Master of Education

Against the backdrop of the existential global environmental crisis and the ambitious targets outlined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this study investigates the critical significance of picturebooks in shaping childhood understandings of human-nature relationships. In this study, I analyse how words and images portray the interaction of characters and nature in the narrative and their embedded environmental ideologies. In this study, I chose a qualitative case study approach to enhance my in-depth understanding of the context. I selected two case studies using a purposeful sampling strategy. In this study, a mul*modal content analysis is used to offer new perspectives derived from the use of traditional content analysis. This multimodal content analysis, henceforth referred to as MMCA, combines social semiotic and content-based analysis. In the semiotic analysis, I examine communication across semiotic modes, including linguistic and non-linguistic elements. Meanwhile, in the content-based analysis, I examine environmental ideologies based on themes that emerged from semiotic findings. This multimodal analytical approach aims to explore all potential meaning-making modes in text, visuals, and their inter-semiosis with each other. The themes that emerged from the multimodal findings provide valuable insights into gender roles, religious perspectives, and sustainable behaviours, which are essential considerations for discovering transformative environmental ideologies. The findings reveal a tendency within these narratives to prioritize individual actions over fostering awareness of systemic thinking, including social collaboration and cooperation. The findings highlight discernible disparities and notable oversights in portraying environmental ideologies of deep ecology, ecofeminism, value ethics, and sustainability. As climate change continues to threaten global human health and well-being, Education for Sustainable Development Goals also referred to as ESD aims to empower populations, including children, with the knowledge, skills, values, and behaviours required for sustainable development. It is imperative that literature wri0en for children evolves and socializes children towards a comprehensive understanding of human nature relationships and sustainable development.

This arts-based autoethnographic study aims to explore the phenomenon of impostor syndrome as experienced by aspiring artist educators. The researcher places themselves within this context and uses arts-based inquiry as a method of self discovery. Through this investigation, the study examines literature on impostor syndrome, the definition of an artist in various cultural contexts, the necessary qualifications and experience for teachers, and how one establishes an identity as an artist educator. Data collection, analysis and interpretation take place in two phases. The first consists of a reflective process of looking back on past artwork and identifying evidence of the qualities possessed by and required of artist educators in Singapore. The second involves a self-directed process of art making aimed at purposefully incorporating these qualities in personal and professional practice. The reflective autoethnographic accounts of the memories and experiences of the researcher serve as a means of documenting the process of personal growth and understanding of self. The study poses two research questions; RQ1: How can a pre-service art teacher learn to develop and grow their artist educator skills, dispositions, and knowledge through arts-based inquiry? RQ2: How can an aspiring artist educator use arts based inquiry to learn to overcome IS through the development and growth of these skills, dispositions and knowledge? This study provides the unique voice of a new art teacher struggling with feelings of inadequacy and hopes to encourage individuals in comparable contexts to adopt similar self directed methods of nurturing their own self-confidence and self-esteem.

This case study examines preschool educators’ perceptions on work-life balance and the ways center leaders may promote work-life balance. 16 preschool educators offered their perceptions of work-life balance through individual interview sessions, audio recording sharing, and focused group discussions. Work conditions, which affect educators’ time after work, emotional well-being of educators, and ability of educators to enable positive child outcomes were identified in the literature to be significant in enabling work life balance. The findings revealed the importance of three interconnected elements, i.e the role of people, the role of place and the practices implemented which enable work-life balance in the local setting. This study contributes to a renewed understanding of factors that shape teachers’ sense of well-being at the workplace and the ways teacher attrition can be stemmed.

This paper discusses the constructs involved in observing patterns of play behaviour, referred to as schemas, and the level of responses that are deemed good-fit to correspond with the identification of the schemas.

Identification of schemas promotes understanding of child behaviour and learning in the classroom, placing them in predictable patterns. These patterns are based on the work of Chris Athey in the Froebel Early Education project (Athey, 2007). Athey cited nine specific schemas, which are Connecting, Orientation, Transporting, Trajectory, Positioning, Enveloping, Enclosing, Transforming, and Rotation. The awareness of these predictable patterns or schemas would enable educators to anticipate and prepare for learning in a play-based classroom, making learning visible.

The natural step that follows is to examine the level of guidance a teacher employs when responding to play behaviour or schemas. Trawick-Smith and Dziurgot (2011), identified four kinds of facilitation, namely, (a) direct, (b) indirect, (c) observation, and (d) no interaction. In determining the level of guidance to respond to schemas, educators engaged in active reflection, to understand the connection between behaviour, response, and learning that followed.

Three teacher participants and 15 children participants (4-5 years old) were recruited from a local preschool, to engage in a qualitative study that adopted the Participatory Action Research method. The data collection began with information gathered on teacher’s perception and awareness of schemas through Focus Group Discussion which was then used as a basis to develop a set of reference materials to guide thinking on schemas and levels of guidance. After completion of Focus Group Discussion, naturalistic observation of schema’s by the researcher followed for 5 weeks. At the end of these 5 weeks, Teacher Participants began to engage in Teacher Observations of children in play for three weeks and completed a Teaching Journal at the end of each week.

The findings of this research suggest the visibility of schemas in the classroom. Children’s play behaviour fell into a predictable pattern, which was corroborated in both Naturalistic Observations by the researcher and Teachers Observations by the three teacher participants. In addition, the Teaching Journals provided insight into the teacher participants’ thinking about schemas and their perspectives on a good-fit response to the schemas. The responses fell into the categories of Direct and Indirect Guidance, following the levels suggested in Trawick-Smith and Dziurgot (2011).

This research suggests the development of a toolkit that teachers could use in a play-based classroom, to guide the identification patterns of play behaviour and the response that are considered as good-fit. Developing these sets of practices for teachers to employ as facilitators is timely in the local preschool landscape as the role of educators as facilitators of learning is yet to be unpacked. The potential of a toolkit for teachers in a play-based classroom could transform practice, enabling teachers to anticipate play behaviour and plan responses ahead, to maximize learning opportunities in the classroom.