THE UNIVERSITY OF HULL PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ENGLAND AND LIBYA by Fathia Ali Ghafir, BA (University of Libya, Benghazi), MEd (El Fatah University, Tripoli) being a Thesis presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Hull December 1987 ABSTRACT Ole Ph.D. THESIS by Fathia All Ghafir BA, MEd PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE: SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ENGLAND AND LIBYA There is a great demand for pre-school education in most countries of the world, but while pre-school education has long received only modest consideration within the educationally developed world, it has attracted even less consideration than other levels of schooling especially in the developing countries. There is still a danger that early childhood education may continue to be viewed as something of a luxury. Nonetheless, the past few decades have withessed much greater interest in pre-school education. Among the reasons for this growing interest are the new knowledge gained in the sphere of child development and the changes which have taken place in social conditions. Most countries provide some kind of educational opportunities for children below school age, their aims and objectives may differ to a greater or lesser extent from one country to another depending on resources and specific historical, social or religious influences on the way pre-school education has developed, and the way in which different cultures come to view the main aims and objectives of such education. This thesis is based on a combination of empirical and documentary research. Historically, pre-school education seems to have served similar functions despite difference in time and culture. For that reason Libya as a developing country should learn from the mistakes of a developed country as England, as well as from such of her insights as are perhaps capable of being transplanted successfully in Libya. It was thought that a comparative study of views of pre- school teachers in two countries with different political, economic, social and ideological systems, would illuminate some current concerns in the field of pre-school education. This study is designed to arrive at criteria development of pre-school education in general and its teacher training dimension in particular, as an essential background for an improvement in the quality of pre-school education in Libya. The findings of the research revealed that there are major problems in pre-school education in Libya centred around diffused aims, centralised admin- istration, a subject centred curriculum, and teacher-centred methods. Low qualifications among teachers following a mediocre calibre of intake, tutors without professional training, lack of guidance services, the overlooked curriculum, much traditional teaching methods and final examinations demanding all combined to render the task ofthe few keenly interested in developing a Libyan pre-school sector particularly difficult. The over-arching conclusion of this study is that fundamental changes should be introduced throughout Libyan education, and that this in itself requires the development of a pre-school sector. Because the relationship between pre-school education and other levels of education is organic - any change in one part will be reflected on the other parts. The study is divided into three parts. Part A is the context, and consists of three chapters: Chapter 1 gives a brief account of the significance and purpose of this particular study, the scope of the problem, the aims and the methods to be used - both documentary and empirical. Chapters 2 and 3 review the situation of pre-school education in Western Europe and Arabic countries respectively. Part B is the Libyan Dimension: it consists also of three chapters. Chapter 4 traces the development of education in Libya through the various periods of Libya's history. Chapter 5 traces the development of pre-school education in Libya, the influence of the different communities who were settled in the area before Independence on pre-school education. Chapter 6 provides a description and analysis of teacher training and its relationship with pre-school education. Part C is the English Dimension. There are two chapters. Chapter 7 reviews the development of pre-school education from the nineteenth century, including the ideas of leading European reformers and traces the development of nursery education up to the present time. Chap ter 8 is concerned with teacher training programmes for teachers and nursery nurses in Engl.and and Wales. The final section, Part D, comprises three chapters. Chap ter 9 gives a brief description of the two cities where the field studies were conducted, Hull in England and Derna in Libya. It also provides a detailed description of the research design and application in England and Libya. Chapter 11, the final chapter, concerns itself with summarising the study, and also looking towards improvements through a number of recommend- ations from the author. It is hoped that the thesis will be a valuable document in retrospect, especially to those keen to develop pre-school facilities there. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I should like to express my deepest gratitude for the guidance and assistance I received from my supervisor, Mr. Colin Brock. My further expression of deep appreciation should go to all the staff in the School of Education as well as to the staff of Brynmor Jones Library and to the N.U.T. librarians in London for all the help I received. I am also particularly grateful to Mrs. Jean Williams, Magda Hushad and Saleh Hanish for their assistance during my field work. Without the encouragement and self-sacrifice of my family in Libya, my husband Ramadan and my children Wael and Amira, it would have been impossible to complete this work. To them all, I am most deeply grateful. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements ,Contents List of Tables iv Introduction ix PART A THE CONTEXT OF THE STUDY Chapter One Purpose and Scope of Study 1 Chapter Two Pre-School Education in Contemporary 10 Western Europe Chapter Three Pre-School Education in Arab 29 Countries PART B THE LIBYAN DIMENSION Chapter Four The Development of Education in 49 Libya Chapter Five Historical Development of Pre- 101 School Education in Libya Chapter Six The Nature and Development of the 133 Teacher Training Sector in Libya and its Relationships with Pre- School Education iii Page PART C THE ENGLISH DIMENSION Chapter Seven The Development of Pre-School 176 Education in England and Wales Chapter Eight The Training of Teachers and Nursery 226; Nurses in England and Wales PART D EMPIRICAL STUDIES AND FIELD WORK Chapter Nine Comparative Case Studies from the 251 Hull Area of England and Derna City in Libya: Research Design Chapter Ten Results of Teachers' Questionnaires 271 in the Hull Area of England and the Derna Area of Libya Chapter Eleven Conclusions and Recommendations 317 Appendices 345 Bibliography 365 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Enrolment in Pre-School Education in Western Europe in the 1970s. Table 2 Percentage of Children Attending Pre-School Establishments in Western Europe Table 3 Number of Certificated Teachers (Excluding Assistants) Table 4 Percentage of Total Expenditure on Education Devoted to Pre-School Education in 1973 Table 5 Shows the Total Number of Children from 0-14 in each Arab Country against the Total Number of Population in 1975 Table 6 Shows the Percentage of Illiteracy in Some Selected Arab Countries Table 7 The Percentage of Go----nent and Private Provision in the Arab States i r9 Table 8 The Ratio of Staff to Children in Pre-School Provisions in the Arab States Table 9 Number of Children of Pre-School Provisions in the Arab World Table 10 Distribution of Pre-School Provisions in Urban and Rural Areas of the Arab States Table 11 Development of Total Number of Pupils in Official Schools during the First Decade of Italian Occupation (1921-22) Table 12 Development of Total Number of Pupils in Elementary Schools in Libya from 1943-44 to 1952 Table 13 Number of Schools and Students from 1950-51 to 1960-61 Table 14 The Libyan Education System Table 15 Shows The Number of Schools, Pupils and Teachers in the Preparatory Schools from 1955-56 to 1968-69 Table 16 Number of Students (Males and Females), Number of Schools and Teachers in Secondary Schools from 1952-53 to 1968-69 Table 17 Shows The Number of the Students in the Libyan University from 1955-56 to 1968-69 Table 18 Shows The Development of Preparatory and Secondary Technical Education from 1958-59 to 1968-69 Table 19 Study Plan in Primary Education According to Ministerial Decree No.275 for 1984 Table 20 Number of Teachers Engaged at Various Levels of Education during 1978-79 to 1979-80 Table 21 Number of Schools by Level of Education 1975-76 to 1979-80 Table 22 Number of Pupils, Males and Females in Schools, By Level of Education: 1975-76 - 1979-90 Table 23 Study Plan in Preparatory Stage According to Ministerial Decree No.285, 1984 Table 24 . Study Plan in Secondary General Stage According to the Ministerial Decree No. 275 of the Year 1984 Table 25 Development of University Student Numbers for the Years 1980-81 to 1982-83 Table 26 Number of Children in Kindergarten from 1890 to 1910 Table 27 Number of Libyan and Non-Libyan Children in Kindergartens in 1921-22 in Tripolitania and Cyrenaica Table 28 Number of Kindergartens in Libya in 1939-40 Table 29 Number of Girls and Boys, Libyan and Non-Libyan Children in Kindergartens in 1939-40 in Tripolitania and Cyrenaica Table 30 Number