This study presents the findings of a survey regarding the beliefs of parents of children in early childhood education about the role that, in their opinion, kindergarten plays in the literacy of their children and the possible differences in teaching practices between kindergarten and primary school. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews of 15 mothers. The research was carried out at Patras, in the spring of 2017. The data was analyzed with the content analysis method and the results show a variety of beliefs about the parents’ expectations regarding the literacy methods at kindergarten, prevalent of which is the belief that children should be taught the mechanics of reading written work at kindergarten through games and without placing emphasis on the learning outcome. On the other hand, the participants seem to have accepted the emphasis of systematic teaching at year one of primary school.
This paper draws on data from semi-structured interviews undertaken with year one teachers in England and Sweden. The broad aim was to explore how teachers construe their own and parents' roles in supporting year one children's learning of early number. The role of homework within those efforts, surfaced as a key theme. The two data sets were an\-a\-lysed independently by means of a~constant comparison process and yielded perspectives that were, cross culturally, both similar and different. The similarities related to the importance teachers placed on the role of homework in supporting children who struggle academically. The differences were several and included teachers' views on the necessity, or even the desirability, of homework, the purpose of homework, the role of parents in the completion of~homework and the nature of the tasks set. The results, which are discussed against the literature, highlight the extent to which teachers' perceptions of the role of homework in support of young children's learning of number are culturally determined.
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