Papers by Nektarios Stellakis
Introducing Janusz Korczak’s Pedagogical Ideas to Students of Early Childhood Education
Einleitung: Eröffnende Gedanken zu den vorgelegten Diskussionen
Journal of Childhood, Education & Society, 2020
The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the perceptions of kindergarten teachers and... more The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the perceptions of kindergarten teachers and first-grade primary school teachers on the integration of kindergarten and first-grade of primary school language curricula. This research is part of a broader study of the relation between natural/early and conventional/school literacy, the teachers' perceptions of the possibility of integration of language curricula, as well as practices resulting from the study of curricula. The data were collected through a questionnaire sample of 326 kindergarten teachers and 306 teachers who were teaching at the time of this study the first-grade of primary school in two Greek prefectures. Research data has shown that first-grade teachers appear to be more positive than kindergarten teachers towards integrating the two curricula. Both kindergarten teachers and first-grade teachers seem to partially agree with the creation of a curriculum with common goals and objectives. Nevertheless kindergar...
Introduction: Opening Thoughts on the Discussions Presented
Problemy Opiekuńczo-Wychowawcze, 2017
The paper discusses issues related to young children's access to public nurseries and kindergarte... more The paper discusses issues related to young children's access to public nurseries and kindergartens as well as examining issues concerning the quality of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in general and focused in Greece. The purpose of this paper is not only to highlight the various problems but also to contribute to dialogue for the upgrading and improvement of ECEC in Greece. This is why we pay much attention to official documents, especially those from International Organizations or from European Union.
International Journal about Parents in Education
This study is part of a wider research conducted in 13 state kindergartens in Pyrgos, in Western ... more This study is part of a wider research conducted in 13 state kindergartens in Pyrgos, in Western Greece, during the school year 2017-2018. The purpose was to investigate parents’ beliefs about the role of kindergarten in literacy development. Data collected through semi-structured interviews with twenty mothers and analysed by the method of content analysis. Data analysis revealed that all mothers recognise the role of kindergarten in the socio-emotional development of children but they do not seem to realise its role in the development of language and literacy. In conclusion, parents need to be informed about the role of kindergarten in literacy development, what is important for children to learn before they enter primary school and how they can enhance literacy in family environment. The findings emphasise the importance of a meaningful cooperation between kindergarten teachers and parents. Implications and limitations are discussed.
The present work concerns the investigation of the perceptions of kindergarten and first grade pr... more The present work concerns the investigation of the perceptions of kindergarten and first grade primary school teachers of their cooperation in terms of enhancing the literacy of their students. The data were collected by administering an electronic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to teachers of Greek public schools in the prefectures of Achaia and Ilia. The main findings of this study indicate that in contrast to the existing reality, first grade primary school teachers as well as kindergarten teachers recognize the need to develop cooperation between them, recognizing that this will contribute to the smoother transition of students from kindergarten to primary school. They also seemed to want to create a balanced language curriculum that would ensure continuity in implemented teaching literacy practices between the two specific types of schools. Furthermore, the first grade primary school teachers and kindergarten teachers who participated in the research want to imple...
Beliefs of parents of preschool children about literacy: facilitative and conventional approaches
European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 2021
ABSTRACT In the present study, we investigated the grouping of Greek parents of preschool childre... more ABSTRACT In the present study, we investigated the grouping of Greek parents of preschool children according to their beliefs about literacy by using a mixed-method approach. The sample included 147 parents of preschool children attending the 13 public kindergartens in the town of Pyrgos, in Greece. The participants completed a paper survey and 20 of them participated in semi-structured interviews, as well. The results revealed that parents could be categorized into two groups according to their beliefs about literacy: Facilitative and Conventional. Facilitative parents have a more holistic orientation, concerning literacy acquisition, while Conventional parents have a more skills-based orientation. The findings give an insight into parents’ beliefs about literacy and emphasize the importance of the congruence between home and school literacy. Implications and limitations are discussed.
Chapter 10. Effects of the L2 on the Syntactic Processing of the L1
Effects of the Second Language on the First, 2003
Erken Çocukluk Çalışmaları Dergisi, 2018
The paper discusses issues related to young children’s access to public nurseries and kindergarte... more The paper discusses issues related to young children’s access to public nurseries and kindergartens as well as examining issues concerning the quality of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in general and focused in Greece. The purpose of this paper is not only to highlight the various problems but also to contribute to dialogue for the upgrading and improvement of ECEC in Greece. This is why we pay much attention to official documents, especially those from International Organizations or from European Union.
Educational Role of Language Journal, 2019
In recent years, the importance of parents' beliefs in their children's literacy has increasingly... more In recent years, the importance of parents' beliefs in their children's literacy has increasingly been recognized. The main purpose of this article is to investigate: a) the internal consistency of the 7 subscales of the PRBI, b) the factor structure and c) the concurrent validity in a sample of Greek parents. In this survey 168 parents of preschool children attending the 13 public kindergartens in the city of Pyrgos, during the school year 2017-2018 participated. Six of the seven subscales of PRBI demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Principal component and parallel analyses revealed a four-factor structure and preliminary evidence of concurrent validity was also revealed. On the basis of the results, PRBI is considered an appropriate tool for investigating the beliefs of parents in Greece as well. The evidence shows the continuation of the research to a wider sample for the definition of the factor structure tool on Greek specimen.
International Journal of Early Childhood, 2018
New Curriculum – New Roles for kindergarten teachers: An in-depth investigation of presupposition of knowledge forms regarding literacy in Greek Pre-Primary Curriculum
Erken Çocukluk Çalışmaları Dergisi, 2017
This paper refers to a research conducted in the region of Patra, Achaia in Greece in spring 2016... more This paper refers to a research conducted in the region of Patra, Achaia in Greece in spring 2016. Its purpose was a) the assessment of preschoolers’ narrative skills and b) the examination of its possible correlation with family sociocultural background. The participants were 32 children of the higher level of age in preschool education (5-6 years old), picked up from 2 different public kindergartens, equally separated in terms of gender and social background. Children were called to produce oral retellings of a book that had previously been read to them. Their texts were recorded and analyzed according to "The Story Pyramid Framework". The findings of the research seem to confirm that there is a strong and intense correlation between preschoolers' narrative skills and their sociocultural background. Children that come from more privileged social backgrounds produced more integrated narratives than their peers who come from less privileged family contexts, while no si...
Young children's mothers' beliefs about the role and literacy methods at kindergarten and first year of primary school
Problemy Opiekuńczo-Wychowawcze
This study presents the findings of a survey regarding the beliefs of parents of children in earl... more This study presents the findings of a survey regarding the beliefs of parents of children in early childhood education about the role that, in their opinion, kindergarten plays in the literacy of their children and the possible differences in teaching practices between kindergarten and primary school. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews of 15 mothers. The research was carried out at Patras, in the spring of 2017. The data was analyzed with the content analysis method and the results show a variety of beliefs about the parents’ expectations regarding the literacy methods at kindergarten, prevalent of which is the belief that children should be taught the mechanics of reading written work at kindergarten through games and without placing emphasis on the learning outcome. On the other hand, the participants seem to have accepted the emphasis of systematic teaching at year one of primary school.
Financing Early Childhood Care and Education—Justice for Early Childhood
In September 2015, 193 nation states made a commitment to eradicate poverty, address climate chan... more In September 2015, 193 nation states made a commitment to eradicate poverty, address climate change and build peaceful and inclusive societies by 2030. Governments began to implement the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), integrated within Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015). SDG 4 proposes: Ensure an inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (p. 21). To make this commitment possible, specific targets have been identified. Target 4.2 states that by 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education. To this end, nation states must comply with implementation strategies that include, for example, the creation of learning environments, building and adapting facilities that respond to the needs of children which are safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective (Target 4.a); as well as ensuring an increase in the supply of qualified teachers, especially in developing countries (Target 4.c).
These goals impose the need to have funding to make them possible. The United Nations publicly affirms that there are more than enough savings in the world to finance the new agenda. To achieve the objectives, it is essential to guide the investments that support sustainable development and assist countries most in need. With these affirmations, the United Nations recognizes that there are great inequalities between countries and within countries.
Koustourakis, G., & Stellakis, N. (2009). New Curriculum – New Roles for kindergarten teachers: An in-depth investigation of presupposition of knowledge forms regarding literacy in Greek Pre-Primary Curriculum., 2009
Framework (CTCF). In the unified system of knowledge adopted by CTCF for compulsory education the... more Framework (CTCF). In the unified system of knowledge adopted by CTCF for compulsory education the role of kindergarten was underlined and in many ways enhanced. In this paper we will attempt based in Bernstein's theory for knowledge form to investigate the kind/kinds of knowledge which is/are necessary to be utilized by kindergarten teachers when developing and implementing the new curriculum in respect of literacy practices. The CTCF for preprimary education and its official commentary "Kindergarten Teacher's Guide" was searched and the results show that kindergarten teachers should have a solid knowledge of relevant theory in order to adopt the guidelines and implement literacy practices suggested by new curriculum. Finally, questions such as education and further education of kindergarten teachers, classroom facilities and parents' expectations are discussed.
L1-Educational Studies in Language and …, Jan 1, 2005
The purpose of this article is to investigate two interconnected facets of literacy development a... more The purpose of this article is to investigate two interconnected facets of literacy development and more specifically the interplay between reading and writing development. Given the rather poor literacy practices in Greek pre-primary education, our intervention during ''reading-writing workshops'' (engagement of children in meaningful literacy activities as socially situated written texts) showed that changes towards literate practices occurred in both age groups (4-5 and 5-6 years old) under investigation. Significant differences in literate performances have also been found between second year pupils who had attended first year class and those who had not.We discuss the contribution of pre-primary education to the development of literacy, as well as some educational implications concerning the Greek pre-primary school.
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Papers by Nektarios Stellakis
These goals impose the need to have funding to make them possible. The United Nations publicly affirms that there are more than enough savings in the world to finance the new agenda. To achieve the objectives, it is essential to guide the investments that support sustainable development and assist countries most in need. With these affirmations, the United Nations recognizes that there are great inequalities between countries and within countries.