As the English language holds the status of a Lingua Franca, being able to master it has become necessary in our globalised society. In Sweden, the English subject has been assigned a place along with Swedish and Mathematics as a core subject. However, of these three subjects, only English does not have specified knowledge requirements at the end of third grade. This has led to the start of English instruction varying around the nation. This thesis investigates the factors involved in the decision-making processes regarding the start of English instruction and what attitudes lower primary school teachers have regarding the age at which the English instruction should start. An empirical study was carried out by interviewing a few stakeholders in the context of schools and sending out questionnaires to lower primary school teachers. The results indicate that a large majority of the participants were in favour for early English instruction, as according to many of them, an early start results almost exclusively in advantages for the young children. However, the results also imply that the English subject, in some cases, might be less prioritised, due to the lack of specified knowledge requirements. Based on these results, further research on how different schools interpret these non-specified knowledge requirements is suggested. / <p>Engelska</p>

This study explores the spontaneous singing of three- and four-year-old children at home, with emphasis on how young children use singing in their everyday lives. Spontaneous singing pervades the everyday lives of young children and can provide insights into a child's musical and extra-musical experience at home. Although several studies have examined spontaneous singing in educational settings, young children's musical lives at home are rarely studied in detail. The home is a difficult space to access, and data collection methods often rely on parental reporting. As a result, some types of singing have been overlooked. Located within the sociocultural theoretical tradition, this thesis draws on and develops theories of musical agency to explore how children act musically to engage with others and manage their own experience. Audio data were collected using LENA all-day recording technology supplemented by semi-structured parental interviews. Over 183 hours of audio recording were collected from 15 children (7 boys, 8 girls), aged between 3:0 and 4:10 years (average age 3:8). The children were recorded for continuous periods during their normal everyday routines. The recordings contained more than nine hours of spontaneous singing in total. The data were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis with an element of embedded numerical analysis. Interpretive analysis indicated that the children sang to act on themselves and manage social interactions. Spontaneous singing was used as a tool through which the children could realise personal and social agency and influence themselves and others. The children used different modes of singing in social and solitary contexts, demonstrating knowledge of culturally meaningful ways of singing. The home musical environment, and particularly parental singing, appeared to influence the way young children use singing in their everyday lives. This research used an innovative methodology to access young children’s singing in the home. The findings contribute to a greater understanding of young children’s musical behaviours and the home musical lives of young children. Further, the thesis provides an original contribution to the understanding of how young children use spontaneous singing as musical agents acting in and on the world around them. This research has educational implications relating to the way young children’s musicality is understood and encouraged and the importance of music in young children’s lives.

No description available.

Denna studie syftar till att se på hur barn tar sig an konstruktionsritningar i jämförelse med fritt byggande i en lekfull gruppmiljö. Tidigare forskning visar skillnad mellan mängden män och kvinnor i tekniska yrken och även män och kvinnors inställning till de tekniska ämnena. Vissa forskare visar också på åldersskillnader mellan hur barn lär sig tekniska ämnen. Tar fyra- och femåringar frivilligt sig an konstruktionsritningar, följer dem och färdigställer de konstruktionen? Studien har särskilt tittat på om det fanns skillnader mellan flickorna och pojkarna när de byggde? Hur påverkar barnens eget intresse hur de bygger? Om barn, fyra och fem år gamla kan följa bygginstruktioner? Resultatet av denna studie, i viss mån, stödjer tidigare forskning om att det finns en genus aspekt redan i förskoleåldern, pojkarna var mer försekomna och hade lättare för att följa lego instruktioner än flickorna, men frågan kvarstår; varför finns denna skillnad? Förutom genusaspekten fanns det också ett tydligt resultat som visade på skillnad i byggkunskap mellan fyraåringar och femåringar. Fyraåringarna utforskade främst byggmaterialet, medan många av femåringarna kunde följa en Legobygginstruktion näst intill perfekt. / This study aims to look at how children approach building instructions compared to free building in a playful group environment. Researchers have found age differences, between how young children learn technical subjects. Other studies show that there are differences between the number of men and women in technical professions and also between men and women’s approach to the technical subjects. This study seeks discover if and how four and five year olds voluntarily use, follow, and complete a building exercise using instructional drawings. The study paid close attention to if girls and boys had different approaches to building; how does the children’s own interests affect the process of building? If children aged four and five years are capable of following building instructions. The results of this study to some extent support earlier research that there is a gender difference already at four to five years of age, but the question still remains why this difference exists. As well as the gender difference, there was also a strong result showing a difference in building knowledge between the four year olds and the five year olds. The four year olds mainly explored the building material whereas many of the five year olds could successfully follow the building instructions.

The forensic assessment of young children is a difficult and often daunting task for professionals working in the field of child sexual abuse. A forensic assessment with pre-school children requires that the professional have knowledge of various aspects of the children themselves and the disclosure of abuse, and remain as neutral and objective as possible while conducting the assessment. Literature indicates that the knowledge of the child’s social, behavioural and developmental level is essential in order to conduct a developmental sensitive forensic interview. Although the term “pre-forensic screening” is relatively new in the field of forensics, Hewitt (1999) and Carnes (2006) refer to “pre-screening” and “developmental, behavioural and social assessment”, respectively. The study examined the usefulness of the General Child Assessment Model as a pre-forensic screening technique specifically for children aged 3-5 years. The researcher adopted a qualitative approach to explore the usefulness of the General Child Assessment Model as a pre-forensic screening instrument with professionals working in the clinical as well as forensic field. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals trained in the general child assessment model. The interviews focused on the professionals’ use of the model in general, the value they attached to the model, its usefulness as a pre-forensic screening instrument with children aged 3-5 years, strengths and limitations of the model as a pre-forensic screening instrument, and practical recommendations for using the model in the forensic context. The data from the semi-structured interviews was analysed and divided into themes and subthemes, which were further described and linked with relevant literature .It became clear that the use of this assessment model had value in the therapeutic as well as forensic context. The model was described as an important and valuable part of the forensic process as it provides a holistic view of the child in context. The strengths and limitations of the model as a pre-forensic screening instrument were also explored and the participants made practical recommendations to optimise the use of the model as a pre-forensic screening instrument. In addition, a case study was used to evaluate the model as a pre-forensic screening instrument. / Thesis (MSW (Forensic Practice))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The forensic assessment of young children is a difficult and often daunting task for professionals working in the field of child sexual abuse. A forensic assessment with pre-school children requires that the professional have knowledge of various aspects of the children themselves and the disclosure of abuse, and remain as neutral and objective as possible while conducting the assessment. Literature indicates that the knowledge of the child’s social, behavioural and developmental level is essential in order to conduct a developmental sensitive forensic interview. Although the term “pre-forensic screening” is relatively new in the field of forensics, Hewitt (1999) and Carnes (2006) refer to “pre-screening” and “developmental, behavioural and social assessment”, respectively. The study examined the usefulness of the General Child Assessment Model as a pre-forensic screening technique specifically for children aged 3-5 years. The researcher adopted a qualitative approach to explore the usefulness of the General Child Assessment Model as a pre-forensic screening instrument with professionals working in the clinical as well as forensic field. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals trained in the general child assessment model. The interviews focused on the professionals’ use of the model in general, the value they attached to the model, its usefulness as a pre-forensic screening instrument with children aged 3-5 years, strengths and limitations of the model as a pre-forensic screening instrument, and practical recommendations for using the model in the forensic context. The data from the semi-structured interviews was analysed and divided into themes and subthemes, which were further described and linked with relevant literature .It became clear that the use of this assessment model had value in the therapeutic as well as forensic context. The model was described as an important and valuable part of the forensic process as it provides a holistic view of the child in context. The strengths and limitations of the model as a pre-forensic screening instrument were also explored and the participants made practical recommendations to optimise the use of the model as a pre-forensic screening instrument. In addition, a case study was used to evaluate the model as a pre-forensic screening instrument. / Thesis (MSW (Forensic Practice))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Submitted by Regina Correa (rehecorrea@gmail.com) on 2016-09-26T20:18:08Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissTPG.pdf: 2328311 bytes, checksum: e10d0fd3320f470ffc369ea4cb30908b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-27T19:31:39Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissTPG.pdf: 2328311 bytes, checksum: e10d0fd3320f470ffc369ea4cb30908b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-27T19:31:45Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissTPG.pdf: 2328311 bytes, checksum: e10d0fd3320f470ffc369ea4cb30908b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-27T19:31:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissTPG.pdf: 2328311 bytes, checksum: e10d0fd3320f470ffc369ea4cb30908b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-26 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Responding by exclusion is defined, in conditional discriminations tasks, as the immediate selection of a new stimulus, among other known stimuli, when a new sample stimulus is presented. Responding by exclusion is usually investigated by using nameobject relations as a baseline. However, generalization data of this behavior pattern to other classes of words, such as verbs, are scarce. This study investigated exclusion responding and learning of word-object (nouns) and word-action (verbs) relations in children aged 24 to 29 months. The presentation order of conditions (Noun or Verb) was counterbalanced across participants. After one, four, seven and 10 exclusion trials learning probes were presented. Results showed that baseline training for the Verb condition required a higher number of trials compared to the Noun condition. On the first exclusion probe, participants consistently selected the new stimulus, although greater variability was observed for the Verb condition. Only one participant showed positive outcomes on the learning probes, for one of the relations of the Noun condition. The study replicated previous findings on exclusion responding using nouns and extended it to name-action (verb) relations and to children aged about two years. The data points to the existence of different levels of learning and the need for a clear specification of how to measure learning outcomes of exclusion responding. / O responder por exclusão é definido, em tarefas de discriminação condicional, como a seleção imediata de um novo estímulo, entre outros estímulos familiares, quando um estímulo modelo também novo é apresentado. O responder por exclusão é usualmente investigado por meio do uso de uma linha de base de relações nome-objeto. No entanto, os dados de generalização desse padrão comportamental para outras classes de palavras, como verbos, é escasso. O presente estudo investigou o responder por exclusão e a aprendizagem por exclusão de relações nome-objeto (substantivos) e nome-ação (verbos) em crianças com idade entre 24 e 29 meses. A ordem de apresentação de ambas as condições (Substantivo e Verbo) foi contrabalanceada entre os participantes. Após uma, quatro, sete e 10 tentativas de exclusão eram apresentadas tentativas de sonda de aprendizagem. Os resultados mostraram que o treino de linha de base para a Condição Verbo requereu um maior número de tentativas quando comparada com a Condição Substantivo. Na primeira sonda de exclusão, os participantes selecionaram consistentemente o estímulo novo, embora com maior variabilidade para a Condição Verbo. Apenas um participante mostrou resultados positivos na sonda de aprendizagem e isto ocorreu para uma das relações da Condição Substantivo. O presente estudo replicou os resultados de estudos prévios, sobre o responder por exclusão, que empregaram substantivos e estendeu os resultados para relações nome-ação (verbo) e para crianças com idade próxima a dois anos. Os dados apontam para a existência de diferentes níveis de aprendizagem de uma relação e a necessidade de uma especificação clara de como medir a aprendizagem que emerge do responder por exclusão. / FAPESP (Processo No. 2008/57705-8) ; CNPq (Processo No. 573972/2008-7)

The purpose with this dissertation is to study the Intersex phenomenon in South Africa, meaning the interplay between the dual sex and gender norms in society. Hence, the treatment by some medical institutions and the view of some non-medical institutions upon this ‘treatment’, have been studied in relation to the Intersex infant’s human rights and citizenship rights. The thesis has moreover also investigated how young Intersex children are included/excluded and mentioned/not mentioned within South Africa’s legal system and within UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child. Furthermore, because Intersex children are viewed as ‘different’ on two accounts – their status as infants and born with an atypical congenital physical sexual differentiation, the thesis’ theoretical framework looks at the phenomenon from three perspectives – ‘the politics of difference’, human rights, and citizenship rights directed towards infants. The theoretical frameworks have been used to ask questions in relation to the empirical data, i.e. look at how the Intersex infants are ‘treated’ in relation to their status as ‘different’; and also in relation to the concept of being recognized, respected and allowed to partake in deciding whether to impose surgery or not. Moreover, what ‘treatment’ serves the best interest of the Intersex child? This has been done through semi structured interviews. In conclusion, some of the dissertation’s most important features are that since the South African society, like many other societies, strongly live by the belief that there are only two sexes and genders, this implies that Intersex infants do not fit in and become walking pathologies who must be ‘fixed’ to become ‘normal’. Moreover, since most genital corrective surgeries are imposed without being medically or surgically necessary, and are generally imposed before the age of consent (18), the children concerned, are generally not asked for their opinion regarding the surgery. Lastly because early corrective surgery can have devastating life lasting consequences, this ultimately means that the child’s human rights and citizenship rights are of a concern. These conclusions do however not ignore the consequences one has to endure for the price of being ‘different’.

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka vad förskollärare säger om sitt arbete inom teknik som lärområde i förskolan. Därutöver syftar studien till att undersöka och synliggöra aspekter som är betydelsefulla i förskollärarens undervisning i teknik tillsammans med barn. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkter har sin grund i sociokulturellt perspektiv, där kommunikation och interaktion är en viktig del i barnens utveckling och lärande. Även det teoretiska ramverket Pedagogical Content Knowledge PCK (Shulman, 1986), används för att tolka och förstå förskollärarnas förmågor i arbetet med teknik med barnen. Undersökningen består av semistrukturerade intervjuer som genomfördes med sex förskollärare. Resultatet visar att arbetslagens verksamhetsplanering utvecklades med stöd av reflektionsunderlaget Content Representation CoRe (Loughran, Milroy, Berry, Gunstone och Mullhall 2001) som bidrog till fördjupade diskussioner och att innehållsområdet avgränsades i teknikundervisningen. Resultatet visar också att det skedde en utveckling av undervisningen genom användning av andra fysiska redskap än man arbetat med tidigare. Dessutom utvecklades andra metoder när förskollärarna arbetade med teknik med barnen.

With the incidence of prenatal drug exposure increasing, it is important that preschool teachers are prepared and confident in serving the needs of children affected by this exposure. Teachers need more training and education to prepare them for working with children with prenatal drug exposure. The purpose of this sequential mixed-methods study was to explore the perceptions, training, and shared experiences of preschool teachers when working with 4- and 5-year-old preschool children who have experienced prenatal drug exposure. The researcher invited 77 preschool teachers in northeast Tennessee working in either Head Start or Tennessee Voluntary Pre-K Initiative programs to complete an initial quantitative survey – of which 53 participated. Of the survey participants, 34 reported they might have worked with a child with prenatal drug exposure. Six of those teachers who said they had experience with children with prenatal drug exposure participated in a follow up semi-structured interview with the researcher. The findings revealed that preschool teachers were favorable toward children with prenatal drug exposure regarding the children’s ability to learn. Preschool teachers were already using many effective interventions (e.g., working one-on-one with the child, offering flexible seating options, repetition of information) that they may have used with other children with special needs, but they were eager for more information about the best way to work with these children. School leaders and those in teacher preparation programs would be excellent advocates in spreading knowledge and translating medical knowledge into resources more applicable to the teaching and childcare profession. It is important that the information become more accessible to all teachers and stakeholders in education.