University of Derby, Edd Thesis
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Facilitating the development of critical thinking skills and self-directed learning: An exploration of leadership and curriculum practice in a Palestinian kindergarten. Item Type Thesis Authors Khalaily, Maysoon. Citation Khalaily, M. (2017) 'Facilitating the development of critical thinking skills and self-directed learning: An exploration of leadership and curriculum practice in a Palestinian kindergarten.', University of Derby, EdD Thesis Publisher University of Derby Download date 04/10/2021 10:12:49 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10545/622009 UNIVERSITY OF DERBY FACILITATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AND SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING: AN EXPLORATION OF LEADERSHIP AND CURRICULUM PRACTICE IN A PALESTINIAN KINDERGARTEN Maysoon Khalaily Doctor of Education 2017 1 Abstract Developing critical thinking in early childhood is vital especially in Western culture since it improves an individual’s skills in creative thinking and enhances a person’s sense of responsibility. This is the fundamental contention of this thesis. These skills assist in developing and implementing a state of mind of not accepting negative situations and instead directs the individual towards trying to resolve and improve it. These issues have not yet been fully explored in Arab-Palestinian society in Israel. The development and application of notions of personal responsibility, critical thinking, and kindergarten-age children’s involvement in learning has yet to emerge as a reality in this community. This is needed because existing theory and practice involving these aspects of learning within the Palestinian system is problematic. Moreover, the development of a new approach to teaching and parenting of kindergarten-age children that fosters critical thinking and personal responsibility may not be a reality that is immediately achievable, but it is a possibility. This study aims to investigate how educational leaders can help kindergarten children aged 3-5 years to develop critical thinking and personal responsibility skills. The research focuses on Arab (Palestinian) children in Israel as these skills are not traditionally taught in the home or in educational settings in this culture. The literature shows that there is a marked disparity between the educational achievements of Arab and Jewish children in Israel, making the implications of this study salient not only to practitioners, but also to policymakers and educational institutions. In order to examine these goals, a case study involving qualitative research approaches of a kindergarten classroom has been conducted. The context of this study is an important and complex set of factors determining and shaping the content and form of the thesis and of the research that is embodied in the text. This study has been conducted in a kindergarten belonging to an Arab Municipality located in Northern Israel that was established in 2010 and is situated in a rural area in the north of the country. Lesson plans following the National Curriculum for Kindergarten Education were infused with teaching activities designed to facilitate the acquisition of critical thinking skills. The findings of the project showed that the presence of a strong educational leader had a positive impact on facilitating kindergarten children’s development of personal responsibility and critical thinking skills. This was especially the case if the leader played an active role in facilitating a learning environment at home and in school in which children were acknowledged and given greater autonomy and access to opportunities in which they could engage openly with parents and peers. This study calls attention to the need to further explore educational leadership in the context of early childhood education, as its implications for childhood development, particularly regarding critical thinking and personal responsibility, have not been sufficiently examined. This study claims to open possibilities for doing this in at least the Palestinian Kindergarten communities in Israel and perhaps beyond. 2 Acknowledgements I wish to thank the following for their help and generosity in assisting me with my research, writing and encouraging me in my academic life: My husband, Gawad Khalaily, for his love, guidance, faith and support, as he continues to serve as the cornerstone of my personal and professional life. My daughter Maree Khalaily and my two sons, Ayham and Orwa Khalaily, and the rest of my family, for their generous support, encouragement and constant inspiration. My supervisors, Dr. Ruby Oates, Professor Emeritus David Davies, Dr. Matt Edinger and my dear friends Anna Kensicki and Avril James for their support and patience in helping me put together this research. Finally, I would like to thank all of the staff in my kindergarten who shared their time and thoughts with me concerning this project. Without all of them this thesis and work- based project on which it is based would not have been written. Preface This is the original work of Maysoon Khalaily submitted to the University of Derby for consideration for the award of Doctor of Education in 2017 3 Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................ 2 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 1 : Introduction ............................................................................................. 7 1.1 The nature of the challenge ................................................................................... 7 1.2 Objectives and tasks ............................................................................................. 14 1.3 Overview .............................................................................................................. 18 Chapter 2 : Literature Review..................................................................................... 20 2.1 The foundations of this study ................................................................................ 20 2.2 Educational leadership .......................................................................................... 21 2.3 Theories of educational leadership........................................................................ 25 2.4 Characteristics of the educational leader ............................................................... 29 2.5 Leadership and pedagogy in the kindergarten ....................................................... 30 2.6 Emotional well-being ............................................................................................ 32 2.7 The social pedagogical theory of leadership ......................................................... 32 2.8 Summary of leadership themes ............................................................................. 37 2.9 Critical thinking in the Palestinian kindergarten.................................................... 38 2.10 Perspectives and theories on critical thinking ..................................................... 45 2.11 Independent and self-directed learning ............................................................... 56 Chapter 3 : Research Objectives and Methods ......................................................... 65 3.1 The research field and research questions at Deir-Hanna Kindergarten................. 65 3.2 Research design and data sources ......................................................................... 67 3.3 Research methods–mapping of approaches .......................................................... 74 3.4 Reliability and validity .............................……..........................................…....... 98 3.5 Research ethics .............................………......................................................…... 101 Chapter 4 : Findings .............................…………….....................................….......... 104 4.1 Introduction ………………………………………............…..……..…………... 104 4.2 Part 1 Evidence : key findings from the research diary ........................................ 105 4.3 Parental involvement and staff support ................................................................ 109 4.4 The role of emotions ............................................................................................. 112 4.5 Using the leadership approach..…….......……...................................................... 114 4.6 Part 2 Evidence : the parentsꞌ interviews ............................................................... 118 4.7 Part 3 Evidence : from the curriculum and lessons plan ....................................... 123 4.8 The lessons and learning ....................................................................................... 125 4.9 Evidence from the children’s portfolios and analysis of drawings......................... 140 4 Chapter 5 : Analysis and Evaluation ................................................................................... 145 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 145 5.2 What kind of educational leadership characteristics, environments and actions help to facilitate the development of the critical thinking skills of children 3-5 years of age?......... 146 5.3 What kind of educational leadership characteristics help to facilitate the development of the sense of personal responsibility for children aged 3-5 yeas?...............................