Drawing Stories: The Power of Children's Drawings to Communicate the Lived Experience of Starting School

Abstract

C h i l d h o o d 40 the current research landscape thE PErCEPtiOn Of A transition program has changed over time. Transition programs were traditionally associated with assisting children with special needs in starting school (Howell, 1994; Karr-Jelinek, 1994; New South Wales Department of Education and Training, 2006). However, the notion of a transition program is now moving towards involving all children entering Kindergarten (Rosenkoetter, 1995; New South Wales Department of Education and Training, 2006). It is important to note that 'transition' is fundamentally different from 'orientation'. Orientation programs are designed to help children and parents become familiar with the school setting, usually taking place on a single day (New South Wales Department of Education and Training, 2006). On the other hand, transition programs may include an orientation time but tend to be longerterm and more geared to the individual needs of children and families than orientation programs (New South Wales Department of Education and Training, 2006; Renwick, 1984; Rosenkoetter, 1995). In her British study of the transition from preschool to school, Fabian (2002) suggests that children and parents need time and opportunities to become acquainted with the school, the people and routines in order to develop a sense of security. Dockett, et al. (1999) suggest that transition programs foster this sense of security by helping children to be happy about going to school, feel positive about themselves as learners, and settle into the routines of school life. This is echoed by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training (2006) who suggest that school transition not only supports the child's initial entry into the school environment but also supports ongoing positive outcomes for the whole of the child's school life. They anticipate that effective transition to school will contribute to an overall improvement in the child's learning outcomes (New

Pictographic Representations of the Word “Nature” in Preschool Education Children

“…It was found that children drew their ideal playground with movable and more interactive games. Macdonald (2009) mentions that the drawings and their previous oral description by the participants favor the holistic approach in research with children. Similarly, Angell et al (2015) mention that graphic representations along with their oral description have been a central tool for researchers working with participants in the childhood stage due to the apparent simplicity, attractiveness, and disposition of the resources.…”

“…Drawings, graphic representations, pictographs, or permanent products are a means to access the ideas, feelings, and experiences of children where the objects form part of a message regarding their understanding of the world (Macdonald, 2009;Fisher et al, 2014;Bland, 2015). In order to obtain relevant data in an investigation carried out with drawings, it is necessary to identify the components that capture the participant's understanding of the specific topic through a content analysis (Krippendorff, 2013;Linder et al, 2017;Flores et al, 2018).…”

“…The use of drawings and their keywords as tools allow the participants to understand the activity that they are asked to carry out despite of possible limitations in the stroke. In this fashion, they can express their thoughts in relation to a topic (Macdonald, 2009;Angell et al, 2015;Linder et al, 2017).…”

Meaningful informed consent with young children: looking forward through an interactive narrative approach

“…This approach has the potential to present abstract concepts in a respectful manner that is accessible to the child, provide a concise overview of the project (including research context and aims), and scaffold the child to understand the rules that govern their participation. Young children naturally make meaning through a combination of what they see and hear (Clark, 2011), with images serving to support good communication, promote understanding, and stimulate discussion (MacDonald, 2009). Storybooks with images enable children to learn about the real world, especially those aspects that they have not experienced directly (Woolley & Cox, 2007).…”

Mathematics and Transition to School

“…My earlier work was around transitions to school in a more general sense (MacDonald 2008(MacDonald , 2009), but for the most part my research endeavours have focused specifically on mathematics and transitions to school (MacDonald 2013; MacDonald and Lowrie 2011).…”