Teachers' experiences of implementing a motor skills programme

[摘要] The way in which society supports its children has a significant influence on theway in which it will develop and prosper. Children are the key to a healthy andsustainable society (Klein & Gilkerson, 2000).Promoting the development of all learners during early childhood therefore formsthe foundation of the priorities the South African government has formulated forearly childhood development, namely the phasing in of a compulsory ReceptionYear and Intersectoral support programmes for children from birth to five(Department of National Education 2000).The Report of the National Commission on Special Needs in Education / NationalCommittee on Education Support Services (Department of Education, 1997a)makes recommendations for an integrated and inclusive system for all learners,with an emphasis on programmes for children in the pre-formal schooling phase.However, without strengthened education support services, notably relevantteacher training, the legal right to education for these learners cannot beimplemented (Biersteker & Robinson 2000, 40).This study presents the interpretations of three pre-school teachers', from theWestern Cape, South Africa, on their subjective experiences in implementing amotor – skills programme aimed at promoting school readiness.The sensory-motor skills a child possesses on entering school play an importantrole in the level of scholastic success they could potentially experience throughouttheir educational career. Thus when a child enters school poorly equipped tobegin learning, their chances of fulfilling their potential are restricted.This research project focuses on the pre-school teacher who may have aninfluential role in stimulating children in developing their full learning readiness.A qualitative, interpretative research design was applied in order to conduct thisstudy. The methods I made use of were semi-structured interviews to gain theteachers' unique experiences, my personal observations and field notes as well asthe teachers' daily monitoring forms. Through the data generated I gained newinsights into teachers' experiences of the implementation of a motor programme,through identifying themes from their experiences.The findings were presented in four areas of experience, namely teachers'experiences in terms of themselves, the children, the parents and theprogramme's implementation.I believe that although the ability to generalise the results, was limited by the smallresearch sample, valuable information was gained with regard to teachers'experiences of programme implementation.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University