Preschools Research Articles

Enhancing Early Grade Learners' Critical Thinking Skills for Self-Reliance

Although most Nigerian schools are yet to meet the demands characterising 21st-century learners, they must be equipped to fit into a global society constantly striving toward self-reliance. Therefore, there is a need for Nigerian teachers to adopt 21st-century learning skills, such as the critical thinking skills learning approach, to develop self-reliance in early grades. The research context was in pre-primary and primary schools in the Owerri Education Zone of Imo State, Nigeria. The authors adopted a qualitative research methodology employing Participatory Action Research (PAR) as the design. Data were collected using semi-structured interview questions. The data were then analyzed using thematic data analysis procedures. The study's findings revealed that the critical thinking skills learning approach developed self-reliance in early-grade learners. In conclusion, the authors recommended an adequate continuous professional development program for teachers to improve their knowledge of 21st-century learning pedagogy. Further research should be conducted using other aspects of 21st-century learning pedagogy to enhance self-reliance.

Experimental analysis of thermal power plant operating Efficiency Improvements

Boiler efficiency "The percentage of the total suction heating value of the output steam to the total supply heating value." The main objective of thermal power plants is to meet the energy needs of the market and meet these requirements; Factories need technical availability with parts reliability and maintenance strategies. The current energy situation in India strongly supports the economic security, stability and future development of the country and the social and economic well-being of the people, all of which depend on the wise use of available domestic resources and imported energy. Increasing energy demand. Our future lies in taking extreme measures to combat energy waste caused by the use of inadequate equipment and poor work practices. The industrial and commercial sector of any economy is its pillar. Since they are the main energy users and are few in number, they are easy to approach and target. Thus, they offer a significant opportunity to save considerable energy in their operations by implementing appropriate energy efficiency measures. However, we must not forget that this is a nursery school for developing energy efficient skills as a nation. Moreover, it should not be forgotten that innovation is the key to growth and success. Therefore, we as a nation must think ahead and quickly to utilize the alternative energy sources that exist in our country to utilize our conventional energy sources and use innovative technologies. It is true that boilers are highly desirable for efficient operation / reducing production costs, saving energy and reducing unwanted emissions. If possible, immediate replacement of inefficient boilers should be considered. Here is a review of the following aspects: · Basic Priority Boiler Efficiency and Area Management · Estimate the energy performance of earth boilers and calculate the efficiency. · Factors affecting boiler efficiency · Identification and rational use of alternative renewable energy sources It contains relevant theoretical material and information and is a practical guide for students to identify and implement energy efficiency and savings opportunities in steam boilers. Our project is concerned with determining the current operating efficiency of boilers and calculating the main losses of boilers in thermal power plants. Then determine the reason for the decline in productivity. It also improves boiler efficiency. Boilers are widely used in power generation, chemical and processing industries. This project attempts to explore available methods to maintain and improve boiler efficiency.

Parents’ Reasons for Sending Children to Pre-primary Schools: A Case of Kaskazini ‘A’ District Zanzibar

Purpose: This study explored parents' reasons for sending their children to pre-primary education in Zanzibar. The reasons are discussed with respect to their understanding of pre-primary education as a basic education in Zanzibar.
 Methodology: A qualitative approach with a case study design was used; data were collected using face-to-face interviews from 36 parents, 14 males and 22 females who had children in pre-primary schools. The study was done in the light of the Expectancy Value Theory (EVT) that relates the expectations and values a person has over something, and proposes that achievement behaviour is primarily influenced by expectancies of success and subjective task values.
 Findings: The results showed that most parents understood that early childhood education was a basic education in Zanzibar due to the fact that it is a starting point for children to learn basic life skills and literacy skills. Therefore, it was revealed that parents were sending their children to pre-primary schools because they wanted their children to be literates, prepared for primary education and learn socialization. It was revealed that early childhood education teaches children different skills like reading, writing, counting and socialization skills, and so changes a child from having a home-mind to school-mind. 
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommends to the curriculum developers to plan and design early childhood education programmes to achieve the targets of the parents so as to encourage them in sending their children to pre-primary education as well as increase their involvement in their children’s education.

Experimental data about the evacuation of preschool children from nursery schools, Part I: Pre-movement behaviour

This article presents experimental data sets and information about the pre-movement behaviour and specific evacuation conditions observed in 15 evacuation drills in 10 nursery schools in the Czech Republic involving 970 children (3—7 years of age) and 87 staff members. Based on the analysis of video recordings, over 1800 data points describing pre-movement times, the interpretation of warning signals, the reactions and activities of staff members and children, levels of physical assistance provided to the children, and exiting strategies were gathered, interpreted, and compared to key literature findings. Our observations showed that pre-movement times measured during the drills ranged from 3 to 59 s, depending on experimental conditions, and physical help was provided to 25% of the participating children. The pre-movement behaviour of the participants was strongly influenced by the instructions provided to children as well as the daily routines, rules, and educational practices employed in the nursery schools. In addition, the principles of the affiliation model and role-rule model were identified as applicable to preschool children. To enable engineering applications (e.g., in evacuation modelling studies), findings are presented together with a set of nine behavioural statements regarding the pre-movement behaviour of preschool children.

Quantifying indoor radon levels and determinants in schools: A case study in the radon-prone area Galicia–Norte de Portugal Euroregion

Radon is a carcinogenic compound, and is particularly concerning in the education sector, where children and teachers may be exposed even longer than at home. Thus, this study intended to characterise radon in the indoor air of scholar environments in different provinces/districts of the Euroregion Galicia–Norte de Portugal. With a pioneering approach, this study evaluated the influence of specific factors/characteristics (location, type of management, construction material, season and floor within the building) and quantified their relative contribution to indoor radon levels. Radon was continuously monitored in 416 classrooms from school buildings located in urban and rural sites from different provinces/districts both in the regions of Galicia (A Coruña and Lugo provinces) and Portugal (Porto and Bragança districts), considering rooms for different age groups (from nursery schools to universities). Single and multivariate linear regression models were built considering the radon concentrations as the outcome variable and different room/building characteristics as predictor variables. Mean and median radon concentrations were 332 Bq·m−3 and 181 Bq·m−3, respectively. The radon concentrations observed are a public health concern, as almost 1/3 of the places monitored exceeded the reference limit value of the European legislation (300 Bq·m−3). Moreover, around 50 % of the indoor levels measured could be attributed to room/building characteristics: the building's location and the main construction material, as well as the occupants' age group, the floor within the building and the school's type of management (public/private). This study concluded that radon testing is needed in all school buildings and classrooms without exceptions. Thus, public administrations are urged to dedicate funds for testing, mitigation and public dissemination initiatives in schools. A special protocol for radon sampling in school buildings should also be developed.

Prevalence of Giardia lamblia Infection among Pupils and Students from Selected Schools in Nsukka Metropolis, Enugu State

Globally, Giardia lamblia is the most common intestinal protozoa parasite with about 200 million yearly infections in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The parasite is common in third-world countries with poor living conditions. The current surge in terrorism across Nigeria has forced people to migrate into relatively peaceful regions and Nsukka has been one of the cities in Nigeria that have witnessed the influx of migrants. This migration aids the spread of G. lamblia and thus puts the public health of the inhabitants of Nsukka metropolis at risk. The current state of G. lamblia infection in Nsukka metropolis is not known and this knowledge gap hampers effective planning by public health officers and policymakers to safeguard the public health of the inhabitants. The objectives of this study were to provide information on the prevalence of G. lamblia infection among pupils and students from selected schools within Nsukka metropolis and to provide data on the age group that is more vulnerable to the parasitic infection among the studied population for public health campaign against the parasite. Faecal samples were collected from 170 individuals from five different schools. The faecal samples were examined for G. lamblia under the microscope using formol-ether concentration and direct smear methods. The prevalence of G. lamblia is 38.2%. The prevalence is higher in males (40.3%) than in females (36.7%). El-Shaddai Nursery and Primary School (ENPS) and University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) recorded the highest prevalence of 53.3% each. Children in the age groups 3 - 7 years had the highest prevalence of 66.7%. Giardia lamblia is widespread among children and university students in Nsukka metropolis.

The pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of nursery school teachers in teaching and learning of geometry: A review of literature

This article explores studies that investigated pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of teachers, especially those at the nursery level, in teaching and learning mathematics, specifically geometry. It represents a review of literature on what is PCK, and its effectiveness in teaching and learning of mathematics specifically geometry in early foundation of education. We discussed about what different studies found on PCK of nursey school teachers. We conclude that children at nursery level need to be taught by the experienced and more educated teachers. Also, to better assist them it is essential to provide ongoing trainings, and they should acquire PCK more effectively during their study before they begin teaching services.

중국 안지놀이 유치원 교사의 놀이중심교육 실천 사례 연구

Objectives This study examines the process by which the recognition of children's right to play, which explains the practical competency of play-centered education of Chinese Anji kindergarten teachers in a meaningful way, is formed and how it is implemented in the field of play-center education.
 Methods To this end, for about three weeks from March 14, 2022, to April 2, 2022, a study was conducted in Anji County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, focusing on participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and literature data analysis. A case study was conducted at K Kindergarten.
 Results The meaning of play-center education practice for teachers at Anji K Kindergarten was defined as an ‘a teacher who constantly strives to support real play’, ‘belief in children, the core of play-center education’, ‘a compass for expanding children's exploration activities and play’, ‘going together for a long time’ was divided into 4 categories, and each of them was further divided into subcategories and presented as nomads. Specifically, first, teachers did not recognize children's right to play from the beginning and had a high competency in practicing play-centered education at K kindergarten. Second, K kindergarten teachers believe that the main character of the classroom is an infant, which is much better than the teacher thinks. They keep themselves safe in the midst of adventure and challenge and believe that all children have their own inherent speed in them. Third, teachers of K kindergarten are developing the children’ power to observe, record and through large group sharing. Fourth, one nursery school (保育员) who is in charge of cleaning and preparing meals for each class of K Kindergarten. As a kindergarten leader, constantly requested financial support necessary for education from the government and overcame difficulties to reach the current play-centered education system.
 Conclusions First, it was confirmed that the high level of play-center education practice competency of Chinese Anji kindergarten teachers was not achieved in a short period of time, but through many years of effort. Second, it was confirmed that Anji kindergarten teachers in China fully believed in children. Third, it was confirmed that Anji kindergarten teachers had enough opportunities to expand children's play and reflect on their experiences daily.

‘It has also happened to me’: Children’s peer exclusion experiences in Finnish pre-primary school through children’s narrations

Being part of a peer group and feeling a sense of belonging increases the well-being of children in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Still, children face exclusion and rejection by peers. This study examined children’s peer exclusion experiences in pre-primary school settings, investigating children’s voices and perspectives through researching children’s narratives. Ten children participated in the interviews in Finnish pre-primary school during spring 2018. Children’s narrations about exclusion took place during free play time in children’s peer groups. Results showed common features but also a variety of children’s experiences and strategies when facing exclusion, and suggests that children with positive experiences with peers can cope with occasional exclusion. Children had a clear understanding of exclusion and they were capable of expressing their experiences verbally. Furthermore, by researching children’s narratives, we can increase our understanding of peer exclusion in early childhood educational settings.

Displacing the other to unite the nation: The parallel society legislation in Denmark

In 2018, the then right-wing government in Denmark led by Lars Løkke Rasmussen and supported by the extreme right-wing party Danish People’s Party presented new legislation to end ‘parallel societies’ in Denmark by toughening the criminal law, enforcing Danish knowledge and nursery school assistance to toddlers, and, more importantly for this article, a series of urban interventions in ‘ghetto areas’ considered as such mainly when the proportion of immigrants and descendants from non-Western countries exceeded 50 per cent. Until recently research has focused on either the discursive elements of the ‘ghetto politics’ in Denmark or the urban interventions from an architectural or urban planning point of view. However, newfangled research deal with the entwined economic elements. In this article, I compare the different developmental plans proposed in the affected areas because of the legislation, with an aim to reach further and point at the inherent elements of urban b/ordering, that is, measures taken to attain social order and gain legitimacy by demarcating categories of people to incorporate some and exclude others through urban space. Indeed, through this comparison, I conclude that the ghetto legislation is a compelling example of the urban b/ordering inherent to the politics and dynamics of current liberal capitalist social democracies. It is a social experiment that remodels the geography of Denmark in terms that recall the eugenic and hygienic social and urban policies of the 19th century and form part of a worrying pattern that may have consequences that go beyond the stated ones.

Influence of Excursions Approach on Learner Participation in Environmental Conservation Activities Among Pre-Primary Learners

The Learner participation in an instructional process, Environmental Education (EE) included means that the education provided to learners is of relevance, value and supportive of achievement of learning outcomes. The teacher as the manager of the instructional process has the task to promote active learner participation especially among young learners like those at the ECDE level through use of child-friendly approaches. Such approaches should include learner participation in listening to sounds in the environment, interviewing people, observing people in action or examining real things like tools and reports. Empirical literature links such approaches to excursion teaching approach. However, limited empirical literature on the extent and influence of use of the approach in instruction of environmental activities especially among ECDE learners’ limits a discussion on best practices for teaching ECDE learners’ environmental activities. The purpose of the study was therefore, to examine the influence of excursions approach on learner participation in environmental conservation activities. Descriptive survey research design was used. The population of the study comprised of 119 headteachers, all the parents of pre-primary children and 238 pre-primary school teachers. The sample unit was 65 headteachers, 30 parents of pre-primary children and 131 pre-primary teachers of the public pre-primary schools. Data was collected using two research instruments which included questionnaires for pre-primary teachers and the headteachers and interview guides for parents. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze quantitative data using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25.0. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The findings of the study demonstrated that excursions approach influenced on learner participation in environmental conservation activities. The findings of the study may benefit teachers, curriculum developers and policy makers in ensuring that pre-primary learners are taught using instructional approaches that promote learners’ participation in environmental conservation activities. Chi-square results indicated a significant influence of excursions approach on learner participation in environmental conservation activities. The study recommends that the use of excursions approach should be promoted since it improves learner participation.

Experiential Learning Style Models on Implementation of Pre-Primary School Social Studies Curriculum: Systematic Review of Related Literature

Experiential learning model (ELM) is characterized as a four-stage cyclical process of concrete experiences, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation for driving learning into practice. The four-stage cycle of ELM creates an immediate experience providing opportunities for learners to develop knowledge, skills, and values from direct experience as the foundation for observations and reflections. The observations and reflections are assimilated and refined into abstract concepts producing new implications for actions which when tested effectively, create new experiences for learners from formative years through their lifetime. Through experiential learning, a variety of concepts integrates from extremely theoretical ones to the simplicity of learning by doing for accelerated learning. Since ELM is a four-stage cycle, the learning styles of each individual are components of the four fundamental learning models. In instances where appropriate learning styles are adopted, concrete experiences with abstract concepts are developed for learners to experience an enthusiasm for continued learning. However, a mismatch between teaching and learning styles may lead to detrimental effects on the acquisition of new knowledge. The purpose of this review was to analyze the available literature on ELM to identify its usefulness, strength, weaknesses, and implications for teaching and learning pre-primary social studies. Data were sourced through primary and secondary sources. Secondary data were sourced from journal articles, research projects, texts, internet searches, and libraries. Experiential learning models are founded on the concept that an individual's experiences play an essential role in learning and appreciation of new knowledge. The review established that experiential learning practices aid in developing learners’ preferred learning styles which in turn strengthen the acquisition of new knowledge by doing, discovering, reflecting, and applying. For effective teaching and learning to take place, the review recommends curriculum developers incorporate the use of experiential learning style models in teaching pre-primary social studies curriculum (SSC).

‘Do Not Separate Sexuality Education from Religious Teachings’: Parents’ Perceptions and Suggestions towards Sexuality Education in Uganda

The Uganda government designed a framework to teach sex education in Uganda primary schools starting from pre-primary school at the age of three up to high school. Sexuality Education (SE) is intended to be a school intervention to provide the right information to young people misled by peers, the media, and social networks that are now easily accessible. Besides, sexuality education is meant to be a school-based intervention to curb the increasing rates of premarital pregnancies that lead to school dropouts of teenage girls. However, the mention of sexuality education creates unease among parents, teachers, and policymakers. There are arguments and counterarguments that sex education potentially leads children into sexual immorality and permissiveness and sexualises the children. On the other hand, there are sections of people who are convinced that sex education is important and timely and important in Uganda. There have been barriers to the implementation of sexuality education in different contexts. The barriers include political, cultural, religious, and social concerns that influence the effective implementation of sexuality education. Besides, parents are critical in implementing any teaching about sexuality because they provide basic sexual information and knowledge to their children. For instance, they discuss issues concerning hygiene, and sexual health, such as STDs, abstinence, virginity, and relationships with their children. Binti et al. (2020) and Turnbull et al. (2008) stated that parents are influential in teaching sex education because they influence their children’s behaviours and sexual identity formation. Therefore, their opinions and attitudes are fundamental in handling sex education. In African contexts, parents impart knowledge and skills about puberty, courtship, and marriage. It is against this basis that the article discusses the perceptions and attitudes of parents towards teaching sex education in primary schools in Uganda. The article focuses on the following questions; (i) Is there a need for sexuality education? (ii) What is the appropriate content for sexuality education? (iii) Who is the best teacher for sexuality education? and (iv) What is the appropriate age for sexuality education in Uganda?

A Morpho-Syntactic Study of The Acquisition of Participle Forms of Verb Among Yoruba-English Speaking Primary School Pupils

This research work studied the acquisition of participle forms of verb by selected nursery and primary school pupils in Ekiti State Nigeria. The study was set out to find out how Yoruba ESL pupils show variability in their realization of inflectional morphology of English verb participle forms and to explain how the morphosyntactic features of the L1 and L2 interact to affect the learners’ acquisition of English participle inflectional morphemes. One hundred (100) pupils were selected at random from five public primary schools. It was revealed from the findings that pupils have little know of participle form of verb inflections. Findings show that of all the verb inflections of participle form by pupils, 0nly 37% was correctly used and 63% was misused. Out of the 63% misused, 31% was a misuse of –ing form, 6% was a misuse of –ed form and 26% was a misuse of –en form. Pupils mostly overgeneralized rules of regular verbs for irregular verbs. From the research data, pupils misuse past –ed for –en and –en for –ed. The findings revealed that the pupils often exhibit variability with respect to the realization of verb-participle inflectional morphemes by either making wrong substitution of a particular kind of inflection for another or omitting inflections outrightly.

The Effects of Fiscal Decentralisation on Publicly Provided Services and Labour Market.

This paper studies how fiscal decentralization affects local services. It explores a 1993 reform that increased the fiscal autonomy of Italian municipalities by replacing government transfers with revenues from a local property tax. Our identification leverages cross-municipal variation in the degree of decentralization that stems from differences in the average age of buildings caused by bombings during WWII. Decentralization reduced local spending but expanded municipal services, such as nursery schools. These effects are larger in areas with greater political competition. The paper also investigates how the reform affected labor markets. Decentralization increased female labor supply-probably through expanded availability of nursery schools- thereby reducing the gender gap in employment.

A silver lining or digital divide? Systematic review of literature on online learning during Covid-19 in Nepal

Almost all educational institutions across the globe jumped into online learning since the declaration of Covid-19 as a global pandemic. Nepali academic institutions from pre-primary schools to universities also entered into online learning. Such online learning aimed to control the educational damage threatened by the infectious pandemic and lingering lockdown. This study draws on 33 research papers to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) concerning online learning during Covid-19 in Nepal. In particular, the study investigates whether online learning created a digital divide or contributed to a positive contribution to the quality of delivery of education in Nepal in future. The systematic review finds that frequent power cuts, poor internet connectivity and inadequate ICT tools for online learning as the most common educational hindrances along with the loss of practical, applied activities and fieldwork for those studying technical subjects. The final SWOT analysis identified more weaknesses and threats in comparison to strengths and opportunities associated with online learning during Covid-19 in Nepal. However, if Nepal and her academic institutions minimize or redress the weaknesses, reinforce the existing strengths, institutionalize the opportunities, and mitigate the possible threats concerning online learning, the learning has the potential to become more effective. Certainly, there is a digital divide, but the study also identified the strengths and opportunities of online learning during Covid-19 that have stemmed the educational damage as a silver lining in the cloud of the Corona Virus.

Om folkbildningsmässig särart i idrottsrörelsens studieförbund SISU Idrottsutbildarna

The position of sports in relation to the Nordic Bildung tradition (e.g. Folkbildning) has historically been contested. Mainly so because sports were associated with competition and elite thinking in ways that contrast popular educational ideals. The purpose of this study is therefore to analyze what distinguishes the contemporary sports movement in terms of Folkbildning in relation to the pedagogical dilemmas and perspectives expressed by actors within the sports movement. The background to the study is a project initiated by the Swedish Sports Confederation (RF) after internal discussions about Folkbildning in their study association SISU Idrottsutbildarna during 2020. Focus group interviews with 4-7 participants were conducted using Zoom and included seven of SISU’s 19 local districts (altogether 40 informants). All interviews were around one hour long and were recorded and transcribed. The informants were all active in the study association SISU. The results are presented through the following categories: Folkbildning as an association pedagogy and nursery school, Folkbildning as a pedagogical idea beyond the measurable and Folkbildning as a universal pedagogical method. Overall, the study concludes how perceptions of Folkbildning within the sports movement risks being reduced to a method for solving social problems. At the same time, a unique association pedagogy emerges in the material, permeated with holistic educational ideals and where the sports movement on a more comprehensive and societal level contributes to important educational insights.

Promoting Creativity in Children with Digital Technology to Overcome Inequalities in Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education is the education given to children at thepreschool, nursery schools and training (practicum) which is thefoundation to other levels of education. Creativity is an essential part oflearning which the children are anticipated to be exposed to from theirearly stage. Creativity is embedded in the curriculum for children in earlychildhood education to give room for a rich learning experience and tohelp healthy growth and a wholistic development of the child, to make surethat no child is left behind even with the application of digital technologyin teaching creativity innovation. Early childhood teachers are expected toteach the children with relevant and up-to-date materials such as the useof technology to activate their imagination, sense of belonging to bridgethe cap of inequalities among the children which will help in appreciatingchildren’s individuality and encourage participation withoutdiscrimination amongst the children. This paper therefore, looked intopromoting creativity in children with digital technology without leavingany child behind. Based on this, the paper suggested among others that theuse of digital technology should be encouraged in early childhood, nodiscrimination of any type and all the children should be treated equally.

Association between gender role attitudes and social support from mothers and paternal involvement in childcare

Objective Paternal involvement in child-rearing is an action goal of Healthy Parents and Children 21 (Tier 2), and should be actively promoted. Clarifying the related factors may contribute to countermeasures for promoting paternal involvement in child-rearing. This study aimed to examine the association between fathers' gender role attitudes and social support from their spouses (i.e., the mothers of the children) and their involvement in child-rearing.Methods We obtained the data of fathers involved in childcare (aged 25-50 years; all full-time workers) through an internet research company. The paternal involvement in childcare scale (11 items, 4-point scale, e.g., "taking care of children," "cooking") was used as the dependent variable. The independent variables were gender role attitude ("Husbands should work outside the home and wives should take care of the home," 4-point scale) and social support from the mothers of the children (including appraisal, emotional, and instrumental support). The control variables were father's age, mother's employment status, number of children, the age of the youngest child, children going to nursery school or kindergarten, use of childcare services, self-evaluation of low economic status, work hours on weekdays, and marital relationship satisfaction.Results The data of 360 men were analyzed (mean age 36.8 years, standard deviation 5.6). The results of the multivariable regression analyses with interaction terms are as follows: gender role attitude was significantly associated with childcare (β=-0.103) and housework (β=-0.125); appraisal support was significantly associated with childcare (β=0.142) and housework (β=0.199); and the interaction between gender role attitude and instrumental support was significant (β=0.176), indicating that, in individuals with a high gender role attitude score, a higher level of instrumental support was related to a higher childcare score (β=0.242).Conclusions Fathers with egalitarian gender role attitudes and those who receive appraisal support from the other parent are more likely to participate in childcare. In addition, fathers with traditional gender role attitudes who receive instrumental support from the other parent may tend to participate in childcare.

Effect of Health Promotion Guidelines on Knowledge and Practice for Caregivers at Nursery schools

Preschool period is a crucial stage of life in terms of a child's physical, intellectual, emotional,and social development, health promotion knowledge of pre-school caregivers is an importantfactor that affects children's health.