QUALITY OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS IN ESTONIAN PRESCHOOLS
Journal Title: Problems of Education in the 21st Century - Year 2009, Vol 15, Issue 11
Abstract
The quality of the learning environment in a group is an important factor in evaluation of activities in preschools. Studies have shown that factors of the learning environment influence different aspects of child’s development as well as smooth transition from kindergarten to school. Since 1994 besides traditional kindergarten groups there are also Step by Step groups in Estonia that emphasise on the need of child-centred education. The present article gives an overview of a study where the quality of the learning environment was compared in the Step by Step and traditional kindergarten groups by using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Revised Edition. ECERS-R consists of 7 areas that cover the main quality factors in kindergarten groups: premises, equipment, programme structure, activities in the group, child-adult communication, cooperation with parents and professional support to staff. Observation based on the ECERS-R scale and an additional interview was carried out in 2008 in 30 groups in total – in 15 traditional groups and 15 Step by Step groups. The results showed that the quality of the learning environment in the Step by Step groups was higher than the quality of traditional groups. The main differences were in relations between teachers and children and group activities.
Authors and Affiliations
Tiia Õun
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP34728
- DOI -
- Views 317
- Downloads 0
SAUDI TEACHERS’ PRACTICES OF FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY
Shifting from teacher-centred to student-centred practices requires teachers to understand strategies to interact with students in science classes. Formative assessment strategies are very critical component of classro...
EXPECTATIONS OF THE ELDERLY FOR THE INTERNET AS AN INFLUENCING FACTOR FOR THE INTERNET TEACHING
In summer 2009, a qualitative study among the late middle-aged and older people in Estonia was carried out in order to fnd out the functions of the Internet for the older generation and the expectations and fears of th...
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EARTH SCIENCE EDUCATION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN TURKEY AND IN THE USA
Research in education gives initiatives to countries evaluate and modify their curriculum. Large-scale international assessments such as TIMSS usually inspire these curriculum reforms by that countries compare the resul...
THE IMPACT OF A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ON IN-SERVICE TEACHERS’ TPACK: A STUDY FROM ESTONIA
Recently there has been a considerable interest in the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework for effective technology integration (Koehler et al., 2013). Researchers have been measuring how effe...
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND THE CERRADO BIOME: INVESTIGATING KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES OF BAURU RESIDENTS
In today's context of environmental degradation, environmental issues have increasingly become a focus of global discussion. Although many researchers emphasize the importance of knowledge and information in promoting en...