Education Commons^™

Culturally Sustaining Pedagogical Practices In Early Literacy Classrooms: A Qualitative Case Study Of Two Kindergarten Classrooms, Elizabeth Carlton Phd

Dissertations

Students who attend school possess their own “funds of knowledge” from their home life and prior experiences (Moll et al., 1992). Yet, learners from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds are not viewed from a strengths-based perspective but rather a deficit perspective. The deficit perspective perpetuates the oppression and marginalization of students of color and multilingual students. Using a qualitative comparative case study research design, the study is rooted in the tenets of Critical Pedagogy (Freire, 2000), Critical Literacy, and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy as it sought to uncover insights into asset-based instructional strategies that allow multilingual learners opportunities to participate equitably …

Dramatic Storytelling Develops Emergent Literacy In Efl: Evidence From The Uae Kindergartens, Ghada Yahya Alkilani

Dissertations

There is increasing importance of the English language for educational excellence and career success in the UAE. The early years is a sensitive period for language acquisition, and preschool age is the best time to learn English as a foreign language (EFL). Stories are a main vehicle used in early childhood education (ECE) to engage children in language learning. Although previous studies have found dramatic storytelling to be particularly effective in developing children’s emergent literacy in English as a native language, little is known about the effect of dramatic storytelling on developing young children’s emergent literacy in EFL. Also, there …

Stories In Motion: Integrating Creative Dance In A Language Arts Classroom, Amira Akam

Student Research Submissions

As learning gaps have widened in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increased need for research-based strategies to improve student academic achievement and engagement. This study explored the integration of creative dance as a form of storytelling in a kindergarten language arts classroom. Students were introduced to an element of dance and used it to create short dance phrases in a unit on retelling. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected using pre/post tests and student interviews measuring students’ engagement and enjoyment. Students involved in this study showed significant growth in their ability to orally retell …

Arkansas Teachers’ Perspectives And Experiences Implementing Stem In Kindergarten Classrooms, Aranda House

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Kindergarten teachers in one large district in Arkansas are inconsistently implementing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-integrated lessons into their curriculum despite a systemic plan for increasing equitable access to high-quality STEM-focused education for all students by the state department of education. While researchers suggest that barriers for lower elementary teachers in implementing STEM include low STEM content and pedagogical efficacy, few studies explore how kindergarten teachers implement STEM lessons with their students. Hence, the purpose of this descriptive-interpretive study was to explore Arkansas teachers’ experiences with and perspectives on implementing STEM lessons in their kindergarten classrooms within the context …

The Link Between Play And Literacy Learning In Kindergarten, Rachel Modrow

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

In many schools, children's free play time is being taken away and is replaced with more academic time. When children enter kindergarten, they are five to six years old. These young children need to participate in free play in the classroom to help build their social skills, continue their imagination, and allow them to explore. Children entering kindergarten are beginning their first school experiences by learning basic literacy skills such as reading and writing. This study observed students free play time in a kindergarten classroom to see if students are using literacy skills in their play. If the students show …

The Impact Of Explicit Phonemic Awareness Instruction In A Kindergarten Classroom, Jaclyn Partridge

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project involved an investigation of the effects of explicit phonemic awareness instruction on letter-sound fluency. The sample included 16 kindergarten students at a public pre-primary elementary school in the north-central region of the United States. Students participated in daily whole group lessons with explicit phonemic awareness instruction and guided practice. Data tools included pre- and post-assessments in letter-sound fluency, phoneme isolation and manipulation. Standardized assessment data in letter-sound fluency, onset sound fluency compared Fall assessments to Winter assessments and showed the level of risk for later difficulties in reading. Quantitative data showed growth in students’ phonemic awareness …

Increasing Social Awareness Skills In Kindergarten Students, Chloe Dennis

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Social awareness is a key component of social-emotional learning and is often underrepresented in kindergarten curriculum. Students who struggle with social awareness are at a greater risk for antisocial behaviors, low academic performance, diminished self-efficacy, low motivation, and low adaptability. Jean Piagets’ cognitive-developmental theory places kindergarten-age students in the preoperational stage of development. At this stage, children are egocentric, exhibit centrated thought, and struggle to use perspective and empathic skills. Kindness, problem-solving, and maintaining positive relationships are all rooted in social awareness and require students to move away from egocentric thinking. I designed a three-part lesson on acts of kindness …

A Case Study Exploring A Novice Kindergarten Teacher’S Perceptions And Practice Of The Multiliteracies Pedagogy In His Virtual Kindergarten Classroom, Lian Chang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Teachers faced many challenges as they transitioned to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase of technology brought the concept of multiliteracies, broadening the term literacy to include the social and cultural backgrounds of students (Baguley et al., 2010), by acknowledging multimodality to represent and communicate using images, words, sounds and digital media (Walsh, 2010). This case study aims to explore how a kindergarten teacher understood and implemented literacy and the multiliteracies pedagogy in an online environment. Data collection included virtual interviews, teacher reflective notes, teaching literacy resources, researcher observation, and student work samples. Findings indicate the teacher’s literacy …

To What Extent Are At-Risk Preschoolers Effectively Prepared For Kindergarten?, Eliza Santos Lopez

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent Kinder Hearts School’s at-risk preschoolers are effectively prepared with readiness skills for kindergarten academic success. Based on schoolwide assessments, program mandates, and policy changes, an evaluation of this specific program in a Midwest school could determine whether the instructional model used was indeed effective. This study consisted of analyzing data from three student categories: children who attended private preschool programming, children who attended the school’s at-risk program, and children who had no schooling. The data collected was used to determine professional development needed, grant funding allocation, and program delivery …

The Effect Of Direct Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Instruction And Small Group Literacy Interventions On Kindergarten Students’ Reading Growth, Brianna Elizabeth Wierschke

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study focuses on the impact of the implementation of Heggerty Phonemic Awareness and Literacy Footprints guided reading system curriculum in a kindergarten classroom. Adding these interventions are to determine if a focus on phonemic awareness skills is essential for students to learn when beginning to learn how to read. Students were tested at the beginning of the school year for a base score, then tracked at every month, and then a final benchmarking in December. The study took place in a North Dakota elementary school, 23 kindergarten students was monitored for data purposes. The data and results demonstrate a …

How Social Interaction Opportunities And Emotional Skills Instruction Affect Kindergarteners’ Self-Efficacy And Mental Health Within The Distance Learning Model Of School, Sarah Taraba

Education Masters Papers

This study was designed to investigate how implementing social interaction opportunities and emotional skill instruction could improve the overall mental health and self-efficacy levels of students in a kindergarten distance learning classroom. Due to the worldwide pandemic, COVID- 19, students were forced to participate in a distance learning format. This meant that students utilized a technological device to participate in schooling through online meetings with teachers and classmates. The research that was conducted focused on kindergarten students as the participants to see what could be done to improve their overall mental health; increasing levels of positive emotions such as happiness, …

Writing Workshop In Kindergarten: A Multiple-Case Study Investigating The Nature Of Engagement And The Quality Of Students’ Writing Composition, Sarah Demichele

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of engagement and the quality of my students’ writing composition when I implement a writing workshop. To facilitate both specific and in-depth data collection and analysis, I conducted a multiple-case study, examining three of my kindergarten students with a spectrum of literacy skills (Mertler, 2019). The multiple-case study lasted 11 weeks and contained three phases of data collection. Data showed that the participants were most engaged in elements of the writing process that corresponded to their viewed strengths as a writer and preferences. For the participants’ writing composition, data showed …

Designing Vocabulary Instruction For English Language Learners In A Kindergarten Classroom, Loretta C. Ayers

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional practices used to teach vocabulary to English Language Learners in a kindergarten classroom. The central question of the study was: what instructional practices in a classroom support vocabulary acquisition of ELLs? The purpose was to determine the impact of an intervention on vocabulary acquisition with a focus on directional prepositions and rhyming word vocabulary. Students were given whole group direct instruction, small group targeted instruction, and integrated peer play opportunities over the course of the study as vocabulary interventions. Data for this study included pre- and …

How Should Context-Dependent Words Be Taught To Beginning Readers?, Abigail M. Turner

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examined three different instructional methods for teaching beginners to read context-dependent words. Two types of context-dependent words were taught: irregular past tense verbs and function words. The words were embedded either in scrambled contexts or in meaningful sentence contexts. Three different instructional conditions to teach the words were compared. In the Meaningful Context condition, students studied the target words embedded in meaningful sentences. In the Scrambled condition, students studied target words placed in scrambled word sequences. In the Combination condition, students studied target words in both types of contexts that were alternated across learning trials. Participants were 53 …

Text-Influenced Expressions Of Understanding: Differences In Kindergartners’ Discourse And Written Retellings Of Traditional And Digital Texts During Buddy Reading, Julie Parrish

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Buddy reading a text is a collaborative act that typically generates discourse that provides researchers with a glimpse of the comprehending taking place. However, in recent years, the infusion of technology in classrooms has resulted in many traditional texts being replaced by digital versions. Thus, this qualitative case study examined the spoken and written discourse of 12 kindergartners (6 dyads) as they buddy read a traditional and digital text.

Drawing upon two distinct lenses—sociocultural and comprehension signifier—video recordings, transcriptions, and written retellings were analyzed. Specifically, process coding and in vivo coding were used to construct categories and uncover sociocultural patterns …

Midline Movement: The Positive Effects On Student Behavior In A Kindergarten Classroom, Ashley Ludlow

Education | Master's Theses

Educators are realizing the unrealistic expectations on students to be quiet and sit still for extended periods of their day (Donnelly & Lambourne, 2011). Some educational advocates have been reintroducing movement into the school day in response to research that indicates the importance of extracurricular activities on developing the whole child (Hannaford, 1995). Movement, connection, touch, play, and creative endeavors have been shown to be critical components to teaching students to be well-rounded individuals (Hannaford, 1995). This study explores how movements and activities that cross the midline affect a student's focus and ability to learn in the classroom. Cultivating an …

The Convergence Of Negotiated Imaginative Play, Literacy Learning And Kindergarten Common Core English Language Arts Standards, Grace Salinas-Casper

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The implementation of strict academic requirements is replacing play as a previously widely accepted developmentally appropriate practice in kindergarten classrooms around the United States, resulting in an imbalance in cultivating the whole child. Research focused on the importance of play in children’s cognitive, linguistic, physical, moral, creative, emotional and artistic development exists. Couched in Vygotsky’s social development theory and the Reggio Emilia principle this ethnographic case study investigates how kindergarteners demonstrate literacy learning, practice and mastery of Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CC.ELA) through imaginative play in a negotiated environment. Research outcomes suggested that negotiated play appears to provide …

The Importance Of Collaboration Within Project-Based Learning In A Kindergarten Teacher Classroom, Moriah Weber

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research to is examine the impacts teaching collaboration tools within Project-based learning, in a Kindergarten classroom.  Data collection was taken by video recording two PBL projects, observing and reflecting on field notes, and recording students reflection how they collaborated during each project. This data collection compared two different half day Kindergarten classes with similar demographics. The AM class was taught collaboration by using different collaboration tools while the PM class was not.  Both classes did the same PBL projects with small groups and the data was collected on collaboration in comparison between the two groups. The …

Coaching By Scaffolding: Increasing Teacher Questioning Through Structured Modeling And Feedback, Sarah J. Little

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the effects of the Gradual Increase of Responsibility Model (Collet, 2008) when used by coaches to mentor teachers in best questioning practices in kindergarten through second grade classrooms. The researcher focused on questioning practices after observing missed opportunities to extend student thinking in primary school classrooms during teacher-student conferences in both reading and writing. Vicki Collet’s Gradual Increase of Responsibility Model (2008) was chosen as a coaching model based on the wide range of teacher experiences in the researcher’s educational setting. This coaching model allowed the researcher to scaffold teachers based on …

Pre-Kindergarten And Kindergarten Teachers' Perceptions Of The Student Growth Portfolio Model In Tennessee, Amanda Pickens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this quantitative study was to discover perceptions of pre-K and kindergarten teachers within public schools in Tennessee regarding the appropriateness of the student growth portfolio model. This study explored teachers’ perceptions of the appropriateness of the math standards, English language arts standards, and the scoring guide included within the SGPM. A quantitative survey was used to understand pre-K and kindergarten teachers’ perceptions of the appropriateness of the 2017-2018 student growth portfolio model. There were 16 pre-K teachers and 51 kindergarten teachers who participated in the survey. Single sample t-tests were used to analyze responses. Research indicated that …

Exploring The Effectiveness Of A Mindfulness-Based Social Emotional Learning Program On Kindergarteners’ Risk For Social, Academic, And Emotional Problems, Molly Alvin

Doctoral Dissertations

This intervention study explored the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based social emotional learning program, Calmer Choice, on kindergarten students’ risk for social, academic, and emotional problems. The study used a quasi-experimental design with two measures collected as pretests and posttests for students in an intervention group and students in a wait-list control group. Kindergarten teachers completed the Social Academic Emotional Behavior Rating Scale (SAEBRS; Kilgus & von der Embse, 2014) and the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment-mini (DESSA-mini; Naglieri, LeBuffe & Shapiro, 2014) for each student at these two time points. The intervention, Calmer Choice, consisted of 16 lessons taught twice a …

Shake, Rattle, And Read: An Analysis Of An Adaptation Of A Multisensory Phonics Program’S Impact On The Reading Achievement Of Kindergarten Students, Heather Mascuch Holmes

Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes a problem of practice stemming from the disparity in reading achievement that exists among kindergarten students due to varying life and academic experiences. This action research study investigated the impact of a multisensory instructional program that attempts to improve students’ decoding skills, and therefore, overall reading ability by answering the following question: How does an adaptation of the Project Read Primary Phonics program affect the reading level of kindergarten students as measured by the DRA2+? This study employed an action research methodology, specifically Mertler’s (2014) action research cycle: planning, acting, developing, and reflecting. The planning stage was …

The Impact Of Structured Play On Early Literacy Skills In A Kindergarten Classroom, Lauren B. Adams

Theses and Dissertations

The present action research study of kindergarten students, in a suburban public school classroom located in the midlands region of South Carolina, describes the ways in which a teacher-researcher developed a Structured Play Unit in her classroom that was designed to answer the following research question: How does the implementation of a Structured Play Unit impact early literacy skills (rhyming) on kindergarten students? Implemented in the Fall of 2017, data was collected over a four-week period. A verbal pre-test was given to the teacher-researcher’s kindergarten class which required students to identify pictures of rhyming words and point to their response, …

Do Spellings Of Words And Phonemic Awareness Training Facilitate Vocabulary Learning In Preschoolers?, Robin O'Leary

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of phoneme awareness training and orthography to the learning of new vocabulary words by partial alphabetic phase readers. We hypothesized that four and five year old children taught to segment words with letters would outperform those trained with shape markers and those that received no segmentation training on an invented spelling task. We also hypothesized that students seeing the spellings of new vocabulary words (names) would learn the words in fewer trials, remember the names and features better and would be able to better recognize letter labels when presented alone. …

Teaching Kindergarten Reading Comprehension Using Transactional Strategy Instruction, Heather Schultz

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study investigated the improvement of reading comprehension by implementing two strategies: question generation and think aloud in the context of transactional instruction. A kindergarten class of 28 students at a charter school in east Michigan was used as an experimental group. The control group was made up of 27 kindergarteners from another class. All students, both in the experimental and control groups, were given a pre-test to track the application of all strategies before teaching began. The experimental group was taught two strategies: how to generate questions and how to observe and think aloud about what they …

An Examination Of Kindergarten Readiness Perceptions From Prekindergarten Teachers, Kindergarten Teachers, And Parents: A Quantitative Study Of Kindergarten Readiness Perceptions, Angela Cross

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the perceptions of kindergarten readiness for kindergarten teachers, public prekindergarten teachers in both public and private settings, and parents. Data were collected and analyzed through a quantitative method using an inferential approach. A Likert-style survey was distributed to current kindergarten teachers, prekindergarten teachers, and parents; and the data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The data collected from the surveys indicated differences in kindergarten readiness perceptions in the areas of social/emotional skills, literacy skills, and communication between kindergarten parents and teachers and between public and private prekindergarten participants. There were also differences in …

The Role Of Oral Language In Kindergarten Students Comprehension, Rebecca Kathleen Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The present quantitative action research study examined two classes of Southern kindergarten students in a Title I school and their oral language and comprehension abilities as measured by standardized tests. The identified problem of practice involved incoming kindergarteners’ lack of preparedness for reading. The research question that guided this quantitative study was: How does a kindergarten student’s oral language ability relate to his or her ability to comprehend a wordless picture book and a text read to them? Assessments of overall oral language, wordless picture book comprehension, and listening comprehension comprise the data set. Data were collected at the beginning …

Filling The Gap: Phonological Awareness Activities For A Montessori Kindergarten, Shauna A. Aranas

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Phonological Awareness in Kindergarten 2 Abstract This action research was conducted to determine if small group explicit phonological awareness (PA) instruction using materials from Early Reading Mastery (Klein, 2015) and Words Their Way (Bear et al., 2006) would increase students’ ability to segment phonemes (i.e., break words into sounds) and build three letter consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words. The research was completed in a full-day public suburban Montessori kindergarten. Data was collected using phonological awareness tests, a teacher adapted spelling test, tally sheet, and researcher’s log. Pre-test data was used to create homogenous small groups for the four-week intervention. Explicitly worded lessons …

A Phenomenological Study Of Teachers' Perceptions Of Kindergarten Retention: Are Standards To Be Blamed?, Ginger Delaigle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Currently there are a number of Kindergarten students who are being retained for not mastering Common Core State Standards. One of the methods that teachers can use to support Kindergarten students in achieving these standards are Developmentally Appropriate Practices. The exploration of the perceptions of teachers who have experienced the phenomenon of retaining Kindergarten students served as the goal for this qualitative, phenomenological study. The results provided data for examination of the perceptions the teachers had with retaining Kindergarten students and their perceptions of the developmental appropriateness of the Common Core State Standards. Four Kindergarten teachers participated in three interviews …

Increasing Phonemic Awareness In Kindergarten Students: Using Ipads In Language Arts Centers, Michelle Harrison

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Language arts teachers find that students at any elementary grade show a wide range of abilities, specifically in the area of phonemic awareness. Student abilities are not evaluated accurately using paper pencil tests.

A review of the literature addresses teaching approaches and effective use of technology in an elementary classroom. Implications of the research suggest that student engagement with technology have an impact on their learning (Kearsley & Shneiderman 1998). The research indicates that, if teachers do not monitor progress,students often view the use of iPad apps as games, not educational opportunities. Research findings emphasize that in order for students …