Full text papers
Broström, S. (2000): "Communication & continuity in the transition from kindergarten to school in Denmark"
Paper related to poster symposium at EECERA 10th European Conference on Quality in Early Childhood Education, University of London, 29 August to 1 September 2000.
Abstract
A child's entry into school has long been associated with special expectations and excitement, as well as varying degrees of tension and anxiety. Smooth and successful transition from kindergarten to school requires attention to several related elements: 1. Child readiness; 2. Support from parents, family and community; 3. Third a system of high quality kindergartens for children aged 3-5, which provides a rich daily life carrying its own reward; 4. "child ready" environments; 5. helping children make the transition from home or kindergarten to school. In addressing these elements of transition, this paper notes that because the predominant research is from the adult perspective, it can lead to a limited definition of readiness and to adult-centred rather than child-centred or balanced approaches to school transition. The results of a study to identify children's expectations related to starting school are also provided.
Fabian, H. (undated): "A Seamless Transition?"
Paper presented on the 10th European Conference on Quality in Early Childhood Education (EECERA), London 29th of August - 1st of September 2000.
Abstract
This paper is concerned with children's induction to school and the way in which schools welcome pupils at the start of formal schooling. It explores the social and emotional changes that children face at this time and the way in which they are helped with developing coping strategies to deal with these changes. The systems of induction at two schools are outlined and the data from interviews with fifty children at these schools, their parents and teachers, is examined. The main findings are that levels of communication between school and home, and children's emotional and social well-being are central ingredients to children settling into school.
Fabian, H. & Dunlop, W-A (2002) : "InterconneXions"
Paper presented at the 'Progress with Purpose', conference on March 18th 2002 in Edinburgh.
Abstract
It highlighted the connections between socio-emotional well-being and learning. The way children feel about themselves and the way they are supported by adults are the foundations for them to feel emotionally secure, ready to meet new challenges and continue learning from the very beginning of their school lives.
Germeten, S. (2002): Limits of Teaching?
Freedom and control in the classroom of the 6-year-olds. (Grenser for undervisning? Frihet og kontroll i 6-åringenes klasserom). Stockholm; HLS Förlag.
Abstract
This doctoral thesis is about discourses in teaching in early childhood education in Norway. The purpose of the study was to inquire and examine different teachers in their work, to see how discourses (Foucault, 1972) are constituted. To introduce what my curiosity and motive power in this field are, I will present two statements given by teachers for the 6-year-olds.
Germeten, S. (1998): Educational reforms in Norway 1994-98
Abstract
In Norway, changes have taken place in the society over the last thirty years concerning women’s participation in academic studies and work. Technological development in industry and communication and economic growth based on oil-production in the North Sea is also a part of that picture.
There has also been a great expansion in the educational system, more and more of the young people taking part in higher education and university studies. Education is looked upon as a medium for equal opportunities and rights. Faced with internationalisation in economical, political and educational affairs challenges were identified for the educational and school system, and therefore the answer was educational reforms from kindergarten (barnehage) to adult education.
This paper focuses on the educational reforms in Norway since 1994 including reforms in Kindergarten and teacher education.
Griebel, W & Niesel, R. (2001): Transition to school child: What children tell us about school and what they teach us.
Paper presented at the 11th European Conference on Quality on Early Childhood Education. Alkmaar, The Netherlands, 29 August - 1 September.
Abstract
This study reports some pivot conceptions by which children transport ideas about school life that they expect. Some of these are learning, break, report and grades. Somebody must have told them. These representations of school in children's minds seem to be influenced by culture of Kindergarten and parents as well. They reflect a dichotomy between the nursery system and the school system in Germany. The children teach us to reflect this dichotomy and especially the necessity to redefine learning within a wider framework and understanding of education.
Griebel, W & Niesel, R. (2000): The children's voice in the complex transition into Kindergarten and school.
Paper presented at 10th European Conference on Quality in Early Childhood Education "Complexity, Diversity and Multiple Perspectives in Early Childhood Services" , London 29 August - 1 September 2000
Abstract
Instead of entry into Kindergarten and into school being understood as a crisis or stress for the child, we found a concept of family transition suitable for enhancing the multiple demands and expectations concerning children and parents as well as on the institution’s side. This involves a developmental perspective of adaptation to changes in life circumstances. The family transition model of Cowan (1991) for family development was designed to study eg. birth of first child, divorce, remarriage and includes the perspectives of all family members. In our society children and their families will have to cope with more and more discontinuities and transitions in their lives, so transition learning is of great interest to us (Fthenakis, 1998; Fthenakis et al., 2000). This paper explores transitions from family to institutions (i.e. Kindergarten, school) from three perspectives: Teachers, parents, and the children themselves.
Griebel, W & Niesel, R. (1999): From Kindergarten to school: A transition for the family.
Paper presented at the 9th European Conference on quality in early childhood education "Quality in early childhood education - How does early education lead to life-long learning?" in Helsinki, Finland, 1 - 4 September, 1999
Introduction
In Germany "Kindergarten" (nursery school) is part of the social welfare system and not of the education system. Therefore entry into primary school is a very important life event that we understand both as a transition for the child and for his/her parents. Kindergarten in some aspects has a contradictory philosophy to school: Social integration is a substantial function of Kindergarten - while social selection is a substantial function of the school system (cf.Brostr¶m, 1999).
Schools in Germany are working only in the morning hours. This is especially important for the division of labour amongst the couple and for the chances of father and mother to be present when the school child comes home.
Co-operation between Kindergarten and school under the auspices of continuity in contextual conditions for child development and learning has been explored and recommended, even by governmental authorities, in the 80ies - with no substantial effect.
Our aim
Our study aims at a conceptualisation of pedagogical support in Kindergarten and school for children and parents coping with this transition. Our work should be understood as part of a life-long perspective of transition learning (cf.Fabian, 1999). Therefore we wanted to find more detailed information about the process of entering the school system as a transition for the child and her/his parents, and about the competencies that children learned in the "dual socialisation" of family and Kindergarten (Dencik, 1997).
Griebel, W & Niesel, R. (1997): From Family to Kindergarten: A Common Experience in a Transition Perspective.
Paper presented at 7th Conference on the Quality of Early Childhood Education "Childhood in a Changing Society", by the EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research Association), Munich, Germany, 3 - 6 September, 1997
Abstract
Adaption to the child's first entry into an institution outside the family (kindergarten) has often been described as a crisis. Adaptation behavior was observed and interpreted als stress reaction. Longterm consequences for adaption to further experiences (e.g. entry into school) have been stated. However, literature on entry into kindergarten deals mostly with selective proposals and practical hints. No concept was found that was suitable for enhancing the multiple demands and expectations concercing children and parents as well as on the institution's side.
The question we try to answer is, if a perspective of transition, that is taken from family development in family research, can be transferred to the entry of children into a day care system. Day care system was the German "Kindergarten", what would mean nursery school, that is attended by children from 3 - 6, before they enter our school system.
Margetts, K.(2006): "Teachers should explain what they mean": What new children need to know about starting school.
Summary of paper presented at the EECERA 16th Annual Conference Reykjavik , Iceland , 30 August – 2 September 2006.
Abstract
This paper reports the perspectives of 54 children in the first year of schooling in Australia , about what new entrant children need to know as they start school and the information, experiences and resources schools should provide for children starting school. Small focus group interviews, during which children responded verbally and also drew pictures of their memories of starting school were conducted to enable the ‘voices' of children, who had actually experienced the transition to school, to be expressed and heard. Children were interviewed in 4 different schools. Each school had different links to preschools ranging from very close links to quite informal links, and one school was a private fee-paying school. Results of the verbal interviews indicated common issues for children around starting school such as social interactions and friends, school rules, school procedures, teachers and classrooms, and feelings. The ability of children to make links between what they think new entrant children need to know and what schools can do to assist new entrant children was very strong, even though children were not prompted to make these links. Children's references to being hurt, particularly in the playground are of some concern and would benefit from deeper investigation. The perspectives expressed in this study can be used to inform understandings about transition to school and issues associated with children's adjustment to school.
Margetts, K. (2000): Establishing Valid Measures of Children's Adjustment to the First Year of Schooling.
Post-Script, 1(1), http://www.edfac.unimelb.edu.au/
insight/pscriptvol1.shtml
Abstract
The absence of, or difficulty with, social and cognitive skills, and the presence of problem behaviours generally impacts on children's adjustment to school and is seen to indicate maladjustment. The identification of the skills and behaviours that predict children's adjustment to the first year of schooling can assist early childhood staff in identifying children at risk of maladjustment, and in the implementation of appropriate intervention strategies. This report will explore work-in-progress involving confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling using LISREL to identify items that contribute to constructs of children 's adjustment to the first year of schooling and to identify the relative contribution of each of these items to the adjustment subdomains for social skills, problem behaviours and academic competence involving data obtained using the Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliott, 1990).
Margetts, K. (1999): Transition to school: Looking forward.
Proceedings of the Australian Early Childhood Association Biennial Conference Darwin 14-17 July 1999. Australian Early Childhood Association,
Abstract:
The absence of, or difficulty with, social and cognitive skills, and the presence of problem behaviours generally impacts on children's adjustment to school and is seen to indicate maladjustment. The identification of the skills and behaviours that predict children's adjustment to the first year of schooling can assist early childhood staff in identifying children at risk of maladjustment, and in the implementation of appropriate intervention strategies. This report will explore work-in-progress involving confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling using LISREL to identify items that contribute to constructs of children 's adjustment to the first year of schooling and to identify the relative contribution of each of these items to the adjustment subdomains for social skills, problem behaviours and academic competence involving data obtained using the Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliott, 1990).
Peters, S. (2000): Multiple perspectives on continuity in early learning and the transition to school.
Paper presented at "Complexity, diversity and multiple perspectives in early childhood" Tenth European Early Childhood Education Research Association Conference, University of London, London, 29 August - 1 September, 2000
Abstract
This paper presents the findings of a New Zealand study that explores the transition experiences of a range of children, their families, and their early childhood and primary school teachers, through interviews and detailed observations in early childhood centres and new entrant classrooms. The participants include seven case study children and their families who were visited a number of times from when the children were four-years-old until they turned eight.
The paper examines the multiple perspectives on transition issues and highlights both the diversity in views and experiences, and some common themes and issues. Exploring the nature of the transition from early childhood to school leads us into broader debates about continuity, learning and the nature education in early childhood and at school. The paper considers the implications of the research for practice at both the early childhood and beginning school level.