Understanding and Supporting Young Writers: Opening the School Gate

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noella M. Mackenzie ◽  
Anne Petriwskyj
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Teachers ◽  
Early Writing ◽  
Personal Writing ◽  
Written Text ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Text Structures ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Learning Journey ◽  
Pedagogical Approaches

LEARNING TO WRITE IS critical to becoming literate. In this paper we examine continuities and discontinuities in pedagogical approaches to writing across preschools and schools. Qualitative approaches to data collection and analysis were applied. Findings suggest that preschool teachers rarely introduce children to traditional or digital forms of writing, while schools seem to expect even their youngest students to write using letters and words and conventional written text structures. This suggests that there is a metaphorical ‘gate’ between the two settings with approaches to early writing based on which side of the gate the children are, rather than where they are on their personal writing learning journey. The authors provide a rationale for opening this gate in order to support young writers as they transition from prior-to-school settings to school.

scholarly journals Guidelines for Theory Development using Qualitative Research Approaches

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. pp95-103
Author(s):  
Noel Pearse
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Field Work ◽  
The Body ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Research Propositions

Qualitative research has been criticised for not building a distinctive body of knowledge, leading to fewer publications and citations. In the light of this critique, this paper offers guidance on how qualitative researchers can contribute to developing a distinctive and cumulative body of knowledge, thereby attracting more attention to their research. In pursuit of this aim, there are four objectives addressed in this paper. The first objective is to explain the relevance and value of deductive qualitative approaches to theory building. Secondly, to illustrate how examining the maturation of a concept can help decide the appropriateness of a particular research approach. This paper explains how in their planning, researchers need to confirm their intention to contribute to theory development and to ensure that this is appropriate, given the stage of maturation of the concept to be investigated. The third objective is to offer guidance on the philosophical assumptions of the researcher and how to test research propositions. Therefore, it is advised that data collection and analysis should take place within a post-positivist paradigm, and that the field work should be designed and carried out with research propositions as a point of departure. The final research objective is to explain how the findings of a deductive qualitative study should be handled to demonstrate the contribution of the study to the body of knowledge. Here guidance is offered on the contextualisation and generalisation of research findings.

A psychological analysis of a psychological phenomenon: the dialogical construction of meaning

2000 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid E. Josephs
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Psychological Phenomena ◽  
Psychological Phenomenon ◽  
Psychological Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Psychological Inquiry ◽  
Adequate Method

It is the task of psychologists to describe and explain psychological phenomena, though the meaning of both description and explanation varies widely. One way to deal with psychological phenomena is to transform them as soon as possible into data (by which is meant quantitative data), which then can be analysed by ready-made methods (by which is meant inferential statistics). An unfortunate result of this politically fortified procedure is that the availability of methods (for data “collection” and analysis) comes to dictate the whole research process, including the construction of the phenomenon and its operationalization. As a consequence, various opponents of this non-scientific procedure have challenged psychology with a new dogma: the need to replace quantitative methods by their qualitative counterparts. Recently appearing “new turns” in psychology (as the narrative, the hermeneutic, the discursive turn, etc.) in particular, define qualitative approaches as the via regia for psychological analyses. I argue that both “schools” are caught in the same trap: ready-made methods and belief in the superiority of one rather than the other dominate all other aspects of methodology and psychological inquiry in general. I suggest that it is the theoretically derived phenomenon that - depending on the specific research question under consideration - requires the construction (rather than the application) of an adequate method for its analysis - be it qualitative or quantitative. I give an extended example for a psychological analysis of a psychological phenomenon - the construction and reconstruction of meaning - with the help of a qualitative experimental approach.

scholarly journals Islamic Memes as Media of Da'wah for Millennials Generations: Analysis of Visual Language On Islamic Memes With Illustration Style

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-78
Author(s):  
Winny Gunarti Widya Wardani ◽  
Ahmad Faiz Muntazori
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Field ◽  
Visual Language ◽  
Combination Method ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Image Visualization ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Written Text ◽  
Visual Communication Design ◽  
Communication Design ◽  
Qualitative Approaches

Islam as a religion of da'wah has obliged every Muslim to play a role in spreading the truth of the Qur'an. In the era of information technology like today, the spread of Islamic teachings can be done in various ways, including through memes. For millennials who are proficient with technology, Islamic memes are an alternative media for da'wah. This is due to the power of memes in conveying messages through image visualization and humour-style text. Islamic memes are generally distributed via the internet and messaging applications on smartphones. Most Islamic memes are designed using illustration styles. To understand the visual language of memes, this study formulates the question: how to read visual signs in Islamic memes as da'wah media, because the types of da'wah in memes are not only in the form of written text but also in the form of images? This study uses a combination method, which combines quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitatively, this study collects data about the views of the millennial generation on the attractiveness of illustration-style Islamic memes. Whereas qualitatively, an analysis of samples of illustration-style Islamic memes uses semiotic theory to see the structure of design elements as the visual language of da’wah messages. The results of this study are expected to be a reference for the scientific field of visual communication design, as well as encourage the creation of more productive and communicative Islamic memes as da'wah media for millennial generations.

scholarly journals Specialised education makes a difference in preschool teachers’ knowledge bases in the teaching of mathematics and science: A case of Botswana and Sweden

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kabita Bose ◽  
Kerstin Bäckman
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Preschool Teachers ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Teaching Of Mathematics ◽  
Mathematics And Science

Background: Education in mathematics and science is important at all school levels and should ideally start in the preschool, which implies that preschool teachers should have an adequate knowledge base in these subjects.Aim: This study aimed to investigate preschool teachers’ knowledge bases, including their subject matter knowledge (SMK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in mathematics and science.Setting: The study presents an account of preschool teachers’ knowledge bases in mathematics and science in Botswana and Sweden and how they influence their teaching choices and strategies.Methods: A pragmatic paradigm with a survey design and a mixed-methods mode with quantitative and qualitative approaches was used. Using a purposive sampling procedure, 64 preschool teachers from Botswana and 67 from Sweden participated in the study. Questionnaires and observation schedules were used to collect the data.Results: The findings showed that the Swedish preschool teachers had SMK and PCK in the two subjects. The Botswana teachers had SMK but lacked PCK. The early childhood educated preschool teachers from Sweden with developed PCK highlighted the daily routine situations as teaching or learning situations, whereas the primary school teachers from Botswana had SMK but found it difficult to teach at the preschool level.Conclusion: The preschool teachers’ knowledge bases included a play-based approach and knowledge about didactic considerations in spontaneous situations that made them teachable. The findings also showed the importance of a framework for specialised and professional early childhood education (ECE) training and acquiring SMK and PCK that contributed to the preschool teachers’ knowledge bases and practices in their teaching of mathematics and science. Early childhood education teachers’ educational experiences, their specialised and professional training profiles and the knowledge they acquired determined their knowledge bases and the SMK and PCK that minimised the constraints and challenges faced by them in the teaching of mathematics and science in ECE classrooms.

Short-term training on working memory updating and metacognition in primary school: The effect on reading comprehension

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 641-657
Author(s):  
Caterina Artuso ◽  
Barbara Carretti ◽  
Paola Palladino
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Text Comprehension ◽  
Text Processing ◽  
Transfer Effects ◽  
Memory Updating ◽  
Written Text ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Text Structures ◽  
Working Memory Updating

This study analyzed the potential transfer effects on reading comprehension skills of two different training programs administered to 9- to 10-year-old children attending fourth grade classes. One training program was based on a working memory updating paradigm (i.e., words, digits, sentence and text updating working memory tasks). The other program was based on metacomprehension activities focused on text structures, genres, text sensitivity, and text comprehension strategies. Performance was compared pre and post training on running memory, text updating, and reading comprehension tasks. The results showed that significant gains were obtained in both text updating and reading comprehension tasks, with a far transfer effect for both types of training. Limited nearest transfer effects suggest that gains could be due to acquisition of effective strategies in both programs, with training suitable for improving written text processing; however, performance did not differ between programs.

scholarly journals Language Supportive Teaching and Textbooks (LSTT) for Bilingual Classrooms Mathematics Teaching and Learning in Tanzania

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis William ◽  
Jesse Ndabakurane
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mathematical Concepts ◽  
Mathematics Textbook ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Post Test ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this study was to assess the impact on teaching and learning using the LSTT (Language Supportive Teaching and Textbooks) project’s bilingual Mathematics textbook chapters among Form One students in selected rural community secondary schools in Tanzania. LSTT project was introduced in Tanzania in 2013 to enhance language supportive teaching among the disadvantaged rural groups identified as less competent in foreign languages. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches in data collection and analysis.  It employed a bilingual approach whereby Kiswahili was used as a resource in learning mathematical concepts in English language. Its major findings indicated that the students’ post-test performance in Mathematics was higher in Dodoma and Lindi Regions compared to their pre-test performance.  The study concluded that having been oriented through LSTT textbook, the students were likely to start doing the exercises in the textbook without the facilitator’s or researcher’s support. Evidently, most of the students gained confidence and interest in Mathematics, having used the user friendly LSTT material.

The political economy of branding: khadi, colonialism and Indian nationhood

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirali Shah
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Political Movements ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Written Text ◽  
Colonial India ◽  
National Importance ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Freedom Movement

Purpose This paper aims to provide an understanding of how brands acquire meanings in a historical context. It examines the politico-economic environment that led to emergence of khadi in India. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses historical data to examine political economy of khadi. The author uses both written text and visuals for data collection and analysis. Findings It elucidates how the significance of khadi changed from being a mere cloth to a product of self-sufficiency and national importance in India’s freedom movement. This work is based on the analysis of Gandhian activities, especially consumption of khadi and usage of spinning wheel, during Indian freedom movement. The work analyzes the evolution of khadi in its historical, social and political context in colonial India. This paper reveals how and why brands acquire certain historical meanings. Research limitations/implications The paper is developed in colonial India. Originality/value This paper examines the role of institutions, social and political movements in the creation, development and nurturing of a brand and its meanings.

Extending the yarning yarn: Collaborative Yarning Methodology for ethical Indigenist education research

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marnee Shay
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Indigenous Education ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Audio Recording ◽  
Doctoral Study ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Research In Education

Abstract Yarning scholarship is emerging in the Australian context. There are a growing number of Indigenous scholars who advocate for using yarning in research and this paper aims to contribute to this methodological discussion. In this paper, I outline the development of a methodology, which I have named Collaborative Yarning Methodology (CYM). CYM extends on the current yarning scholarship available to researchers through critically addressing the issue of data collection and analysis. The methodology was developed in undertaking my doctoral study in alternative school settings. In developing CYM, I discuss and analyse the implications of using Indigenous methodologies in institutionalised education settings and some of issues that may arise, and some explicitly for Indigenous researchers. Through analysing the current discourses that exists when undertaking Indigenous-focused research in education institutions, there are clearly connections in how Indigenous people are positioned politically, racially and socially when assuming the role of a researcher. I propose that in Indigenous education focused research, there continues to be an over-reliance of positivist ways of collecting yarning data, such as audio recording. I offer an alternative to audio recording, which incorporates collaborative approaches to data collection with participants underpinned by the principle of self-determination.

scholarly journals Planning Qualitative Research: Design and Decision Making for New Researchers

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 160940692096717
Author(s):  
Lesley Eleanor Tomaszewski ◽  
Jill Zarestky ◽  
Elsa Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Research Questions

For students and novice researchers, the choice of qualitative approach and subsequent alignment among problems, research questions, data collection, and data analysis can be particularly tricky. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide a concise explanation of four common qualitative approaches, case study, ethnography, narrative, and phenomenology, demonstrating how each approach is linked to specific types of data collection and analysis. We first introduce a summary and key qualities of each approach. Then, using two common research contexts, we apply each approach to design a study, enabling comparisons among approaches and demonstrating the internal consistency within each approach. Given the nuance and complexity of qualitative research, this paper provides an accessible starting point from which novice researchers can begin their journey of learning about, designing, and conducting qualitative research.

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