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The role of early childhood development centres in promoting socio-economic development in rural communities

  • Authors: Mtshali, Adolphas K.
  • Date: 2008-10-20T09:12:55Z
  • Subjects: Child development , Early childhood education , Preschool education , Day care centers
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:12770 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/1265
  • Description: M.A. , Die rol van vroeë kinderontwikkeling in die bevordering van sosio-ekonomiese ontwikkeling in landelike gebiede is ‘n navorsingsprojek wat in Nongoma, Noordelike Kwa Zulu-Natal uitgevoer is. Die doel van die projek was om die rol wat deur vroeë kinderontwikkelingsentra (creches) gespeel is in die bevordering van gemeenskapsontwikkeling in landelike gebiede te verken. ‘n Kwalitatiewe ontwerp is gebruik om data van respondente in te win. Die data is ingewin van deelnemers in die vroeë kinderontwikelingsentra deur middel van ‘n onderhoudskedule. Onderhoude is deur middel van oudiobande opgeneem en later op papier getranskribeer. Temas is uit die data wat deur die respondente verskaf is, ontwikkel. Die steekproef is uit dertien crechebestuurders, twaalf vrouens uit armoedige ontwikkelingsverligtingsprojekte, een raadslid en twee lede van gemeenskapsbaseerde organisasies, saamgestel. Die doelwitte van die ondersoek is: • Om die verskeie rolspelers in vroeë kinderontwikkeling te identifiseer • Om die sosio-ekonomiese belangrikheid van vroeë kinderleidingsentra in Nongoma te ondersoek • Om die uitdagings wat die verskaffers van vroeë kinderleidingsdienste in Nongoma konfronteer, te beskryf • Om die verhouding tussen vroeë kinderleidingsdienste en gemeenskapsontwikkeling te ontleed Die ondersoek het rolspelers (staatsdepartemente, burgerlike samelewing en die private sektor) geidentifiseer en het die rol wat deur elke rolspeler uitgevoer is omskryf. Dit het ook gapings in dienslewering geidentifiseer. Dit het die opvoedkundige, gesondheids-, maatskaplike, ekonomiese en sielkundige belangrikheid van creches uitgelig. Dit het die belangrikheid van vroeë kinderontwikkelingsentra in vrouens se maatskaplike ontwikkeling uitgestip. Dit het ook ‘n begrip van “plaaslike ontwikkeling met ‘n kindersorg fokus” ontwikkel. Aanbevelings ten opsigte van wat maatskaplike werkers kan doen om plaaslike ontwikkeling met ‘n kindersorgfokus te bevorder, is gemaak. , Prof. W. A. Mitchell
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The application of the bright start cognitive curriculum (self-regulation) for at-risk pupils

  • Authors: Goodyer, Louise Dorothy
  • Date: 2012-09-12
  • Subjects: Remedial teaching - Curricula , Early childhood education , School improvement programs , Cognition in children - Research - South Africa , Curriculum change - South Africa
  • Type: Mini-Dissertation
  • Identifier: uj:10152 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7531
  • Description: Traditionally the education curriculum was content based, concentrating on teaching facts. More recently there has been a whole-wide shift towards curriculi that are cognitively based and numerous thinking skills training programs to address cognitive teaching have been designed. This study favoured the infusion approach to teaching which incorporated cognitive and metacognitive skills within the existing school curriculum and the specific program chosen for this research was the Bright Start Cognitive Curriculum for Young Children, designed by Haywood, Brooks and Burns (1992). The program was based on the views of four theorists, namely Piaget, Vygotsky, Feuerstein and Haywood. The focus of this research was unit 1 of the program which concentrated on the training of selfregulation as it was the program's assumption that self regulation forms the grounding for the effectiveness of the rest of the program. Although this research focused on an 'at-risk' group of grade 0 pupils, it can have broader implications for the training of self regulation in the general education classroom. The aim of the research was to describe the problems experienced in the application of unit 1 of the Bright Start program and to formulate suggestions and guidelines that could improve the effectiveness of this unit during it's implementations in an 'at-risk' grade 0 class. The methodological framework used to achieve this aim was the qualitative single case study. The qualitative design produced a wealth of detailed, in-depth, and descriptive data about the program's strengths and weaknesses which were used for the purpose of establishing the guidelines. The program was implemented in the grade 0 class of 'at-risk' pupils, and data was collected through journal's kept by the teacher and the researcher, observations by the researcher, iconic material of the lessons and an interview of the teacher at the end of the program. Content analysis was performed on the data identifying coherent and important themes and patterns which were interpreted to form the research conclusions. The conclusions from this research indicated that the difficulties experienced by the 'at-risk' pupils are not adequately addressed in this program. The unit did not seem long enough to produce effective change in their inhibitory systems, the content and techniques used did not sufficiently meet the needs of these pupils. Guidelines to improve the effectiveness of unit -1 in the implementation of an 'at-risk' class of grade 0 pupils were presented.
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An early childhood development programme in a rural settlement community

  • Authors: Van der Vyver, Sonja
  • Date: 2013-05-06
  • Subjects: Early childhood education , Rural education , Preschool education , Head start programs , Child development
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:7518 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8375
  • Description: M.Ed. (Adult Education) , To address the need for early childhood education in a small rural settlement in Gauteng, South Africa, a crèche was established by external development agents with corporate donor funding. Three untrained mothers from the community volunteered as lay practitioners at the crèche. An organic process of training of these teachers and of developing a curriculum ensued. From the challenges presented by and the tensions arising from this initial process the following research questions emerged: What is the process of developing an (organic) ECD curriculum with practitioner training in a rural community? and; What are the emerging tensions in such a process and how are they managed in Participatory Action Research (PAR) mode? A review of literature included aspects of early childhood education in South Africa and elsewhere and explored issues of community development, ECD and teacher development as well. Several examples of early childhood curriculum approaches from abroad and from Africa were compared and investigated for their possible relevance to the context of rural South Africa. The study was designed as a case and, because the situation at the site involved several stakeholders such as parents, development practitioners and the community committee, involved in a rural community development project, it predisposed the investigation to PAR as research design. Participation and collaboration between the researcher and all stakeholders through recurring cycles of planning, action and reflection distinguish the process of data collection of this inquiry. The perceptions and voices of the members of the community and the teachers form an integral part of this process. In-depth interviews with teachers, parents and the community leader; participant observation by the co-researcher, and documents and artefact collection were used as data collecting strategies. An inductive process of content analysis was employed during which the different data sets were first coded separately where after provisional categories were induced from the codes. The categories for the different data sets were then integrated and refined to themes. From these themes a pattern was identified from which the main findings of the inquiry were drawn. During the actual data collection process the researcher collaborated with a co-researcher who was also the teacher trainer. This collaboration served to address possible obstacles such as a language barrier and the challenges presented by the researcher‟s position as development practitioner. The participatory nature of this inquiry is further reiterated by the data sources that were selected. These include perceptions of different role players in the intervention, such as the teachers, parents, teacher-trainer, the development practitioners and community leader were elicited by means of some existing and some purposefully designed data sources. Because it was one of the main units of analysis for this study, the experiences of the teachers were explored in-depth over time and by means of data from several different data sources. Data from different sources were also integrated and the articulation of these different sources contributed to the validity of the study.
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An ethnographic account of teaching and learning of the first Grade R programme in a developing school in 2010 in a black urban community

  • Authors: Sekhukhune, Catherine Dikeledi
  • Date: 2014-01-14
  • Subjects: Early childhood education , Education, Preschool , Child development , Education, Elementary
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:7879 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8770
  • Description: D.Ed. (Educational Psychology) , The aim of this study was to give an ethnographic story of the first Grade R programme in a developing school in 2010 in a black urban community and to use my story of the Grade R teaching and learning to contribute to a better understanding of the field of Early Childhood Development (ECD) and education in South Africa. This research was a response to the Department of Education’s concern that the Foundation Phase, Grade R included, does not receive the attention it deserves in South Africa. There appears to be alternative views and perspectives of what constitutes good ECD or Grade R practice. As a result, the conceptualisation of Grade R and ECD as a whole is problematic and inconsistent. This study is situated in the interpretivist naturalistic paradigm using sociocultural theory as theoretical framework. I studied the participants in a naturally occurring setting using methods of data collection which captured their social meanings and ordinary activities, whilst I participated directly in the setting in order to collect data in a systemic manner. Thutong1 a primary school established in 2010 in a black urban community, was the research site. Two Grade R classrooms were studied, comprising 60 children and two teachers. The classes were divided according to the children’s home languages, Sesotho (South Sotho) and isiZulu. The lens through which I observed the teaching and learning of the Grade R at Thutong had a sociocultural focus. Data was collected by means of participant-observation; interviews; photographs and photographic data; and artefacts. I used Brewer’s steps of analysis but they were not necessarily followed to the letter. As social phenomena were recorded and classified I compared the different data sets across categories. Atlas.ti computer software was used for qualitative data analysis and text management. Findings suggested that the Grade R language maze is central to teaching and learning of Grade R children, and this became an overarching theme. The sub-themes that were arrived at include language code switching, translation, dual medium in multilingual context, sound/letter recognition, numeracy teaching, Thutong teachers as griots, rhymes and Grade R learning, rote learning in language and numeracy, play in language acquisition, and barriers to learning and support. The diverse population of the black urban community in which the school is situated cautions stakeholders to plan carefully Grade R. In line with the sociocultural theory, a proposal for reform in Thutong would have to consider economic, political, historical, social, and cultural factors because the school is a part of and reflects the larger social system in which it is situated. The story reflects an urgent need to strengthen Early Childhood Development and education in South Africa, thus this study also addresses the need to support and promote local perspectives, questions and issues in order to move beyond the singular image of the global child. The study highlights the importance of teacher training, intense support to teachers and children by the Department of Education, children’s readiness to learn and parental involvement in language acquisition and development.
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The development of deliberative democracy in the foundation phase

  • Authors: Makhubo, Monica Ntombincane
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Early childhood education , Democracy
  • Language: English
  • Type: Masters (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/64097 , uj:17147
  • Description: Abstract: The aim of this study is to explore the development of democracy in the Foundation Phase. Foundation Phase is the first phase of the General Education and Training Band (GET) which comprises Grades R, 1, 2 and 3 (DoE, 2003: 19). According to DoE (2003: 19), this phase focuses on the primary skills, knowledge and values which “la[y the foundation for learners’ further learning”. According to the National Education Policy Act (Act No. 27 of 1996), these learners are between 5 and 10 years of age (DoE, 2003: 19). This study explores the development of democracy, focusing on teachers’ understanding of democracy in terms of ‘deliberative democracy’, and attempts to determine the extent to which they practice this understanding in the classroom. Deliberative democracy is understood in terms of knowledge, values, virtues and skills. This study was undertaken twenty years after the advent of democracy in South Africa, which brought about many changes to the education system of the country. These included major curriculum changes by the Department of Education that emphasised the development of essential values, virtues and skills necessary for democracy, which in turn led to the research question that underpins this study. Different conceptions of democracy are clarified in this research to provide a better understanding of the concept of deliberative democracy. From the literature study, the researcher identifies essential elements of deliberative democracy in relation to the values, virtues and skills that need to be developed in the Foundation Phase. Deliberative democracy is contrasted with liberal or representative democracy and communicative democracy. This study argues that the future citizens of South Africa are more likely to embrace democratic values, virtues and skills in their daily lives if they are developed early in the Foundation Phase. The research strategy for this study is grounded within an interpretive research paradigm using qualitative research methods, in order to explore what the participants understand about the concept of democracy and how they make sense of this concept in their practices in the classroom. The qualitative study employed focus group interviews and observations as data collection methods. The research sample was drawn from two primary schools and consisted of teachers who teach in the Foundation Phase. , M.Ed.
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The narrative of dual medium in a multilingual context of a black urban area in Grade R.

The smartchoiceparenting programme : a support for parents of children with barriers to learning

  • Authors: Resnick, Ken
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Child psychology , Early childhood education , Learning disabilities - Treatment
  • Language: English
  • Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/245448 , uj:25422
  • Description: D.Ed.(Educational Psychology) , Abstract: The most effective interventions for managing social, emotional and behaviour problems in children and adolescents are parenting interventions that are based on social learning principles. The research for this evaluation focused on the question of whether the SmartChoiceParenting Programme (SCPP), a programme based on the adult-child educative relationship, can assist and benefit parents who have a child who has been diagnosed with a barrier to learning. A survey of the literature revealed that the most researched evidence-based parenting programmes appear to be focused on helping parents acquire skills and an understanding of their role in dealing with their child’s behaviour and academic performance. However, in order for it to be classified as an evidence-based positive parenting programme, it was important that it met the criteria which would enable it to be seen as such. Participants in the study consisted of 11 participants, four couples and three single mothers with a child under ten years of age and who had been diagnosed with some or other barriers to learning. Five questionnaires were completed by the participants pre- and post the programme, with the post-test questionnaires being completed not less than four months after the second session of the programme. On measures of parental adjustment, no significant difference was found post- test regarding depression, anxiety and stress in the parents. However, the other post-test questionnaires completed indicated significant positive changes had taken place regarding the child’s behaviour and parenting practices and these were still being maintained four months after participating in the programme. The findings showed a change in the scores of the pre- and post- test for individual parents. Feedback and results from both the qualitative and quantitative measures used to evaluate the SCPP showed that the majority of parents had observed positive changes in their children’s behaviour and attitude, as well as a reduction in the difficulties that they were experiencing with their children. Most of the participants reported a more calm atmosphere in the home as they were able to assert themselves in a controlled manner after implementation of the programme. Although the sample was small, the findings correlated with the findings of a similar study done with the Triple P by Markie-Dadds and Sanders (2006) and give...
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Pre-schoolers’ symbolic learning of mathematics : a description of 4-5 year-olds’ mathematical concept knowledge

  • Authors: Reyneke, Ingrid
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Mathematics - Study and teaching (Early childhood) , Early childhood education , Mathematical notation
  • Language: English
  • Type: Masters (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/286158 , uj:30959
  • Description: M.Ed. (Education) , Abstract: When children start their engagement with symbolic learning, they lay the foundations for future learning. Engaging with the world though mathematical symbols and concomitant linguistic symbols is no mean feat. Learning to ‘make their world mathematical’ is a human activity that is guided by instruction and clear communication. This is the central premise of the study – that children have not only innate number sense, but that they are also innately responsive to their environment. I thus set out to find out how a group of pre-schoolers expressed their learning of the mathematical world. This early manifestation of getting to know the world mathematically is too often underestimated in studies of learning in the early years, specifically when children are being prepared for formal education. Added to that, education curriculum development is currently the focal point in early childhood development in South Africa. In the study, I posit that the curriculum still lacks focused and direct practical assessments that are needed to optimise the programme, specifically in the development of early number concepts. I argue that young children in the pre-Grade R classes should have access to a variety of mathematical concept development activities, in an environment that allows for learning through play. This optimal learning environment is often not available for many children in South Africa. I thus approached the study with a central research question: How do children in the pre-Grade R classroom respond to a set of tasks that aims to elicit descriptions of their mathematical concept knowledge? I wanted to investigate if there is a relationship between children’s number concepts, specifically their recognition of mathematical symbols (such as digits/numerals), and their counting competence. I wondered how children respond to object classification and pattern identification tasks and what role language plays in children’s basic number concept development. To this end, customised lab tasks were developed for a sample of young children. This was done to gain insight into some of the...
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Advancing rural science learners’ conceptions of career development through synchronous online mentoring mobile group chats

The management of retention and promotion of learners at-risk in the Foundation Phase

  • Authors: Khanyile, Charlotte Banele
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Early childhood education , Promotion (School) , Grade repetition
  • Language: English
  • Type: Masters (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/437935 , uj:38044
  • Description: Abstract: The overall aim of this study is to explore the management of retention and promotion of learners at-risk in the Foundation Phase. This study also highlights various factors that contribute to the learners being at-risk. Finally, this study discovers and analyses the views of teachers on the impact of retention and promotion of learners at-risk in the Foundation Phase. It is evident that the lack of human resources from the district contributes greatly to the perpetuation of the phenomenon of being at-risk. However, this is not the only catalyst of this perturbing phenomenon. Furthermore, the study recommends the accessibility of vocational schooling in order for learners at-risk to be in environments where they can bloom. I hope that this study is used in the final decision taken on the currently discussed 'automatic' promotion in the Foundation Phase. Those learners who are not experiencing severe barriers to learning can be retained and those who are should be assessed and referred, be sent to functional vocational skills that will cater to their learning style. .. , M.Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management)
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Early year teachers’ understanding and implementation of science process skills

  • Authors: Ogegbo, Ayodele , Ramnarain, Umesh
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Early childhood education , Early year teachers , Early years science
  • Language: English
  • Type: Conference proceedings
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/453999 , uj:40131 , Citation: Ogegbo, A. & Ramnarain, U. 2020. Early year teachers’ understanding and implementation of science process skills.
  • Description: Abstract: The quality of South African learners’ performance in science and mathematics continues to remain poor as reflected in National and International assessments. However, it is believed that learners’ poor performance in these subjects could be attributed to their weak and/or disproportional exposure to science instructions during early childhood development. The research objective of this study was to explore teachers’ understanding and implementation of science process skills (SPS) in the early years. Accordingly, data were collected using a qualitative research design of one on one interviews and lesson observations with eight Grade R teachers that were purposively and conveniently selected. The result showed that though participants believe it is important to start teaching science to children in the early years, most of them don’t have an adequate understanding of the science concepts in the Grade R syllabus. Though teachers engaged learners in activities that allowed them to observe, describe, measure, classify, predict and communicate ideas during the observed lessons, most of the teachers were unable to describe SPS. However, six of the teachers attributed their ability to demonstrate the process activities to years of experience and indicated that the teaching qualification they have did not accurately prepare them to teach science in the early years. Besides, teachers expressed a low level of confidence and competency in planning and demonstrating science activities in the early year classrooms.
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