Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 18 of 18
Full-Text Articles in Education
Early Childhood Care: A Comparative Analysis Of Preferred Practices, Shaija A. Mills
Early Childhood Care: A Comparative Analysis Of Preferred Practices, Shaija A. Mills
Child Development Theses
This thesis paper aims to investigate and compare the preferred practices in early childhood education and care (ECEC) across four categories: public/universal, private, outdoor, and daycare or family/in-home care. The study utilized online surveys and interviews with parents/guardians of 3-6 year old children and program directors serving children within the same age range. The primary objective was initially to identify best practices in early childhood care. However, as the study progressed, it became evident that the different approaches to early childhood education and care offered unique and valuable contributions. The research shifted from there to an exploration of the substance …
The Impact Of Covid-19 On Young Children's Education - Exploring The Compatibility Of Combining Progressive Education With Online Learning, Yini Li
Child Development Theses
The COVID-19 outbreak at the end of 2019 forced most schools around the world to move their classrooms online. This research takes the progressive education of young children as the basic educational concept and attempts to explore the compatibility of online education and progressive education of young children through interviews with educators in the United States and China. By understanding how online teaching occurred through interviews with early childhood teachers who implemented it during the COVID-19 outbreak, and the decisions and opinions of school administrators, this study compares the different teaching measures taken by early childhood teachers in the United …
Lived Experiences Of Young Adults Who Had A Sibling With Cancer In Childhood, Brittany Lawton
Lived Experiences Of Young Adults Who Had A Sibling With Cancer In Childhood, Brittany Lawton
Child Development Theses
Childhood cancer affects not only the patient but also the family, including siblings. Often siblings are given less attention and must adapt to drastic life changes in isolation, potentially leading to long-term effects in adulthood. This study explores the influence of childhood cancer on identities of young adults who were children when their siblings were diagnosed with cancer. Ten participants completed semi-structured interviews that described their experiences with childhood cancer as well as their perspectives of the impact it has had on their current lives and identities. Two themes emerged with several subthemes from the 10 participants about the processing …
Empathy At Work In A Social Service Agency: Individual Experiences And Systems Theory, Marjorie H. Blann
Empathy At Work In A Social Service Agency: Individual Experiences And Systems Theory, Marjorie H. Blann
Child Development Theses
This thesis explores empathy within interpersonal relationships at a social service organization. I conducted a research study to explore theoretical concepts and individuals’ experiences of these concepts in their work setting at a social service agency in New York City. I conducted observations and interviews through a lens of ecological systems theory and the relationalcultural approach. In this paper I review guiding concepts of empathy, attunement, and compassion fatigue, as well as the Sanctuary model. I share first-person accounts from interviews conducted during the research study to explicate individuals’ experiences related to the above concepts in their own words. I …
A Model For A Progressive Preschool Approach In Ghana, Ruth Djarbeng
A Model For A Progressive Preschool Approach In Ghana, Ruth Djarbeng
Child Development Theses
In recent years, Ghana has made strides to meet international mandates for early childhood education. With the implementation of the Early Childhood Care policy in 2004, Ghana has made attempts to provide holistic care for children 0-8 years. This thesis will be two-fold: the first part will consist of the progress Ghana has made in the years since the policy’s implementation in getting children ready for primary(grade) school. The second portion of the thesis is a proposal to the Government of Ghana (specifically, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and Ministry of Education) on a preschool approach novel …
More Than Adversity: Poverty As A Source Of Potential Trauma In Children And Adolescents, Coreen Knowles
More Than Adversity: Poverty As A Source Of Potential Trauma In Children And Adolescents, Coreen Knowles
Child Development Theses
Poverty has long been understood to be detrimental to developing children. While is it commonly viewed solely as a risk factor for experiencing other traumas, I argue here that poverty should be seen as a traumatic factor in and of itself. To support this claim, I explore several systemic and individual aspects of living in poverty which can cause significant harm to children and adolescents. Topics addressed include housing, foster care, stress as a mediator of parenting, and chronic and toxic stress in children. I also address the effects of poverty on social workers and the practical implications of viewing …
Exploring Race, Culture, And Identity Among Chinese Adoptees: “China Dolls,” “Bananas,” And “Honorary Whites”, Soleil S. Groh
Exploring Race, Culture, And Identity Among Chinese Adoptees: “China Dolls,” “Bananas,” And “Honorary Whites”, Soleil S. Groh
Child Development Theses
When exploring culture, race, and identity, Chinese adoptees in the United States often can face numerous emotions, ranging from confusion, to curiosity, to celebratory. From honoring Chinese holidays, to wearing American-style clothing, to being called a "banana", adoptees have a unique set of experiences when trying to navigate what it means to be Chinese, Chinese-American, and American. Through a series of interviews conducted with ten adult female Chinese adoptees within the U.S., this study investigates key themes related to cultural and racial identity formation. Key themes included exploring the different aspects of Chinese culture participants were exposed to, instances of …
Theory Of Mind And False Belief In Two-Year-Olds: The Smiling Butterfly Is Happy, Simone Forsberg
Theory Of Mind And False Belief In Two-Year-Olds: The Smiling Butterfly Is Happy, Simone Forsberg
Child Development Theses
Theory of mind refers to the ability to conceive of the mental lives that underlie behavior — an ability that supports virtually all interpersonal interaction. The development of theory of mind has been attributed to various cognitive, social and environmental factors. The possession of theory of mind in toddlers has been a widely disputed topic, viewed as contingent on their understanding of false-belief as demonstrated in a standard false-belief task. However, recent studies suggest that the standard task may be a weak indicator for various reasons. It may not encompass what young children are truly capable of. Some research shows …
A Reflection On How Children With Insecure Attachments In Foster Care Experience Trauma, Khadija Bleasdell
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
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
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
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 …
Autism And Language: A Case Study Of An Adolescent, Isabel Barata Adler
Autism And Language: A Case Study Of An Adolescent, Isabel Barata Adler
Child Development Theses
The present work aims to offer a different perspective on the use of language in autism, dissociating it from a defective and pathological view. The first part of this paper will present a literature review, from the first description of autism to the most recent psychiatric definition of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Both DIRFloortime® and a Lacanian psychoanalytic understanding of language in autism will be provided. In order to revisit theoretical paradigms and to investigate how an individual diagnosed with autism makes use of language, the second part will include a case study of weekly meetings with a young autistic man …
Refugee Children And Resettlement In The United States, Rachel Kerber
Refugee Children And Resettlement In The United States, Rachel Kerber
Child Development Theses
The number of displaced people worldwide has dramatically increased in the last few years, so it is imperative that we study how their experiences affect refugees in the long-term. With a particular focus on children, I reviewed the literature to learn about the stressors that refugees often face during displacement, migration, and resettlement in a new country, and the impact that these stressors may have on their mental health. I investigated how psychosocial support services and certain best practices can ease the refugee family’s transition to a new country upon resettlement. In addition, I interned at HIAS, a resettlement agency, …
Lessons In Bioecological Research Design From Flint, Mi: Get To Know The Participants!, Khushboo Shah
Lessons In Bioecological Research Design From Flint, Mi: Get To Know The Participants!, Khushboo Shah
Child Development Theses
The historic events of the Flint Water Crisis (FWC) have led to a variety of intertwined mental and physical health, developmental and sociological outcomes in Flint, MI. Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model of Human Development provides a suitable model for considering the full complexity of these factors. This model allows researchers to conceptualize within complex systems the nuanced sites and relationships in which development occurs. However, designing research based on this model is widely considered to be excessively challenging. This thesis outlines the process of designing Bioecological research in Flint, MI and presents examples from a pilot study which suggest that …
Re-Patterning Attachments At School And Beyond: An Exploration Of The Healing Power Of Relationships And School Community, Sophia Sherman
Re-Patterning Attachments At School And Beyond: An Exploration Of The Healing Power Of Relationships And School Community, Sophia Sherman
Child Development Theses
This thesis will explore ways that a child’s educational experience can repattern a child’s disrupted attachment with a caregiver. By using school as the framework for which attachment theory is examined, I will present research on school based behavioral health and intervention models. By integrating research on attachment theory, social emotional learning, resilience, strategies for strong school climate, and the role of school based behavioral health, the thesis will explore the ways in which to better support children who are struggling to succeed within their school environment. A specific case example will be presented in order to illustrate these important …
The Impact Of Childhood Chronic Illness On Mental Health: A Review Of Parent And Child Reports Of Stress And Maladaptive Behaviors In A Longitudinal Study, Caroline Raak
Child Development Theses
An estimated 16 million children live with at least one chronic medical condition in the United States. These children and their parents must contend with a variety of challenges that affect their everyday lives, as well as their future and potential outcomes. This study analyzed the relationship between having a child with a chronic medical condition and the mental health/well-being of both the child and the primary caregiver using data from the Bellevue Project for Early Language, Literacy, and Education Success (BELLE). Parent and child reports of children’s socioemotional function, and parent’s feelings of stress and depression were used as …