Linda Mahony

Teachers and schools are in a strategic position to promote well-being and learning in young children experiencing parental separation and divorce. However, there are no consistent processes within schools with regards to policy. This project focused on developing consistent processes within schools to construct support for these children and their families at this unsettled time in their lives. Findings from this research will provide crucial information to school level culture and policy that focuses on children and families experiencing parental separation and divorce and promotes well-being and learning.

In this qualitative study early years teachers’ pedagogical practices for teaching grammar and punctuation were investigated. Five semi-structured interviews were conducted with early years teachers at one school in Darwin to investigate their practices for teaching written grammar and punctuation. Key findings suggest teachers’ source knowledge from a range of places however; they seem insecure with their teaching of written grammar and punctuation. Recommendations include providing teachers with structure, and professional learning. There are also implications for pre-service teacher education. This project was funded by the Australian Literacy Educators’ Association 2016.

In this study, the experiences of 20 Australian early childhood preservice teachers working within multiple policy contexts on practicum placement were examined. Transcripts from interviews were analysed using grounded theory methodology. Findings showed that preservice teachers knowledge and identity influenced their application of technical and conceptual knowledge for working between multiple policies contexts during practicum placement. In particular, findings showed a disparity between preservice teachers’ practicum experiences across both prior-to-school and formal school settings.

Teachers have reported that they lacked formal research-based knowledge to inform their pedagogical practice with young children experiencing parental separation and divorce. In this study, nineteen Australian early childhood teachers working with young children experiencing parental separation or divorce were interviewed focusing on teachers’ perceptions of their professional learning needs that may prepare them for work with children and parents experiencing parental separation or divorce. Teachers wanted to know about the phenomenon of parental separation and divorce as well as how to work with children and their parents. Results are discussed in terms of the implications for teachers’ professional learning.

The school playground is recognised broadly in the literature as a crucial setting for children to develop social behaviours by engaging in a diverse range of physical and social activities. In this study we examined children’s social interactions in two distinctly different primary school playgrounds—a school playground with fixed equipment, and a school playground with moveable play equipment. The aim of this research was to explore how primary school children’s social behaviours in schoolyard activities vary in two different playground contexts. Through field notes and observation scheduling, descriptions of the range of children’s social behaviours in the two school playgrounds emerged. This study provides some insights into how the development of school children’s social and emotional wellbeing can be supported, or hindered, by the physical design of playgrounds made available to children.

This paper unearths how primary school children experience and can complement the Australian HPE curriculum within three unique school ground equipment scenarios that include an ‘empty’, ‘loose parts’ and a ‘traditional’ school ground context. Using direct observation, 490 scans were undertaken of the school grounds over five days. Field note observations recorded children’s HPE learning experiences according to the curriculum, and predominant physical activity types and intensities were recorded. Implementing a variety of school ground equipment provisions was revealed to be important compared to the ‘empty’ school ground context for primary school children to meet HPE curriculum objectives.

This paper documents the development of an online qualitative questionnaire to be used with teachers of young children experiencing parental separation and divorce. The questionnaire forms the first phase one of a larger project where it will be used to determine teachers' thoughts, opinion, and beliefs regarding their preparedness for working with children experiencing parental separation and divorce. Development and structure of the questionnaire has been informed by a previous study whereby teachers disclosed their professional learning needs for working with children and families experiencing parental separation and divorce. The modules in the questionnaire reflect the modules in the online professional learning tool. The categories of teachers' professional learning needs are—(1) knowledge of the phenomenon, (2) working with children, and (3) working with families. Usefulness of the questionnaire was determined using Brookfield's theory of the critically reflective practitioner. I reflected on my own experiences, sought feedback from colleagues who trialed the questionnaire, and made comparisons with the literature. These data were synthesized to conclude the useful of the questionnaire to determine teachers' perception of their preparedness for working with children experiencing parental separation and divorce.