Abstract |
In Greek research area have not devised exploratory studies describing the portrait of young
children just before the fulfillment of their preschool education, using an alternative form of
assessment, specifically a curriculum-based-assessment rating rubric. The principal purpose of this
postgraduate/master’s dissertation is the study of developmental and learning characteristics of
preschool children, shortly before graduating from kindergarten. For this reason, preschool teachers
from nine public kindergartens of Greece evaluated their students at the beginning of the school year,
with the help of this rubric, while the same occurred at the end of the school year for students of four
from the nine kindergartens. The sample consisted of 127 young children, who studied in
kindergarten in three different areas (urban, suburban, rural).
From exploring young students’ knowledge, attitudes and skills appears that in the beginning
of the school year and as well as at the end of it the majority of children have sufficiently obtained
enough of the intended capabilities of learning and development areas οf Greek curriculum
D.E.P.P.S. for kindergarten and in particular of spoken language, reading, writing and written
expression, mathematics, the anthropogenic and natural environment, figurative art, dramatic art,
physical education, music as well as information technology, but also the learning area of personal
and social development of the pilot curriculum “Program Spoudwn Nipiagwgeiou”.
According to research results, gender, age as well as the area of kindergarten constitute
differentiating factors of learning and developmental characteristics of preschool children. In
particular, concerning gender, it is concluded that in the beginning of the school year a kindergarten’s
boys surpass in an intended capacity of speaking, five of reading, and one of writing and written
expression. Moreover, three kindergartens’ boys predominate in five different intended skills of
mathematics, but also in two of those of personal and social development. Meanwhile, one
kindergarten’s boys excel in one of the intended capabilities of visual, as in a computer.
In particular, concerning gender, concluded that in the beginning of the school year a
kindergarten boys excel in an intended capacity of speaking, five of them of reading, as in a writing
and written expression. Moreover, the boys three kindergartens predominate in five different target
skills of mathematics, but also in two of the personal and social development. Meanwhile, one
kindergarten’s boys surpass in one of the intended capabilities of figurative art, as well as in one of
computer. At the end of the school year, the superiority of οne kindergarten’s boys is obvious in the same target capacity of speaking, in two of those in mathematics, as well as in one of computer. On
the contrary, at the beginning of the school year, girls predominate in one of the intended skills of
reading, two of the natural environment, and one of those of figurative art, while at the end of the
school year the girls excel at a different target capability of reading, in two of the personal and social
development, and in one of figurative art.
Regarding age, it results that the young students of a kindergarten in which they study again,
fall short in one of the intended capabilities of the human environment, as well as in three of the
natural environment.
As for the location of kindergarten, it is realised that at the beginning of the school year, most
students of kindergartens in three geographic areas have sufficiently conquered one of the intended
abilities of the oral speech, the natural environment and information technology, and some of them
have conquered reading, writing and written expression, personal and social development,
anthropogenic environment, figurative art as well as physical education. Moreover, most children of
kindergarten in urban and rural areas have sufficiently conquered half of the intended reading skills,
writing and written expression, figurative arts like music, some of the intended skills of mathematics,
personal and social development, anthropogenic and physical environment, information technology,
as well as one of dramatic art.
Furthermore, in the beginning of the school year, most students of kindergartens in urban
areas have sufficiently conquered one of the intended abilities of listening, reading, writing and
written expression, music, five of mathematics, the most of those of anthropogenic and natural
environment, as well as the dramatic art. Most children of rural areas of kindergarten have
sufficiently conquered a target capacity of the natural environment, music, and four of those of
information technology. At the end of the school year, most students of kindergarten in urban areas
have sufficiently conquered some of the intended skills of six learning areas, while the same applies
for some of the intended capabilities of three learning areas for most children from suburban
kindergarten. It should be noted further, that only one of the intended abilities of personal and social
development, as well as one of anthropogenic environment has sufficiently mastered by most
children of suburban and urban areas of kindergarten.
More specifically, most students of kindergarten in urban areas have sufficiently conquered
one target capacity of reading, natural environment and music, some of those of dramatic art, the
anthropogenic environment, figurative art and computing. Most children of suburban kindergarten
have obtained one of the intended capabilities of the anthropogenic environment and computing, but also some of the natural environment. In conclusion, most kindergarten students from both urban and
semi-urban areas have sufficiently conquered one of the intended abilities of personal and social
development, as well as one of anthropogenic environment.
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