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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- 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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- 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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- 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
- Sekhukhune, Catherine Dikeledi
- 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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- 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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