The purpose of this empirical study is to explore the manner in which seven preschool teachers perceive their work environment when dealing with stress. Interviews, combined with a questionnaire are the methods used in this study. During the interviews, they express their feelings and strategies for stress. Coping and the demand-control-support model are theoretical concepts that are used in this study. The results of the study reveal that preschool teachers feel that large groups of children, high noise levels, heavy workloads and high demands make them feel stressed. Their strategies to reduce stress were to divide the children into smaller groups, organize and prioritize their duties and help each other. The results show that a high job satisfaction among preschool teachers is beneficial in reducing stress. The conclusion demonstrates that preschool teachers need more time for planning and reflection, and fewer children in the preschool groups.

One of the goals for Namibia’s Vision 2030, through ETSIP (2005‐2015), is to establish a preprimary year in primary schools for all children aged 5‐6 to be developed first in schools serving the poorest population and OVCs. ECD is widely recognised as having a significant impact on the subsequent learning of children. The high failure and dropout rate in grade 1 made this process an important one. In 2008 the integration of ECD became a reality in five schools in the Khomas region of Namibia. At present there are 29 pilot schools in the Khomas region 29 schools, and 504 in the whole of Namibia. According to the MoE all primary schools should have a preprimary class as ECD has been recognized as a key contributor to positive outcomes in schools. This study sought to investigate various stakeholders’ experiences and views of the integration of pre‐primary into mainstream pre‐primary schooling. The goal was to investigate the management and leadership implications of this integration. The study is an interpretive case study of three pilot primary schools. The research design made provision for data collection through semi‐structured interviews, focus groups and document analysis. The main finding was that, despite numerous challenges, principals are positive about the integration of pre‐primary. There is a sense of appreciation of the importance of pre‐primary. Principals adopt participative and collegial management approaches in leading their schools towards becoming learning organisations. The study also uncovered several significant challenges, such as the need for more training and the provision of infrastructure to make the process more effective.

No description available.

Though a progressive day care philosophy has been developed and is practised in a few communities in the United States and Canada, the day care program generally has occupied a position of secondary importance in the network of community social, services, rather than being recognized as a service which requires professional leadership and substantial financial support. In Greater Vancouver, as in other communities, concern is expressed about the adequacy of present resources to meet the needs of children who require day care. The assumption of this study is that constructive planning must be based on objectives which (a) will assure enriching experiences to the children who require care, and (b) will give to families the opportunity to select the community resource which will support and strengthen the family life. These objectives are enunciated in the dynamic approach to day care services, and have been translated into a method of practice by the Child Welfare League of America in Standards for Day Care Services. The special needs of children which must be met in day care placement are first put in perspective through a review of current literature and discussion of present knowledge about the nature of human growth and development. These needs can be met when the day care program is viewed as a special field of Child Welfare, which requires a multi-disciplinary team approach to ensure that the total needs of the child and family are considered. The core of this study, based on a questionnaire survey, analyzes present practice in eleven day care facilities in the Greater Vancouver area, and compares it with the criteria established as acceptable by the Child Welfare League of America. This analysis is concerned particularly with the contribution of social work to the multi-disciplinary team. The findings indicate that present services do not make adequate provision for the child's welfare, and do not evidence appreciation of the day care program's responsibility to strengthen and enhance family life. The need, for professional leadership, financial support, and community planning to establish "good standards for day care" are supported with suggestions as to how the community might take action to develop a better and more creative day care service. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The purposes of the study were to describe how ten infants who ranged from five to thirteen months old responded to books in a day care setting over a five month period, to explore how teachers supported and/or constrained infants' response behaviors, and to understand teachers' and parents' beliefs about infants' capabilities to respond to books. The qualitative methods of participant-observation, formal and informal interviews, written field notes, audiotapes, videotapes, and photography were used for data collection. The results indicated that the infants were able to respond to books through facial expressions, body movements, and verbal responses. They were active in initiating book reading, and were able to show their book preferences. They tended to look for familiar objects and details in illustrations rather than pay attention to the whole content. After being exposed to book reading events, these infants developed positive attitude and skills toward reading. Gradually, book reading events were no longer solely controlled by the teachers, it became joint teacher-infant participation. The results showed that teachers supported infants' book reading in various ways. They made books accessible to the infants, and respected infants' different levels of interest in books. Through scaffolding and language extension, they provided a framework to allow infants to be involved in interactions during book reading. Meanwhile, teachers also encountered various constraints when engaging infants in book reading in a day care setting. The data also revealed that the parents exposed their infants to books at a very early age with various purposes. They made conscious efforts to make book reading enjoyable experiences for their children. Both parents and teachers perceived book reading as an important activity for infants and believed in infants' capabilities to respond to books. This study further elaborated implications for day care teachers and parents which build on its findings.

"Many educators recognize the function of the school to be that of fostering within pupils a physical, social and mental well-being through the development of skills, understandings, and attitudes which will best enable them to participate in, contribute to, and draw from the society in the achievement of personal fulfillment. If this statement is accepted, modification of the school program must be in line with this philosophy. To the list of improvements needed should be added that of extending the program downward so as to help the pre-school child develop a broad foundation on which to build his educational program"--Introduction. / "August, 1958." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Edna E. Parker, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 36-37).

Uppsatsen handlar om muntligt berättande som tog form under ett berättarprojekt på en förskola i Malmös västra del. Projektet varade i två månader och syftet var att se hur nio 4-5 åringar interagerade med varandra, mottog och samtalade om berättelserna vi valde att berätta.

No description available.

This qualitative study was conducted to examine the phenomenon of conflict as a relational process as it is played out in the natural settings of two classrooms. The researcher sought to explore the developmental potential that conflict affords children as they try to make meaning of their relationships within the peer culture. It breaks away from the cyclical and linear models of conflict interactions as it tries to understand the reciprocal role of individual and culture in the initiation, sustenance, and resolution of peer conflicts. The study was also designed to explore the researcher role as participator and observer on a continuum with participant at one extreme and observer on the other. Data for the study were collected through participant observations over a period of two semesters for the first study and five weeks for the second. The purpose was to examine disputes, particularly verbal exchanges made during these disputes, for insights of the child's understanding of the peer dynamics and culture that prevailed in the classrooms. Interpretive analysis of these disputes helped to embed the interactive events in their historical and sociocultural contexts. The results of this study increase our understanding of the developmental aspects of conflict and give us a glimpse of the meaning children make of their disputes. It reinforces the view that (a) children are capable of managing their conflicts without much adult intervention, (b) that the larger peer culture often dictates the initiation and outcome of conflicts, and (c) that conflicts provide an ideal opportunity for children to develop perspective taking and for testing the terms of their relationship with peers. / Ph. D.

No description available.