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Identification of personal accesibility of museums and theaters for mobility impaired people
Get PDFAppropriate adjustments that allow access to cultural institutions are defined in legislation, the benefits of accessibility are proven by psychological research that shows a positive impact on human personality development, and finally, full integration into society through visiting cultural institutions is also a human right. Due to various reasons, the adaptations of the built environment are reduced in many places. In my master's thesis, I therefore wanted to explore the extent to which museums and theaters are accessible to wheelchair users in practice.
With two companions in an electric wheelchair, we checked the accessibility of fifteen institutions, of which nine museums and six theaters in the area of the first zone of Ljubljana's passenger traffic. I used the method of systematic observation and conversation with employees based on ten research questions, which I adjusted for the needs of the research based on the Guidelines for Good Practice.
With the use of the questionnaire, I then formed a scale of accessibility assessments, which refers to the level of independence at the time of the visit, and concluded the analysis by placing the institution in one of four categories with recommendations and comments from companions.
According to the scale, I found that three museums are fully accessible, two almost fully accessible and three partially accessible, in two it is also recommended to guide the exhibition, and one museum is inaccessible to wheelchair users due to the architectural features of the building. Three theaters are fully accessible, two almost fully accessible and one partially accessible, with attendance at performances alone being not difficult in any of them. In general, wheelchair users will not encounter insurmountable obstacles when visiting cultural institutions, and the enabled independence of the visit varies from institution to institution
The use of an integrated yoga program in an adult who stutters
Get PDFStuttering is a speech disorder characterized by repetition of parts of words, repetition of monosyllabic words, arrhythmic phonation – prolongations, blocks and broken words –, and also the emotions of a person who stutters. The connection between the dysfluencies and emotions is bidirectional – certain emotions can promote stuttering, and stuttering can trigger the emergence of certain emotions. Research demonstrates the impact that stuttering and emotions related to it have on triggering a stress response in people who stutter. If the stress response is triggered continuously in social situations that require verbal communication, it can significantly endanger a person’s health and also pose a threat to the development of an anxiety disorder, strongly represented in adults who stutter. Yoga is one of the most commonly used complementary or alternative methods of treatment that doctors recommend to patients in order to cope with stress and anxiety.
In the theoretical part of the thesis we define stuttering and focus on the emotional, cognitive and social dimentions of advanced stuttering in adults who stutter. We describe the link between stuttering, stress and anxiety, as well as explain the stress response and occurence of (social) anxiety in people who stutter. Next, using a review of relaxation techniques in stuttering therapy by Yaruss and Gilman (2000), we present methods for relieving physical and emotional tension in treatment of people who stutter and focus on yoga as a method of reducing stress and anxiety. By reviewing studies available in the literature on the usefulness of yoga (asana, pranayama, mindfulness meditation) in therapy for people who stutter, we present the potential mechanisms of action and benefits of yoga for this population.
In the empirical part of the thesis, using a singular case study, we explore the impact of a 6-week integrated yoga program on: stuttering severity, subjective perception of the impact of stuttering on a person's life, subjective perception of stress, anxiety, social anxiety, and midfulness in an adult who stutters. According to the results, we find that after a 6-week yoga program, there is progress in all quantitative measures except mindfulness. The greatest progress has been shown in anxiety and social anxiety, to which we also attribute the decline of stuttering severity. The results showed less subjective perception of stress and less perception of the impact of stuttering on the participant's life. In addition, after completing the yoga program, the participant showed a more positive attitude towards stuttering and himself as a person who stutters. We conclude that yoga can be a valuable contribution in stuttering therapy – not only for relaxation purposes but also its holistic effect and the benefits it brings to several areas of life
Perceptions about snails, toads and guinea pigs of fourth and fifth graders
Get PDFFrom an early age, children meet, observe and get to know animals. They acquire knowledge about animals before entering school, mainly through their own research and experience of nature and personal experience. Unfortunately, due to various trends in modern society and technological development, children have less and less direct contact with the natural world and increasingly learn about nature and organisms in it indirectly, through books, cartoons, movies, and other media. In addition to parents, teachers can have a significant impact on how children experience nature and how they relate to it. They must offer students opportunities for experiential and authentic learning about nature, which is also emphasized by the curricula. Direct contact and experience with all the senses are especially important when getting to know organisms. Students love animals and are motivated to learn about them. Direct contact with them allows them to gain first-hand knowledge, which is of higher quality and more lasting and also influences a positive attitude towards organisms and the natural world in general.
In the master thesis, we used drawings and descriptions to explore the perceptions of fourth and fifth-grade primary school pupils about the snail, toad and guinea pig.
In the theoretical part, we presented the experience of nature and animals in children and emphasized the importance of direct experiences. We examined learning and teaching, including the use of living organisms in teaching. We presented observation, which is a fundamental activity in science lessons, and identified misconceptions that are also part of learning and teaching. We also presented children’s drawing as an analytical tool, reviewed science curricula, and presented the animals on which our research is based.
In the empirical part, we presented and interpreted the results of the research, which was carried out with the help of a questionnaire and analysis of drawings and descriptions of selected animals. We looked at students' perceptions and knowledge of these animals, and whether their perceptions of the animals they chose were influenced by their gender, class, care of the pet, and direct contact with the animal.
We found that students' perceptions are mainly influenced by direct experiences and that students' drawings provide insight into their perceptions or knowledge of (external) physical characteristics, while descriptions also provide insight into animal characteristics such as behaviour, feeding, habitat, etc., although the analysis of the drawings showed that students' drawings can also reveal these
Pre-service teachersʼ perceptions of, and experiences with, technology-enhanced transformative learning towards education for sustainable development
Get PDFTeacher education for sustainable development (ESD) is faced with continuing unsustainability trends, which require deep and enduring social transformation. Transformative learning
is a possible solution to facilitating reflection on the cognitive and socio-emotional processes underpinning students’ learning towards sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to investigate
students’ perceptions of, and experiences with, technology-enhanced self-directed learning and design thinking as possible moderators of transformative learning in order to advance the concept and
practice of teacher ESD. These perceptions and experiences are represented by 225 pedagogical and
non-pedagogical students from the University of Ljubljana, asked to respond anonymously to three
online questionnaires in May and June 2021. Findings indicate that strengthening the transformative
aspect of ESD in pre-service teachers requires the consideration of critical reflection, self-awareness,
risk propensity, holistic view and openness to diversity, and social support. Moreover, self-directed
learning was found to be a moderator for transformative learning among pre-service science teachers,
while design thinking was evenly developed among transformative learning for both low- and
high-ability students, no matter the study programme. The conditioning factors and explanatory
arguments for these results are also discussed
Kindergarten educational activities
Get PDFIn master’s thesis, I researched the educational activities of preschool institution. I defined the educational concept and its elements, described the education and educational activities in preschool institutions while relying on the hidden curriculum, rules, discipline and the culture of preschool institution. I paid special attention to various factors that affect and form education in preschool institutions and also unconsciously maintain and internalize existing patterns of education, behaviour and activity. I emphasized the role of preschool teachers, which is the basis of successful educational activities, and the role of children, who, with active participation, not only accept the rules and the values but also co-create and internalize them.
The empirical part contains quantitative research, which is used to find out how preschool teachers and preschool teacher assistants understand the education and educational activities in preschool institutions and what influences them, which problems they encounter in educational activities, whether there are gender differences in disciplining and how much are children involved in educational activities. With a survey questionnaire I obtained answers to the research questions and analysed them with statistical programs. I found out that there are no big differences in the understanding of educational activities between preschool teachers and preschool teacher assistants, but there are differences in the understanding of education in preschool institutions. The results showed that the most enforced rules there are related to politeness and kindness and that in most preschool institutions children can participate in their formulation. In educational activities preschool teachers and preschool teacher assistants face problems because educational activities are not unified and agreed at the institutional level. Because of parental pressure and legislation they cannot be independent and autonomous at their workplace. At the same time they have problems with education because more and more spoiled children are involved in preschool institutions. According to preschool teachers and preschool teacher assistants discipline is set by setting limits, with good interpersonal relationships and active involvement of children being in the foreground. Regarding the differences in disciplining boys and girls the research results showed that discipline in preschool institutions does not depend on gender and that preschool teachers and preschool teacher assistants mostly avoid making gender-related differences between children
Gender perception in the preschool age
Get PDFFirstly, the theoretical part presents the definitions of key concepts. Fausto-Sterling (2014) differentiates between sex and gender. Sex is assigned at birth based on one’s external genitalia, whereas gender refers to the identity or self-representation of a person and always corresponds to the demands of the culture the person is born into. Gender identity is a person’s perception of themselves as male or female (Marjanovič Umek, 2020). A person can identify themselves with the sex assigned at birth, or not. Some individuals for example do not feel feminine enough to meet the requirements that society demands from women (Štular, 1998). Secondly, different evolutionary theories of gender roles are presented: biological and biological social theories, learning and social learning theories, cognitive developmental theories, as well as the theory of gender schemas. The thesis then focuses on exploring the differences between both sexes and describes the areas in which boys and girls differ or present similarities. According to Marjanovič Umek (2004), only a tenth of individual differences between children can be attributed to their sex, the rest is attributable to other factors. The theoretical part concludes by presenting gender stereotypes and the impact of social environment on the typical gender behaviour displayed by children.
The purpose of the research was to establish how older pre-school children perceive gender and what they associate it with. A structured interview technique was used in which twenty children, aged 5-6 years participated, ten males and ten females. The results showed that pre-school children, both girls and boys, are aware of their gender. However, in identifying gender they tend to focus more on external and cultural aspects of their gender identity, rather than on the body anatomy itself. The thesis concludes that even pre-school children of both sexes tend to express gender stereotypes when choosing colours, toys and professions
Pre-school reading badge activities for non-Slovenian children in Slovenian kindergartens
Get PDFThe Preschool Reading Badge (PRB) has been established in the Slovenian kindergartens as one of the organizational complements to the Reading Badge project, with the aim of promoting and disseminate reading in the preschool years. PRB has been introduced in many Slovenian kindergartens, although there are many who claim that it is not suitable for preschool children and does not correspond to the curriculum for kindergartens (1999). The problem with transferring the reading badge from school to preschool is the frivolity and carelessness of the implementation process, which should be adapted to development and learning in preschool. However, the implementation of the PRB for non-Slovenian children, who would urgently need appropriate accommodations within the PRB, is almost completely unthinkable.
The aim of the research study was to find out how preschool teachers implement PRB in classes with at least one non-Slovenian child (immigrants, migrants, children whose mother tongue is not Slovenian) and whether they follow the principles of Kindergarten Curriculum (1999). Questionnaires were used as research instruments. In a sample of preschool teachers who worked in groups with non-Slovenian children and implemented PRB in the school year 2020/21, it was discovered that the preschool teachers did not follow certain principles of the Curriculum for Kindergartens (1999) when implementing PRB, namely the principle of equal opportunities and diversity and the principles of multiculturalism, the principles of collaboration with parents, the principles of active learning and providing opportunities for verbalization and other means of expression, the principles of enabling choice and difference, and the principles of respect for privacy and intimacy. The findings indicate that preschool teachers are poorly familiar with the potential adaptations of reading materials for non-Slovenian children as provided by the Slovenian Reading Badge Association and they also do not use most of the adaptations. There also remains an ill-conceived routine review of the works read for PRB. It was determined that preschool teachers who are involved in PRB pay too little attention to communicating with parents and finding a way to motivate parents. The results of the research confirm that PRB significantly privileges children from Slovenian families, as only just over half of non-Slovenian children successfully complete PRB
Reflection on the primary school education plan
Get PDFMore than ten years ago the amendments to the Elementary School Act were implemented
which made the educational plan mandatory by law in each elementary school. The purpose
of an educational plan is higher quality of educational activities in elementary schools. Some
schools had already been using their versions of educational plans while others faced an
unknown challenge. In order to offer support and guidance as well as for the purpose of
unifying educational plans in elementary schools, the Ministry of Education issued the
Guidelines on the creation and implementation of the educational plan in elementary schools.
In that manner, the schools were offered guidelines on the contents of their educational plans.
The schools reacted differently. Some of them saw the educational plan as just another
mandatory document while others were able to make it very concrete and adjust it to their
needs. The latter have found the educational plan a useful document which contributes to the
improved quality of educational activities in public elementary schools.
The thesis analyses an actual educational plan from one of the Slovenian elementary schools
by means of quantitative-qualitative research. Based on the criteria, the author defines
whether the educational plan of the selected school includes only the topics required by the
law or additional topics that enable higher quality of educational activities performed by
teachers and other school professionals. Beside the analysis of the document, the author
conducted interviews with various school professionals: the headmaster, the school counsellor
and three teachers. Based on the research findings and the reflexion, the author suggested
relevant general guidelines for complementing the selected elementary school educational
plan
Daily routine adaptations for children with special needs in kindergarten special needs sections
Get PDFThe thesis is comprised of a theoretical and an empirical part. In the theoretical part, with the help of specialised material, I have determined different groups of children with special needs, defined the daily routine and its elements, and outlined the necessary adaptations in the educational process for each group of children with special needs.
In the empirical part are included the research problem, the goals, the research issues, the methodology of the research work, the results and their interpretation, and the conclusion. Three early childhood teachers working in special education kindergarten sections participated in the research. The data for the purpose of the research have been collected through a written interview, which consisted of questions on the experiences of teachers working with children with special needs in special education kindergarten sections. In the research I wanted to determine what is the daily routine in special education sections, how important daily routine is for children with special needs, how teachers accustom children with special needs to daily routine when joining the special education section and which work adaptations teachers use with each group of children with special needs. I have established that the daily routines in the analysed sections are structured similarly. The teachers pointed out that children with special needs require more time to learn and follow the daily routine compared to children in regular kindergarten sections, especially in self-care. The interviewees find the daily routine for children with special needs to be of great importance, as it offers a sense of security, increases their autonomy and affects their different areas of development. The gathered data shows that teachers introduce children with special needs – when they are integrating in the special education section – to daily routine gradually, by imitation of other pupils and with various stimulations. Visual material is one such stimulation that teachers mainly use when children are integrating in special education sections and throughout the entire educational work. The obtained data also shows that when working with children with special needs, teachers observe the temporal, spatial and communication adaptations, therefore they mostly use gestures to communicate with children which don’t communicate verbally. Temporal adaptations usually consist of shorter activities, while spatial adaptations try to eliminate disturbing stimuli and obstacles
Teaching English using online classroom in the first and second triad of elementary school
Get PDFToday we are surrounded with technology everywhere. Young generations are growing up with computers and smart phones. A couple of clicks provide you with easily accessible information. Modern technology brings children closer to English. Teachers have started using information and communication technology (ICT) to motivate students. This approach has to be mastered first for its proper and efficient use. Learning management system (LMS) is a web tool that is combining different tools into a common one. Because it is used for administration, documentation, tracking and reporting during educational process, it is appropriate for educational purposes. It offers teachers a new way of teaching. Each individual can edit their learning management system according to their needs. Transfer of knowledge is faciliated, and at the same time teachers have the opportunity to monitor the progress of their pupils and review their activities online. Tasks in the LMS give the learner the choice of adjusting to their own rhythm of learning, which makes them more autonomous learners. The teacher monitors which tasks are often solved, and which tasks have the occurrence of errors and confusion. This helps the teacher with planning further teaching. Quizzes give learners the ability to instantly check their knowledge in a fun way and give immediate feedback. Communication between teachers, students and parents is possible through chat rooms and forums. In my Master's thesis, I will analyse Slovenian LMSs used by primary schools for teaching English in the first and second cycle, and interview 5 teachers about their concrete use of the LMS in their English classes. I want to explore how widespread the use of LMS is in our country, what options, provided by LMS are used by teachers of English, what they like and do not like about using it, and whether it is used in or out of the classroom. With my Master's thesis, I will give an overview of the situation and the purpose of using LMS to teach English in primary school. I think that many teachers are not aware of all the positive aspects of their use and are afraid of modern technology, because this is an unknown area for many of them. The presented results and the discussion about positive/negative aspects of the LMS will contribute to an easier choice of teaching methods using the learning management system in English as a foreign language