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Investigation Of The Association Between Attendance In Preschool Programs And Achievement Of Elementary School Students In Greeneville, Tennessee., Anita Marie Conner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a difference in achievement test scores exists between students who attended preschool and those who did not as measured by standardized achievement test scores of students in the 3rd and 4th grades. The variables of grade level and gender were also considered. The population consisted of students who attended 4th and 5th grades during the 2007-2008 school year in the Greeneville City Schools. Data gathered were from Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program achievement test scores obtained from the 2006-2007 school year. Analysis of variance was used to identify any relationship between variables. …

Efficacy Of A Direct Instruction Approach To Promote Early Learning, Jennifer Lee Salaway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effectiveness of Direct Instruction (DI) as an enhancement to a Developmentally Appropriate Preschool (DAP) curriculum in the form of increased pre-academic, language, and early literacy competencies for high-risk preschool children. Sixty-one preschool children were randomly assigned to either a DI-Add-On group or DAP-Only group. The children were administered the Kaufman Survey of Early Academic and Language Skills (K-SEALS; Kaufman and Kaufman, 1993) and Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS; Good and Kaminski, 2002) prior to receiving the intervention and upon completion of the study. All of the children were also administered the DIBELS throughout …

Early Childhood Classroom Quality And Preschool Learning Behaviors, Steven Placid Kachmar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intelligence quotient (IQ) continues to dominate educational decision-making although it lacks descriptive quality indicative of how children learn best and precisely what contributes to learning differences among children. Researchers have advocated for the use of alternative assessment methods to describe differences in children's learning. Limited research has been conducted in this area yet is supportive of learning behavior as an influential factor associated with scholastic achievement. Unfortunately, little research has been conducted on preschool learning behaviors, despite their link to positive child outcomes. Early childhood environments have similarly been linked to children's scholastic success and positive outcomes.

This study …