Understanding Time Words by Children Aged Three to Five Years Old: Implications for Early Childhood Education.
ABSTRACT
The study aimed at investigating the understanding of time words used in children’s literature in Early Childhood Education by Children aged three to five years old. Time words are indiscriminately used in story books, rhymes and songs meant for children in nursery and pre-primary Schools.
However, Piaget’s theory of intellectual development has identified time concepts as beyond the conceptual development of the preoperational child. Seven research questions were raised on understanding, use, sequence and time words within the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).
Four hypotheses were also formulated to authenticate answers to the research questions. Ethnographic cross-sectional research design was used for the study. The population was made up of children aged three to five years old in nursery and preprimary schools.
120 pupils made up the sample consisting of 40 pupils each of age three, four and five years old. The instruments for data collection were test and observation. The test was constructed in the format of Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Revised (PPVT-R).
Data was collected over a period of six weeks through individual administration of the test and through participant observation.
One way ANOVA and t-test analyses of the data reveal that children in nursery and pre- primary school understand morning, afternoon, night and age at three years and the understanding of time words increase with age.
The results showed significant difference at 0.05 in the understanding of time words between children whose ages are three, four and five years old.
However, no significant difference at 0.05 was obtained between boys and girls in the understanding of time words. The results also showed time words operating at the zone of proximal development (ZPD) and the sequence children acquire time words/ concepts.
It was then concluded that young children in nursery and preprimary schools understand the time words used in story books and that various number of time word vocabulary operate at the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) for children in nursery and preprimary schools.
It was therefore recommended that story books for children in nursery and pre- primary schools should use time words understood by children at various age levels and that teaching time words in pre-primary schools should focus on time words in the zone of proximal development.
Teaching and learning strategies that inculcate time words/ concept through personal experiences in fun arousing and satisfying situation were also recommended.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page – – – – – – – – – – i
Declaration – – – – – – – – – – ii
Certification – – – – – – – – – – iii
Dedication – – – – – – – – – – iv
Acknowledgements – – – – – – – – – v
Table of Contents – – – – – – – – – vii
Abstract – – – – – – – – – – xiv
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study – – – – – – – 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem – – – – – – – 6
1.3 Purpose of the Study – – – – – – – 7
1.4 Research Questions – – – – – – – 8
1.5 Hypotheses – – – – – – – – – 9
1.6 Significance of the Study – – – – – – – 9
1.7 Theoretical Framework – – – – – – – 10
1.8 Delimitation of the Study – – – – – – – 13
1.9 Operational Definition of Terms – – – – – – 13
CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE
2.1 Meaning of Time – – – – – – – – 16
2.2 Time Concept Development in Early Childhood Education – – 22
2.3 Piaget’s and Education: The Development of Understanding in Children 26
2.4 Factors that Affect the Child’s Understanding – – – – 50
2.5 Vygosky’s Explanation of the Development of Understanding – 53
2.6 Gender Differences in the Development of Understanding – – 57
2.7 Meaning and Significance of Concepts in Understanding – – 59
2.8 Language Development – – – – – – – 65
2.9 Empirical Studies on Understanding of Time – – – – 86
2.9.1 Piaget’s Studies on Understanding Time Concept – – – 86
2.9.2 Panagopoulos and Joannidis Research on Understanding Basic Time Concept Through Multimedia Software 105
2.9.3 Burny, Dosoete and Valcke Study of Time Concept Among School Children – – 106
2.9.4 Scott’s Study on Age and Time Concept Formation – – – 107
2.9.5 Bertrand’s Longitudinal Studies on the use of Time Words by Children – 108
2.9.6 Raucher, Shaw, Levine, Wright, Denis And Newcomb’s Study of the Effect of Music Training on Long-Term Preschool Children Spatial- Temporal Reasoning – – 109
2.10 Summary of Literature Review – – – – – – 109
CHAPTER THREE METHOD AND PROCEDURE
3.1 Research Design – – – – – – – – 113
3.2 Population and Sample – – – – – – – 113
3.3 Sampling Techniques – – – – – – – 117
3.4 Instrument for Data Collection – – – – – – 119
3.4.1 Description of the Instruments – – – – – – 119
3.4.2 Procedure for Instrument Development – – – – – 121
3.5 Validity and Reliability of Instrument – – – – – 122
3.6 Procedure for Data Collection – – – – – – 123
3.7 Method of Data Analysis – – – – – – – 125
CHAPTER FOUR RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Answering The Research Questions – – – – – 127
4.2 Hypothesis Testing – – – – – – – – 163
4.3 Discussion – – – – – – – – – 171
CHAPTER FIVE SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary – – – – – – – – – 177
5.2 Summary of Findings – – – – – – – 178
5.3 Conclusion – – – – – – – – – 183
5.4 Recommendations – – – – – – – – 183
5.5 Limitations of the Study – – – – – – – 186
5.6 Suggestions for Further Studies – – – – – – 187
5.7 Contribution to Knowledge – – – – – – – 187
References – – – – – – – – – – 189
Appendices – – – – – – – – – – 202
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The Nigerian Research and Development Council (NERDC) present Early Childhood Education as programmes concerned with the care and education of children from birth to five years (0-5years) (NERDC,2007) and has developed national curriculum for the care and education of children 0 – 5years.
This indicates that the government realizes the significant role that early childhood education plays in the overall development of the child as well as in preparing him/her for successful school life.
Earlier, the 2004 edition of the National Policy on Education (NPE) had made early childhood education an integral part of public education by requiring public primary schools to establish preprimary sections.
This recognition has stimulated the establishment of preprimary school section in public primary schools. In Plateau State for instance, the number of public preprimary schools rose from 13 in 2009 to 129 in 2011, while the number of private preprimary schools increased from 217 to 283 within the same period.
In these institutions, we find story books, rhymes, songs and poems permeated with time words such as morning, afternoon, now, soon, immediately, later, after, before, night, yesterday, today, tomorrow, early and evening.
Examples of the books include: Baxter (1993); Hannaford (2005); Eluwa, Chima and Chijioke (2006); Oyetunde (2005); Baddoo (2001); Woode (2007); and Ankrah (2007). Children also encounter conventional time words in daily life in the schedule of activities.
Conventional time words particularly concerns these children who have to be acquainted with when to be carried by parents to school and when to be picked from school to go back home.
REFERENCES
Almy, M. (1975). The early childhood educator at work. New York: McGraw Hill Book Company.
Anderson. D.R. & Levin R.S. (1976).Young children’s attention to Sesame Street. Child Development. 47, 806 – 811.
Anderson, R.C.,Spiro, R.J. & Montague, W.I. (Eds) (1977). Schooling and the acquisition of knowledge. New Jersey: Lawrence Erfibanm Associate Publishers.
Asheraft, R. (1980). Human memory and cognition. Cilenveiw; Scott Foresma. Ankrah, G.N.D (2007). 12 great Ananse stories. Lagos West African Book Publishers LTD.
Ashton, E. (1978). Cross cultural Piagetian research. An experimental perspective Cambridge Harvard Educational Review. 1-32.
Ayoade, J.A.A. (1979). Time in Yoruba thought. In R. A. Wright-Washington(ed). African Philosophy: An introduction. New York University Press of America Inc.
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