ondersoek van kritiese aspekte van die onderwyssisteem voor as ʼn poging om die verskillende vlakke waar beleid en praktyk mekaar behoort te ontmoet, te sinchroniseer. Verskeie goed ingeligte besluite sal geneem moet word in die skep van ʼn omgewing wat bevorderlik is vir effektiewe beleidimplementering. Dit sou onder andere ʼn verandering in die taal-in-onderwys beleid insluit om weg te beweeg van die vroeë wegbeweeg moedertaalonderrig na later wegbeweeg van moedertaalonderrig, sowel as meer instandhouding van die eerstetaal in twee- of veeltalige klaskamers. Vir leerders om baat te vind by moedertaalonderrig in oorstemming met huidige insigte uit navorsing in die veld, moet nog baie gedoen word. Gebaseer op die insigte wat in hierdie studie verkry is, word onder andere hersiening van die onderrigkurrikula vir onderwysers voorgestel sodat die hantering van talig-diverse groepe leerders asook verbeterde taalbewustheid daarby ingesluit is. Dieselfde geld ontwikkeling van buigbare kurrikula, die skrapping van formele eksaminering in die vroeë skooljare en die instelling van alternatiewe assesseringsmetodes op hierdie vlakke. In die later jare sal tweetalige (in sommige gevalle selfs veeltalige) toetse beslis die uitvalsyfer verlaag, asook meer begrip en minder leë memorisering tot gevolg te hê. Die doel moet wees om veeltalige, multi-geletterheidsontwikkeling en akademiese prestasie vir alle leerders te verseker ongeag hulle spesifieke talige agtergrond. / The African Doctoral Academy (ADA) at Stellenbosch University through the Partnership for Africa's Next Generation of Academics (PANGEA), for providing the funds

Mands, of which requesting and rejecting responses are considered subclasses, are the first emerging communication functions that allow children to express their wants and needs. While typically developing children develop speech without specifically designed intervention, many children with autism and developmental disabilities are likely to rely on prelinguistic communication forms that are socially and developmentally inappropriate or unacceptable until symbolic forms of functional communication are taught. A review of the literature on teaching mands indicates that although there is an abundance of research addressing teaching communicative requesting behaviors, rarely have studies attempted to teach communicative rejecting. The purpose of this study was to create rejecting opportunities using the wrong-item format embedded into the missing item format, and to teach socially appropriate rejecting response using AAC for four children with autism and developmental disabilities. This study employed a multiple probe design across four participants to examine the effectiveness of the procedure. Results indicated that the wrong-item format embedded into the missing-item format was effective in teaching symbolic forms of rejecting responses using VOCAs and PECS. The results were generalized across two untrained activities and were maintained up to four weeks following the termination of generalization probes for three participants. The implications and limitations of this study, as well as potential topics for future research are also discussed. / text

The development of category knowledge is in part a function of one's experiences with the world. The types of errors produced during category generation tasks may reveal the boundaries of these experiences and the ways in which they are organized into lexical networks. Examining the errors made by bilingual children with and without language impairment (LI) and bilingual adults may help to distinguish the effects of ability versus experience on the development and organization of lexical-semantic categories. The purpose of this study was to examine the types of errors made by bilingual (Spanish-English) children with (n=37) and without (n=35) LI and bilingual adults (n=26) on category generation tasks in both their languages and at two category levels: taxonomic and slot-filler. Results revealed a main effect for level (taxonomic vs. slot-filler) and error type (semantic vs. other) and suggest that bilingual seven to nine-year-old children's and adults' proportions and types of errors produced on category generation tasks differ significantly based on ability (i.e., TD or LI) but not on experience (i.e., TD or Adults). / text

The purpose of this essay is to study if and how five South African educators work with music as a special pedagogical tool in children's language development. To achieve the purpose of this study, two research questions were created. As method, interviews of a qualitative character were chosen.  The aim of the method is to give the educators the opportunity to think about and use their own experience before answering the questions. The result shows that the South African educators are not using music as a special educational tool. They rather use music as an everyday educational tool to promote children's language development. The result indicates that music in educational activities promotes children’s communication with each other. Through music, children also develop their body language. As a general educational tool, music becomes important for children’s development.

The aim of this study is to investigate the opportunities for oral language development that teachers offer pupils during lessons in Swedish in grade 3. The following questions guided the study: how do teachers perceive that they offer the pupils opportunities for oral language development in their teaching and what possibilities for oral language development do teachers offer pupils? The methods used to answer the questions are interview and observation of two teachers in two different classrooms. In all, two interviews and four observations were conducted. An observation schedule was used during the observations and the interviews were semi-structured, based on the same questions. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. The collected material showed that the oral activities which the teachers said they offered their pupils were working in pairs or small groups, whole-class conversations and drama. The teachers said that they interacted with the pupils through taking turns and asking questions. The activities the teachers offered their pupils during the four observations were whole-class conversations led by the teacher, structured conversations in small groups and spontaneous conversations among pupils and between pupils and teacher, and interactive book reading. The interactions used by the teachers took the form of speech, questions and body language. The conclusion of the study is that teachers must have more tools for taking advantage of opportunities to let the pupils develop their oral language. The view of what oral language development can involve should also be broadened.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how preschool teachers in preschools inspired by the pedagogical philosophy of Reggio Emilia use aestheticforms of expression to support the Swedish language development of children that have Swedish as a second language. We want to know how these teachers incorporate aesthetics in the work with second language learners and how they use creative expressions as tools in this process. The study is based on a qualitative method focusing on interviews with five preschool teachers. The interviews were held in four different preschools in the county of Stockholm, all inspired by the pedagogical philosophy of Reggio Emilia and all located in multicultural areas. The results are analysed with the help of three theoretical perspectives: Dewey’s theories concerning experience, pedagogy and art, the socio-cultural perspective and social semiotics. The results of the study show that aesthetics are a vital part of the ReggioEmilia-preschools we have visited, though they aren’t always incorporated in the work with the second language learners. Second language development was stimulated through aestheticforms of expression in both planned and spontaneous activities, with the help of the preschool teachers. Aestheticexperiences were used as tools through their potential to include everyone and introduce multiple paths towards language development. Preschool teachers also experienced that their presence and listening skills were important in this process. As they, for example, named things and happenings around the children they scaffolded the children’s second language development.

No description available.

Effectiveness of impedance audiometry in diagnosing serous otitis media in children was examined in this study. The impedance test battery was performed on seventy-six ears of pre-myringotomy children (Mean age: 4.6 years). The status of the middle ear was assessed by the operating physician during surgery, and impedance results were correlated with the operative findings. Middle ear effusion was the variable that most influenced impedance results. Acoustic reflex threshold and tympanometry were the most sensitive tests in predicting effusion. Multiple correlations between these tests and the presence of significant effusion indicated that both measures together are diagnostically more sensitive than either test alone. Also, reflex measurement at one test frequency is as accurate a predictor of effusion as reflex measurement at all frequencies.

The master's thesis describes the semantic development and usage of prefixes s-, z- and vz- in Czech. The thesis begins with a short summary of theoretical background, definition of the subject matter and terms used. It then proceeds with etymological analysis and description of meanings of equivalents of these prefixes in Old Slavic. Following chapters analyze the competition of the three prefixes in Old Czech, describing the factors that impacted their use and provide an overview of the matter in New Czech, with regards to the semantic aspect of the mentioned prefixes. Subsequently, the thesis summarizes orthographic principles of s- and z- (and vz-) from the 16th century up to present times. The last chapter provides an overview of the situation in other Slavic languages with respect to the West Slavic branch. Attention is also paid to the matter of merging the prefixes s- and z- into one.