本研究主要目的在探討不同年齡幼兒解決需同時考量兩個因素的科學問題及遷移的表現，並探討不同教學介入對幼兒解決科學問題表現及遷移表現的影響。本研究共分二個研究，使用「幼兒認知作業」，分別在研究一探討128位，研究二探討286位3至6歲幼兒的表現。研究結果顯示，幼兒的蒐集訊息、分析整理訊息與解決問題表現間有因果關係。年齡愈大的幼兒在各個歷程的表現愈好。若是作業內容與幼兒生活經驗相關，4歲幼兒在行為上可以表現出同時考量兩個因素解決問題。解決不同概念的問題，幼兒有不同的表現。6歲幼兒無法表現需同時考量兩個因素問題的遷移。幼兒在解決需同時考量兩個因素問題時，行為及語言知識表徵層次有六個層次（層次0至層次5）。各種教學介入對層次1幼兒沒有影響。當幼兒處於層次3時，教學介入有影響效果，透過語言的說明可以幫助此時的幼兒提升表徵層次，但這些教學介入效果不足以讓幼兒達到層次5，也無法影響至幼兒的遷移表現上。 / The purposes of this study were to investigate young children’s ability to resolve problems with two dimensions and transfer, and the influences of instructional interventions on resolving these problems and transferring. There were 128 and 286 3 to 6-year-old young children in study 1 and study 2 respectively. Young children’s cognitive task was used. Results revealed the processes of searching information and analyzing information were related to the problem-solving. 4-year-old children could resolve the problems with two dimensions, when the problems were familiar. There was domain-specific knowledge on problem-solving. 6-year-old children could not transfer two dimensions to new and similar conditions. There were 6 levels knowledge representations of resolving problems with two dimensions in this study. The instructional intervention of explaining improved the level of children with level 3 to level 4, but not to level 5. And there were not effects of instructional interventions on transferring.

This study examined the relationship between the open-endedness of activities and the creativity of young children. Eleven prekindergarten classes were observed and rated twice using a researcher-developed instrument, the Open-endedness of Activities Rating Scale (OARS). Three classes were selected from the 11 based on their cumulative ratings in the first observation (CROBS1): the class with the lowest degree of open-endedness of activities (CLSL), the class with a medium degree of openendedness of activities (CLSM), and the class with the highest degree of open-endedness of activities (CLSH). Fifty-two "atrisk" students in these three classes (24 boys, 28 girls), who had no identified disabilities or delays, were tested utilizing Torrance's (1981) Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement (TCAM). A correlation was then drawn between the three classes' ranks of CROBS1 and their respective ranks of mean TCAM scores: fluency scores (FLUE), originality scores (ORIG), imagination scores (IMAG), and total scores (TTCAM). The 11 classes' CROBS1 was correlated and compared with their cumulative ratings in the second observation CROBS2 in order to examine the reliability of the OARS. The results from the study indicated that: (1) the researcher-developed instrument, the OARS, is reliable for research purposes; (2) the degree of openendedness of activities is significantly positively related to the level of creative thinking ability of the young children engaged in these activities; (3) increasing the open-endedness of activities is most beneficial for a class with a relatively low degree of openendedness, because a moderate increase in its open-endedness can result in a noticeable improvement in the fluency, originality, and total creative thinking ability of its students; and (4) increasing the open-endedness of activities is also beneficial for a class with a relatively medium degree of open-endedness, because a moderate increase in its open-endedness can result in a noticeable improvement in its students' imagination.

The dissertation deals with art expression of a family by pupils of a primary school. Its goal is to compare this art expression of a family by pupils from complete and incomplete families. The theoretical part is focused on family issues and its relationships in connection with their importance for young children´s age. Attention will be also paid to a mental and visual develompent of children of that age. The practical part is focused on examination and comparison of the portrayal of a family by young children´s age from complete and incomplete families. The attention will be also paid to the reflection of a family situation on pupils and their art production.

This thesis examines the strategies young children use to develop a common set of goals when collaborating on a group art work. Teachers at Sabot School spend a great deal of time in discussion of children's group work. By concentrating on one project in my preschool classroom, I reached a greater understanding of the way children work together on a group project. This understanding enriched my practice of teaching so that I could become a better facilitator of similar projects in the future. The information is valuable to me and the other Sabot School teachers when planning future group projects, especially when discussing strategies for supporting children's group processes. It is also be of value to teachers and education students who are interested in learning about the Reggio Emilia approach in American classrooms, social constructivism in the classroom, and the possibilities of art in early childhood. In this project, my four and five year old students worked together to create a clay sculpture of a wild area outside the playground fence at our school. I was interested in the way I could support this group project using Vygotsky's idea of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). In the ZPD a child can accomplish tasks they are not developmentally ready to master if they have the support of a teacher or more skilled peer. This study revealed that children and teachers can use words and actions to support cognitive as well as social-emotional learning while working together.

Le principal objectif de notre recherche est de rendre compte des mécanismes psycho-sociaux par lesquels les enfants, âgés de 5-6 ans et scolarisés en grande section de maternelle, se différencient progressivement en tant qu’individus sexués et s’inscrivent dans des parcours scolaires genrés. En référence à une conception de la socialisation qui distingue un versant de l’acculturation et un versant de la personnalisation (Malrieu & Malrieu, 1973), nous formulons l’hypothèse selon laquelle l’identité sexuée médiatise et personnalise l’influence de la socialisation de genre familiale et scolaire sur l’élaboration de l’expérience scolaire des jeunes enfants, en raison du degré de stéréotypie et du niveau d’hétérogénéité de ces milieux de socialisation et de la période de développement des jeunes enfants.Pour tester cette hypothèse, nous avons privilégié une méthodologie centrée sur le point de vue de l’ensemble des sujets concernés (adultes et enfants). Nous avons interrogé, à l’aide d’un questionnaire d’enquête, les parents (pères et mères) de 61 enfants scolarisés en grande section d’école maternelle, leurs enseignants et A.T.S.E.M. sur plusieurs dimensions de la socialisation de genre. L’identité sexuée de l’enfant a été appréhendée à l’aide du P.S.A.I. (Golombok & Rust, 1993), du B.S.R.I. adapté par Tostain (1993) et du test de la constance de genre (Dafflon Novelle, 2010). Enfin, l’expérience scolaire a été étudiée sur la base d’un entretien semi-directif réalisé auprès des enfants.Les principaux résultats mettent en évidence trois types d’expérience scolaire : « conforme », « agonistique » et « épistémique ». Si la socialisation de genre scolaire, via la transmission de valeurs éducatives, oriente principalement l’expérience scolaire des enfants, la socialisation de genre familiale, quant à elle, influence plus particulièrement la construction de l’identité sexuée. En outre, quelques liens apparaissent entre l’identité sexuée et l’expérience scolaire des jeunes enfants. Bien que les analyses réalisées ne permettent pas d’établir le rôle médiateur de l’identité sexuée, l’ensemble de ces résultats confirme la pertinence d’adopter un modèle théorique de la socialisation plurielle et conflictuelle qui examine les liens entre les processus d’acculturation et de personnalisation dans l’étude de la construction des trajectoires scolaires différenciées des filles et des garçons, et ce dès le plus jeune âge. Sous ce modèle, la prise en compte de la construction de l’identité sexuée permet de mieux saisir la part active de l’enfant dans l’élaboration de son expérience scolaire. / The main objective of our research is to account for the psychosocial mechanism by which children, aged 5-6 years and who attend to nursery school, progressively differentiate themselves as boys and girls and fit into gender school development. In reference to a conception of socialization which distinguishes a side of acculturation and a side of personalization (Malrieu & Malrieu, 1973), our hypothesis is the following : Gender identity mediates the influence of family and school gender socialization on the construction of school experience, because of the degree of stereotypy and the degree of heterogeneity of these socialization backgrounds and of the developmental step of the children. In order to test this hypotesis, we choose a methodology centered on the point of view of all the subjects concerned (adults and children). We proposed a questionnaire on several dimensions of gender socialization to the adults (fathers and mothers of 61 children attended nursery school, theirs teachers and their “A.T.S.E.M”. Child’s gender identity was examined with the P.S.A.I; (Golombok & Rust, 1993), the B.S.R.I. adapted by Tostain (1993) and the test of gender constancy (Dafflon Novelle, 2010).School experience was examined with a semi-directive interview.The main results highlight three types of school experience: “conform”, “agonistic” and “epistemic”. If school gender socialization, with the transmission of educational values, influences children’s school experience, family gender socialization influences the construction of gender identity. Some links appear between children’s gender identity and their school experience. Although the analyses don’t permit to establish the mediator role of gender identity, the results as a whole confirm the pertinence to adopt a theoretical model of a plural and conflicting socialization which examines the links between the processes of acculturation and personalization in the study of the construction of the girls and boys school development from the early age. Within this model, the consideration of child’s gender identity allows to better understand in the construction of his/her school experience.

The purpose of this research was to explore how teachers described, recognized, and would potentially influence leadership behaviors in children aged 4 to 6 years. One hundred thirty-three early childhood teachers and teachers of the gifted were surveyed using a researcher-designed instrument called the Recognizing Leadership in Children (RLIC) Survey to assess if teachers could recognize leadership from classroom scenarios that were based on actual classroom observations. As part of the survey, teachers wrote how they thought they might respond to the leadership scenarios. As there is a scarcity of literature concerning children’s leadership, the results from this study contribute information to the field. Data from this study indicate that teachers describe child leaders most often as helpful and self-confident with good communication skills. Teachers generally recognize child leadership but recognize obvious leadership behaviors more often than subtle ones. Teachers are more likely to encourage child leadership when they recognize behaviors as leadership; they are more likely to respond to child leadership in a discouraging manner when they do not recognize the behaviors as leadership. Therefore, if teachers learn to recognize child leadership, they could be more supportive, thus creating more developmentally appropriate early childhood classrooms. Keywords: child leadership, early childhood education, gifted, leaders, prosocial behaviors, social skills, teacher expectations, young children

My doctoral research has explored how young children’s participation was put into practice—how it was ‘lived’ and negotiated—in the context of one early learning and childcare setting. The concept of children’s participation is rooted in large part in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), which enshrines children’s right to express their views and have those views taken into account. However, young children’s participation rights are often overlooked. The more prominent discourse about young children has been one that focuses on early childhood as a preparatory period of life, in which adults must intervene and shape children’s development. My research has therefore focused on child-adult relationships within the early childhood setting, looking at how young children and early childhood practitioners ‘lived’ children’s participation and negotiated the tensions and challenges that arose for them. To carry out the research, I used an ethnographic methodology to study one fieldwork site in depth. ‘Castle Nursery’ was an early learning and childcare setting in Scotland, where practitioners professed to work in participatory ways with young children. The long-term nature of ethnography allowed me to observe how children’s participation was lived and negotiated at Castle Nursery over an eight-month period of fieldwork. The research found that practitioners challenged adult-led, ‘schoolified’ practices by foregrounding young children’s knowledge and contributions to the setting. Children’s participation was embedded into play-based pedagogy at Castle Nursery, with practitioners organising time and space to allow young children a great deal of influence over their daily experiences. Rather than planning adult-led learning activities, practitioners instead cultivated a rich learning environment for children to explore, through free-flow play. The thesis has also highlighted a variety of tensions and challenges that arose. Even at Castle Nursery, where practitioners were proud of the ways their work challenged conventional norms about young children, there were limits to how far practitioners would take a participatory approach. The thesis has particularly highlighted the importance of reflective practices about the ethical dimensions of early childhood practice. Uncertainty seemed to be an inevitable and enduring feature of living young children’s participation.

Current government statistics show that the fastest growing ages for exclusion in English schools is in children between five and seven years old (DfE, 2013). This trend of young children being excluded for behaviour difficulties can have long term consequences for the children and their families, and has costs to society (Castle & Parsons, 1997). It has also been found that children with challenging behaviour can attract less sympathy than other areas of difficulty (Ofsted, 2010). There is limited research regarding parents' experiences of engaging with school staff when issues are raised about their child's behaviour, particularly when the children are being referred to external agencies. In the present study, three mothers of young children, whose child had been referred to the Educational Psychology Service for challenging behaviour, were interviewed. The method used to examine the interview data is Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as it aims to explore the experiences of the mothers from their interpretation of the situation. Although the mothers had diverse experiences of working with school staff and external professionals with regard to their child's challenging behaviour they provided evidence for five key superordinate themes, which are: development of shared understanding; the child as an individual; the role of being a parent; finding solutions; and social perceptions of behaviour. Implications for theory are discussed in order to further develop a model of working with parents which challenges some the inherent disempowerment and difficulties of managing within the compulsory education system. Implications for practice are explored to consider how school staff and professionals need to develop their communication strategies to enable parents to have access to information, to actively listen to the views of parents, and for parents to be actively involved and work collaboratively in the child's best interests. Further research to identify the relative influence of themes in the present findings would enable targeting of resources to improve the outcomes for young children with challenging behaviour in school.

A presente pesquisa dedicou-se ao tema da liberdade nas escolas de Educação Infantil de zero a três anos e teve como objetivo identificar as concepções de crianças pequenas, educadores e mães sobre o tema em duas creches públicas do município de Jundiaí-SP. Buscou-se compreender também os motivos pelos quais a liberdade de ação das crianças pequenas não se generaliza como uma prática comum no interior das escolas por meio das concepções. Para tanto, foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas com 18 crianças de três e quatro anos, 9 mães e 10 educadores (professores, agentes de desenvolvimento infantil, coordenadores e diretores) nas creches investigadas. Foram feitas também observações das rotinas diárias de trabalho com as crianças e exame dos Projetos Político Pedagógicos das duas instituições. O conjunto de relatos foi analisado de maneira qualitativa, tendo por base a técnica de Análise de Conteúdos com triangulação de dados. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que as concepções de liberdade de adultos e crianças relacionam-se ao contato com a natureza e às possibilidades de movimentação corporal ampla, duas características acessadas pelas crianças pesquisadas nas creches, somente quando estão no espaço externo, período reduzido em relação ao que passam no interior das salas referência. Este estudo analisa e discute as concepções identificadas, com reflexões sobre impedimentos e possibilidades de liberdade de ação para as crianças pequenas no ambiente escolar / The present research was dedicated to the theme of freedom in pre-school education from zero to three years and had as objective to identify the conceptions of young children, educators and mothers on the theme in two public day care centers of the municipality of Jundiaí-SP. We attempted to understand too the reasons why the freedom of action of young children is not generalized as a common practice within schools based on identified conceptions. To attend this purpose, semi-structured interviews were made with 18 children aged three and four, 9 mothers and 10 educators (teachers, child development agents, coordinators and directors) in the day care centers. Observations of the daily routines of work with the children and examination of the Political Pedagogical Projects of the two institutions were also made. The collected data was analyzed in a qualitative approach. The results indicate that the conceptions of freedom of adults and children are related to the contact with nature and the possibilities of free body movement, two characteristics that are accessed by the children researched only when they are in outer space, a reduced period in relation to what they spend in the reference rooms. This study analyzes and discusses the conceptions identified, with reflections about impediments and possibilities of freedom of action for young children in the school

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