ERIC Number: EJ1151979
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1363-2752
EISSN: N/A
Listening to the Voices of Young Children in a Nurture Class
Cefai, Carmel; Pizzuto, Sue Anne Spiteri
Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties, v22 n3 p248-260 2017
The inclusion of the student perspective in helping to promote more effective learning, engagement and positive behaviour is becoming increasingly evident in both educational research and school and classroom practice. Giving students the opportunity to have a meaningful and influential voice enhances both the teaching and learning processes, impacting both academic and social behaviours. The student voice perspective is also making inroads into the area of special educational needs, where children are participating more actively in their own assessment and individual educational plans. This paper presents the findings of a project in a nurture class (NC) in Malta which sought to capture the views of the pupils attending NCs. Through a child friendly, qualitative approach young children were given the opportunity to discuss and express their feelings and thoughts of what it means for them to be a pupil in a NC in primary school. The paper presents the themes which emerged from a thematic analysis of children's voices during semi-structured group interviews and collaborative mapping and poster design, and concludes with suggestions on how the NC may operate as a more child friendly space at the school.
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Foreign Countries, Qualitative Research, Elementary School Students, Semi Structured Interviews, Environmental Influences, Educational Environment, Intervention, Social Development, Emotional Development, Group Activities, Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Behavior Problems, Child Behavior, Screening Tests, Questionnaires, Self Concept Measures, Self Esteem, Focus Groups, Maps, Visual Stimuli
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Malta
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; Self Esteem Inventory
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A