Da educação pré-escolar para o 1º Ciclo - que continuidade educativa?

Tese mestr., Ciências da Educação - Educação de Infância, 2006, Universidade do AlgarveWithin the problematic of continuity from preschool to primary school, this study is embedded in Brofenbrenner’s ecological theory of human development. It considers the historical and cultural evolution of both preschool and primary school in Portugal, and analyses the convergences in curricula between the two levels of teaching, underlining the importance of the role of the family and the community in the school environment. This theoretical framework poses the main research problem: How do primary teachers, nursery teachers, parents and children involve themselves in the process of transition from preschool to school? Using a qualitative methodology and the interview as the main research tool, the study is divided in two different phases: the first one within the scenario of a charity-owned nursery, and the second developed in the state schools where the children in the study were enrolled. The data collected from interviews to nursery and school teachers, as well as to the children and their mothers, both after finishing preschool and when starting school show the absence of communication between teachers. Though recognizing the importance of working towards continuity, the study concludes that there is no initiative to solve this problem. This situation causes parents’ difficulties to support their children who are not also prepared to face this ecological transition