Education Commons^™

Moments, Tiffany Bouchard

Theses and Dissertations from 2017

Moments is a series of creative nonfiction essays depicting life with a child who is severely autistic. I compare events from my life prior to having children with life events after I became a mother. My goal is to present a side of autism that is not always seen – the meltdowns, the aggression, the injurious behavior. My desire is to show that, despite the obstacles this life has presented us with, I have been able to experience life with a beautiful, misunderstood human who has changed my life for the better.

Leader-Parent Relationships In The Early Childhood Education Context: An Exploration Of Testimonial And Epistemic Justice, Shirley Eileen Adams

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

In this qualitative study, I examined epistemic justice and testimonial injustice experienced by parents of children enrolled in preschool programs. I used a triadic model arising from the synthesis of Fricker’s (2003) markers of epistemic justice, Hoy and Tschannen Moran’s (1999) Five Facets of Trust and Lea’s (2006) markers of collaboration, and employed modified grounded theory (Charmaz, 2008). Public preschool programs often promise that they can ameliorate cognitive and experiential gaps experienced by children who at risk and allow them to enter kindergarten on an equal footing with their more privileged peers (Hulme, Goetz, Gooch, Adams & Snowling, 2007; Camilli …

Musicalization: Early Childhood Music Access, Discourse, And Praxis In Nyc Charter Schools, 2014-2015, Andrew Aprile

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Over the past two decades, charter schools have become a hallmark of education reform in the United States. Concurrent with this movement is the increasing prominence of high stakes testing. While much research has sought to compare the effectiveness of charter schools and traditional public schools in terms of standardized assessments, scant attention has been paid to the role of arts and music in charter schools, and little has been done to distinguish the distinct strands of the charter school movement. Given what we know about the importance of music education and the growth of charter schools, it was the …

A Playful Context Enhances Bilingual And Monolingual Preschoolers’ Mastery Motivation And Private Speech, Jeremy Sawyer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Children’s private speech (audible self-talk) has been studied primarily as a cognitive tool for thinking, planning and self-regulation. This study investigated whether private speech may also function as a tool for motivation. Vygotskian and self-determination theory suggest that children can develop to become agentic and inspired, or conversely disengaged and alienated, based largely on their social conditions of development. Thus, it is important to investigate children’s motivational processes in social and educational contexts that are central to child development. U.S. preschool enrollment is expanding, accompanied by a decline in play-based pedagogy and growth of didactic, teacher-centered approaches. To illuminate the …

Discovering The Leader Within: An Autoethnophenomenographic Study Of Mindfulness In Educational Leadership, Alyssa Fraser

Educational Studies Dissertations

This qualitative study combined autoethnographic and phenomenological methods to examine a researcher-leader’s attempt to cultivate cognitive, relational, and emotional capacities through regular mindfulness practice, and how the cultivation of such capacities aligns with the enactment of leadership. The interrogation of lived experience and self-analysis was entered with the intention to better understand the promise of mindfulness as a resource for the development of educational leaders. This study explored the perceived connections between mindfulness practice and the enactment of educational leadership by examining internal and external perspectives of an individual leader’s practice. Methods of self-observation, including both interval and occurrence recording …

Fortalecimiento De La Comprensión Lectora De Los Docentes En Ejercicio Y En Formación De La Básica Primaria En La Escuela Normal Superior De Monterrey Casanare Mediante Una Secuencia Didáctica, Rosa Elena Cárdenas Plazas, Carmen Janneth Ramírez Carabuena

Maestría en Docencia (Yopal)

Este proyecto de investigación está inscrito al Macroproyecto “Competencias, Evaluación Auténtica y Didácticas en Lenguaje y Matemáticas” de la Maestría en Docencia. Pertenece a la Línea de Investigación “Educación Lenguaje y Comunicación” de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación de la Universidad de La Salle. Contribuye al fortalecimiento de la Comprensión Lectora de los docentes en ejercicio y en formación de la Escuela Normal Superior de Monterrey (Casanare). Se asume desde el paradigma Crítico - Social con un enfoque cualitativo, a través del método de Investigación – Acción. Se utilizó como técnica de recolección de información la observación participante …

Re-Conceptualizing The Nature Of Resources In Multimodal Literacy: The Case Of Young Children’S Meaning Making In An Intergenerational Art Class, Zhen Lin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This case study was embedded in a SSHRC project called: Learning together: A multiple case study of intergenerational multimodal curricula, led by Dr. Rachel Heydon. The study specifically focused on resources employed by young children in their processes of meaning making within intergenerational art classes. Research questions concerned: 1) what resources were available for young children’s meaning making within the intergenerational art classes? 2) what resources were chosen and used by young children in their processes of meaning making and how? and 3) how did different resources interact with each other in multimodal ensembles? The theoretical tool of the …

The Impact Of Preschool Philosophies On Children’S Language And Literacy Acquisition: A Synthesis Of The Literature, Vanessa Coste

Honors Capstone Projects - All

"Preschool is essential to child development including areas such as language and literacy development. There are two overall teaching methods in preschool, which are playbased and academic-based learning. This research examines a synthesis of the literatu"

Caracterización De Las Estrategias Didácticas Que Promueven El Desarrollo De Las Competencias En Pensamiento Matemático En Los Niños De Básica Primaria De La Escuela Normal Superior De Monterrey Casanare, Jesús Olivo Flórez Suárez, Víctor Manuel Hurtado Cruz, Carlos Arturo Rodiño Hoyos

Maestría en Docencia (Yopal)

El presente trabajo se encuentra enmarcado en la línea de investigación: “Saber educativo, pedagógico y didáctico”; está adscrito al Macroproyecto “Competencias, Evaluación Auténtica y Didáctica del Lenguaje y Matemáticas”. La investigación centra su atención en estudiar las dificultades que tienen los docentes de básica primaria para la enseñanza de las matemáticas desde la perspectiva de la integración del pensamiento matemático, desde el uso de estrategias didácticas adecuadas que faciliten el desarrollo de estas competencias y la pertinencia de la planeación y evaluación de los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje. La investigación está orientada desde el paradigma socio-crítico con enfoque cualitativo; tipo exploratoria-descriptiva. …

A Reflection On How Children With Insecure Attachments In Foster Care Experience Trauma, Khadija Bleasdell

Child Development Theses

Attachment and the impact of trauma on children in foster care are reviewed and discussed from my relational perspective as a therapist. I draw upon my clinical experiences with three children in foster care who experienced some form of neglect. One child engaged in play to express her experiences of trauma, another child embodied a very mature stance to feel accepted by adults, while another child struggled with impulse control, fluctuating between being withdrawn and overly aggressive. Attachment theory as well as the implications of trauma are reviewed and discussed through the relation to my experiences with my clients during …

Pathways To Empowerment: A Social Work Student’S Reflection On Anti-Oppressive Clinical Social Work Practice, Katelyn Necastro

Child Development Theses

There is increasing attention being provided to the experience of marginalized and oppressed communities in the U.S. The rise of public awareness of societal issues coincides with considerable attention in the social work community on providing direct practice care to clients that fully incorporates the social justice aims of the profession. Using the history of the profession of social work and core anti-oppressive practice and concepts, this reflection touches on incorporating an anti-oppressive framework into modern clinical social work practice. Case narratives on my internship with adolescent females in a high school in Brooklyn assist in depicting the process of …

How The Foster Care System Impacts Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Cbt), Anna Bratushevskaya

Child Development Theses

The number of children in foster care is growing at an alarming rate, and finding families who are willing and able to care for these traumatized children is not an easy task. Children land in foster care due to extreme traumatizing circumstances in the homes of their biological parents. It is therefore not surprising that these children have a higher incidence of psychological problems than their peers living with their biological parents. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an umbrella term under which trauma-based cognitive therapy (TF-CBT) falls. Both CBT and TF-CBT show excellent results in treating children with serious psychological …

The Circle Of Play: A Cross-Cultural-Study Of Teachers’ Views Of Play Before And After Observing A Community Adventure Play Experience, Andrea Davis

Child Development Theses

This thesis looks at how teachers from Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and the United States viewed play before and after observing children participating in a Community Adventure Play Experience (CAPE). A CAPE is a play experience that utilizes “loose parts” (materials that can be played with and used to create, but are not traditional toys, i.e. tires, sticks, boxes, etc.) instead of manufactured toys and play equipment. In many schools, children are being allowed fewer and fewer opportunities to play as teachers try to cram more and more academic material into the school day. However, all of the literature suggests that …

Bridging Play And Social Interaction In Young Children With Language Delays, Angela Miller

Child Development Theses

Children tend to develop skills in specific trajectories that have been heavily researched and theorized. However, some children exhibit delays in their development which then might have effects on other skills and areas of development. This paper will outline the typical developmental stages that children go through in terms of their physical, cognitive, social-emotional, language and play development. It will also detail a child’s development of play skills and how other areas of development, with special focus on social-emotional and language development, contribute to acquisition of play skills and, alternatively, how play development often contributes to progression of development in …

Behavior Modification: Addressing The Challenging Behaviors Within An Early Childhood Program, Marie Gewiss

Graduate Education Student Scholarship

Addressing challenging behaviors in our Early Childhood Programs will always be a topic of concern for the teachers as well as for the students. One solution in avoiding misbehavior is to find the antecedent before the behavior can begin to be a disruption. A discussion of the consequences are also important aspects for children and adults to understand when thinking about how to control an unwanted act of aggression. “Aggressive behavior usually follows an event that the patient perceives as provocative. Types of provocation include perceptions of disrespectful treatment; unfairness/injustice; frustration/interruption; annoying traits, and irritations” (Daffern & Tonkin, 2010, para. …

A Study Of The Effects Of Metacognitive Instruction On Reading Comprehension In The Primary Classroom, Sara Wing

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine if a relationship existed between metacognitive instruction and students’ growth rate for fluency, accuracy, self-correction rates, and comprehension in reading. The research question that guided this study was: To what extent is there a relationship between metacognitive instruction using Reciprocal Teaching method and increasing student success for first-grade emergent readers as evidenced by Curriculum-based Measurements and STAR Accelerated Reader tests. Constructivism theory was used to develop an understanding of learning that asserts student learning happens when students make meaning for themselves. The sample for this study was a convenient of 16 first-grade …

Education: Ancient And Modern, Kyle Edward Eidson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

John Dewey’s progressive education differed from the classical model. The entrenchment of Dewey’s progressive education at all levels of education has led to a decline in academic performance. The modern ideas of American education hardly resemble the ones it was founded on. This paper looks at a model of classical education adopted by the American founders—as well as classical education itself—and to Dewey, the preeminent scholar and philosopher of American, progressive education, whose aim was to develop an egalitarian society trained in non-traditional academics. The paper also looks at Dewey’s child-centered model that contributes to sinking academic performance, and to …

The Relationship Between Exposure To Specialized Staff In A Classroom Setting And Observable Behaviors Among Students With Special Needs, Rachel Marie Prisco

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to identify differences in the later integration of children with mild to moderate special needs based on their exposure to specialized staff regardless of the type of preschool they attended. This is done by observing the behaviors exhibited by those students with special needs and the proportion of the student’s day in a traditional classroom. One of the most noted issues with students who have special needs is their lack of appropriate early intervention with specifically-trained staff. This may attribute to those students delay in social emotional skills, and cognitive skills. Transitions, specifically those from one classroom …

The Parent/Teacher Relationship And The Effectiveness Of The Teaching Important Parenting Skills (Tips) Program For Enhancing Parents' Knowledge About Child Development, Meghan Anderson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parent involvement in education has been highly encouraged because of its strong associations with positive developmental outcomes for children. Teaching Important Parenting Skills: TIPS for Great Kids! (TIPS) is a program in Arkansas that relays research-based information cards to parents through the support network of the teachers. This study examines how effective the TIPS program was in enhancing parent’s knowledge on child development and observes the influence of the parent-teacher relationship. Although no significant correlation was found between the parent/teacher relationship and parent knowledge, a significant correlation was discovered between the parent/teacher relationship and whether parents read the TIPS card …

Facing Diversity In Early Childhood Education: Teachers’ Perceptions, Beliefs, And Teaching Practices Of Anti-Bias Education In Korea, Yerim Hong

MSU Graduate Theses

The changing composition of early childhood classrooms challenges teachers to be more responsive to the diverse needs of all children. This study explores the challenges and successes early childhood teachers experience with facing diversity in their classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to investigate kindergarten teachers’ perceptions, beliefs, and teaching practices concerning anti-bias education in Seoul, South Korea. There were two groups of in-service kindergarten teachers, four teachers in each group, who participated in one-on-one interviews with structured and open-ended questions. The teachers in one group had more experience with teaching in diverse classroom settings than the …

Exploring The Caregiver-Child Relationship In Institutional Care Facilities In South Sudan, Jennifer Joy Telfer

MSU Graduate Theses

Institutional care for children separated from parents is expanding in Africa, but little research exists on caregiving at these institutions. This study explores the caregiver-child relationship in two residential institutions in South Sudan by investigating how caregivers experience their role and how children experience their lives in the institution. Semi- structured interviews assessed 14 caregivers’ backgrounds, parenting experience, attitudes, education, and motivations. The Orphans and Vulnerable Children Wellbeing Tool (OWT) assessed 98 adolescent residents, who also gave feedback about their answers. Caregivers employ parenting styles used by their parents and report treating non-relative children the same as biological children. Children …

Maintenance And Generalization Of Preschool Teachers' Use Of Behavior Specific Praise Following In Situ Training, Zachary Charles Labrot

Dissertations

This study tested the efficacy of in situ training via a multiple baseline design across participants for increasing four Head Start teachers’ use of behavior specific praise (BSP) in classroom settings while evaluating concomitant changes in their classes’ behavior. Of further interest was the extent to which Head Start teachers maintained and generalized use of BSP in untrained settings. The results of this study indicate that in situ training was effective for increasing Head Start teachers’ use of BSP above baseline rates and generally maintained above a predetermined criterion (i.e., .5 BSP statements per minute). Data also indicate that Head …

"When Do We Play?": Administrator, Teacher, And Parent Perceptions Of Play In A Catholic Kindergarten Classroom, Aimée Eva Ramirez

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Educational reforms have created a climate of accountability and high academic pressure that has resulted in a pushing down of the curriculum into early childhood education. Once a prominent pedagogical feature, play is disappearing from kindergarten. The following is a doctoral dissertation that studied administrator, teacher, and parent perceptions of play and its role within the kindergarten curriculum at a Catholic elementary school in the Los Angeles Archdiocese. Using a qualitative case study method, the study noted how play was utilized in transitional kindergarten and traditional kindergarten classrooms at the school site. Interviews, classroom observations, and document review of school …

Caregiver-Child Experiences, Education, And Perceptions Of Children’S Play, Kathryn B. Blankenship

Human Development and Family Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

From early on in their lives, children use play as a way to explore their environment and as a catalyst to begin the process of learning. Children play in a variety of forms-dramatic play, playing with blocks, rough and tumble play, playing with dolls, etc.-that play is involved in nearly every aspect of their lives. It is important to study children’s play, as well as the perceptions of play by important adults in their lives, because it is so deeply entrenched in their development. A survey was created to understand the perceptions of teachers on young children’s play, as well …

Putnam County, Tennessee’S Prekindergarten Program As Measured By Test Scores, Gpa, Attendance, And Discipline Reports In 3rd, 7th, And 9th Grade, Christopher J. Winningham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a significant difference in the academic and behavioral performance of students who had attended Putnam County’s prekindergarten program and students who qualified for, but had not attended Putnam County’s prekindergarten program. The researcher examined individual student data of specific students in three grade bands (elementary, middle, and high school). The grade levels included 3rd grade, 7th grade, and 9th grade. The data analyzed were students’ individual GPA, ACT Explore scores, MAP Universal Screener scores, number of days absent, and number of discipline referrals of students who had attended …

Getting It Right: African American Male College/University Presidents And Their Early Cultivation Of Self-Efficacy, James Randall

Doctoral Dissertations

GETTING IT RIGHT: AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS AND THEIR EARLY CULTIVATION OF SELF-EFFICACY MAY 2017 JAMES ANTHONY RANDALL, B.A., MOREHOUSE COLLEGE M.S.W., UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, COLLEGE OF SOCIAL POLICY AND PRACTICE Ph.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by Joseph B. Berger Education remains the single most important means by which individuals in the United States can empower themselves economically, socially, and personally. In spite of this, a significant percentage of young African American males do not even appear to be competing or reaching for the educational opportunities before them as they rank the poorest amongst their peers in a …

Análisis De Las Estrategias Didácticas Utilizadas Por Los Docentes Para El Desarrollo Del Razonamiento Matemático En Estudiantes De Grado Tercero Del Colegio Antonio Nariño - La Yopalosa, Municipio De Nunchía – Casanare, Yolanda Alfonso Gutierrez, Luis Alberto Niño Gonzalez

Maestría en Docencia (Yopal)

Este proyecto centra su atención en el análisis de las estrategias didácticas utilizadas por los docentes para desarrollar el razonamiento matemático de los estudiantes de grado tercero de la Institución Educativa Antonio Nariño La Yopalosa, a fin de posibilitar en los estudiantes mejores niveles de aprendizaje y fortalecer el pensamiento crítico, reflexivo y creativo, implicando que sean más competentes académicamente y en la vida cotidiana. En tal sentido, la investigación de enfoque Cualitativo y de tipo descriptivo, se desarrolló a través del método Investigación-Acción. La recolección de la información se llevó a cabo mediante la técnica principal de la Observación, …

Navigating The Changing Landscape Of Early Education Within A Preschool Setting, Heather L. Beaudin

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

Currently, early education in Ontario is rapidly transforming to meet the diverse needs and demands of children, educators and families. With each change that the sector experiences leaders in early childhood education are called to guide their team through the change process. One recent change that leaders have been faced with is the implementation of Full-Day Kindergarten across the province and its impact on child care programs. Considering the wide range of child care programs that have been affected by Full-Day Kindergarten, this Organizational Improvement Plan explores a significant problem of practice: how can key stakeholders within a child …

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. …

Redshirting: A Critical, Historical Analysis Of The Changing Theories, Policies, And Practices Of Children's Transition Into Kindergarten, Lisa Babel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper examines the contemporary debate over redshirting within the context of a historical analysis of how schools in the United States have addressed children’s transition into kindergarten. It also considers how preparation for the transition to school is cause for concern that has varied greatly depending on the socio-economic conditions of children’s families. Redshirting is the term currently being used to define a child’s delayed entry into kindergarten, usually with the intention of creating an additional year for that child to develop socially and to strive academically. Central to understanding this phenomenon and how to address it is the …