scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question

Showing papers in "International Journal of Research in 2002"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors examines the literature on transition to school, and discusses its importance and the need to minimise its adverse effects by providing a smooth transition for the child, and presents the factors which impact on successful transition from the early childhood phase to primary school.
Abstract: There are many levels in the educational continuum, and each time a child moves from one level to the other transition occurs. Transition from the early childhood phase to primary school is one of the major steps that each child has to take in the education continuum, and has been known to be traumatic for most children. There is also research evidence which contends that this transition to the first year of primary school is very important for the child's future physical, emotional and intellectual development. This article examines the literature on transition to school, and discusses its importance and the need to minimise its adverse effects by providing a smooth transition for the child. The article presents the factors which impact on successful transition from the early childhood phase to primary school.

108 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of a supporting adult in promoting effective learning relating to aspects of 3D shape in young children was investigated, where nursery and reception aged children carried out problem solving tasks using wooden blocks embedded within playful contexts.
Abstract: This paper reports a study into the role of a supporting adult in promoting effective learning relating to aspects of 3D shape in young children. Nursery and reception aged children carried out problem solving tasks using wooden blocks, in this case Poleidoblocs, embedded within playful contexts. Using the notion of 'scaffolding' and working within the child's Zone of Proximal Development, this study analyses the structured adult intervention that increases the effectiveness of learning and leads to an enhanced development of secure and transferable concepts.

49 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article explored the processes by which children acquire the complex skills underpinning social interaction, including the ability to infer the 'invisible' mental states in others, and to act upon those inferences; they have become experts at'social chess'.
Abstract: Humans live in complex social environments. By the time they reach adulthood, most people have developed highly sophisticated social skills, including the ability to infer the 'invisible' mental states in others, and to act upon those inferences; they have become experts at 'social chess'. This paper draws upon research from developmental and evolutionary psychology, primatology, as well as studies of autistic children, to explore the processes by which children acquire the complex skills underpinning social interaction. It also examines obstacles to social skill acquisition. In light of ethological studies of social play in humans and other primates, it is argued that play is a fundamental medium for acquiring social skills.

28 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the transition from nursery playground to the school playground of 13 nursery children, all 4-years-old, was discussed. But the focus was not on the physical environment but on the emotional and social development of the children.
Abstract: From an ecological perspective, this paper presents selective findings based on practitioner action research which is deliberately written in the first person. The focus is the transition from nursery playground to the school playground of 13 nursery children, all 4-years-old. The paper outlines the first 4-week cycle of action of a 13-week intervention programme. The programme aimed at promoting social and emotional development so that the children became more adaptive to challenges in the new context of the school playground. The findings reveal that process and connectivity of the programme promoted a sense of belonging in which the children reciprocally nurtured each other, acknowledged and recognised feelings and formed friendships so that when they started school they became more resilient within the school playground. The findings also highlight areas of vulnerability which need to be addressed concerning school routines and very young children.

16 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the reality of educational experiences of 4-year-olds across four different early years settings using a range of observation schedules and interview techniques, and concluded that 4 year-olds in different types of settings appear to experience different educational realities for a number of reasons.
Abstract: In this paper the reality of educational experiences of 4-year-olds is explored across four different early years settings using a range of observation schedules and interview techniques. The impact of the National Literacy Strategy and National Numeracy Strategy on reception practice is compared to those settings not engaging with the formal aspects of these initiatives. The perceived impact of the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage is also examined and discussed. The study concludes that 4-year-olds in different types of settings appear to experience different educational realities for a number of reasons, which are discussed. How to minimise the differences between the different types of settings in order to achieve greater continuity and progression for 4-year-olds is considered.

13 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article studied two classroom conversations about a moral dilemma presented in a fable and found that primary-aged children objected to the terms of the dilemma itself; in the second, students expressed concern for the character who is typically perceived by children as unsympathetic.
Abstract: This article concerns two classroom conversations about a moral dilemma presented in a fable. The conversations were studied as part of a larger research project on the moral understandings of young children. Two groups of primary-aged children (6 and 7 years old) in two different cultural settings discussed the conflict between a porcupine and a family of moles in ways that differed from other student discussions recorded by the author. In the first classroom discussion, students objected to the terms of the dilemma itself; in the second, students expressed concern for the character who is typically perceived by children as unsympathetic The two conversations raise questions for researchers and teachers about the relationship between individual and group deliberations about moral problems, and these lead to a broader discussion about the goals and means of moral education for young students.

11 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the police response to marital violence in Singapore and find that almost half a decade of police reform in Singapore has not produced dramatic changes in the response to domestic violence.
Abstract: This paper explores the police response to marital violence in Singapore. This investigation into police response is specifically located in a particular culture and historical context. It owes its origins to the reframing of questions about the problem of intimate violence and concomitantly, the purpose and function of the criminal justice system over issues of safety and protection to victims of such violence. Central to the research concern of the paper is the attempt to address the question of why almost half a decade of police reform in Singapore has not produced dramatic changes in the police response to marital violence. This paper documents the reform process and the resistance offered within the police organization to these reform efforts. It follows that any attempt to understand this process requires an examination of the everyday realities of policing as well as recognition of the political, social and legal context in which these realities are situated and take shape.

10 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a series of eight workshops for children under three and their parents were presented at Tate Britain, London, and they were collectively known as "Big and small; short and tall".
Abstract: This article reports on a series of eight workshops for children under three and their parents. The workshops took place at Tate Britain, London, and they were collectively known as 'Big and small; short and tall'. The article outlines the approach used to evaluate the workshops, particularly the way in which parents' experiences, and their views on children's experiences, were given prominence. Despite the potential difficulties of taking very young children into an art gallery, most parents said they were pleased with their children's engagement. Parent feedback suggests that the structure and content of the workshops did much to enable them and their children to learn about art and artists together. Moreover, some confirmed that their joint involvement had stimulated further learning at home and life-wide learning more generally.

8 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article found that the ability to recount personal history is important for oracy development and that the lack of vivacity in many of the personal stories recounted by the children and possible reasons for this.
Abstract: This is a small-scale piece of research undertaken in two mixed-age infant classrooms in an inner city multicultural primary school with a mixed socio-economic background. The dataset which consisted of 38 recorded stories from 32 children, was collected during a 4-month period. It forms part of a larger study that is still in progress. The research evidence highlights the lack of vivacity in many of the personal stories recounted by the children and possible reasons for this. Analysis of the stories shows some common patterns and reflects on the time given to children, in an increasingly demanding curriculum, for personal storytelling. It concludes that the ability to recount personal history is important for oracy development.

6 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A series of compressed notes which attempt to set down what the writer sees as the principal concerns highlighted in recent studies of early childhood socialisation from birth to about eight years is given in this paper.
Abstract: This is not an article, but a series of compressed notes which attempt to set down what the writer sees as the principal concerns highlighted in recent studies of early childhood socialisation from birth to about eight years. It draws heavily upon personal and professional experience of education and care systems in some sixteen countries as well as upon current OECD and UNESCO data. It deals with the concerns surrounding a minority of the world's children, however; that is the 10% or less, born into the rich portion of the (largely western) world. It focuses on the context surrounding the growing need for 'institutionalised' provision for children from birth in those OECD countries where divorce is common-place, where the birth rate has fallen dramatically and where, increasingly, most adult women work outside the home. It notes especially the gradual congruence of early childhood care and early education in policy and practice. It emphasises the vital contribution of appropriate early experience and lea...

6 citations