Browsing by Author "Sylva, Kathy"

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    Bridging the gap between home and school: Improving achievement in primary schools
    (UNESCO, 1996) Sylva, Kathy; Blatchford, Iram Siraj
    In view of the persistence of the problem of retention and achievement in the primary grades, UNESCO decided to explore their relationship to curriculum teaching methods, and teaching and learning materials. To this end, four case studies were undertaken in Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Jamaica. The countries were given some broad guidelines for the study, which indicated that the purpose of the study was to identify, analyse, and itemize the children’s curriculum before they entered primary school. The participating countries were expected to identify the knowledge of children of 4-6 years of age, which would form the foundation for formal learning in such subject areas as language, mathematics, science, social studies, and sociocultural aspects of the environment (folktales, festivals customs), which could be translated into meaningful learning experiences. They were also expected to suggest teaching and learning materials and strategies that could enhance learning, and make it a more pleasurable experience for the young child. The Jamaican research team found that many of the children in the sample were living in deplorable conditions, but despite the disadvantages, many of them were lively and skilled at looking after themselves. A large proportion, however were falling behind in development, especially in the age range 4-6 years. Results show that: 1) in general urban children performed better than their rural peers on cognitive and language measures; 2) social and emotional development was often disappointing; 3) girls showed all-round better cognitive and language development, especially the 4-6 age group; 4) parents without exception, wanted their children to do well in school; 5) some children did not see their mothers much, especially single mothers (95 percent of the sample); 6) many children witnessed a great deal of aggression among adults; 7) many children were left in the care of older siblings, and did not have adequate educational stimulation; and 8) the vast majority of the children lived in homes with limited opportunity for conversation on literacy activities.