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How Prekindergarten And Kindergarten Teachers Supported Students' School Readiness Skill Development During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Eileen Manoukian

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Scholarly literature lacks studies on how prekindergarten and kindergarten (PK-K) teachers supported students’ school readiness skill development and successful transitions to formal schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Framed by school readiness theory and social development theory, this qualitative study explored perspectives of 16 PK-K teachers to answer two research questions about how teachers support students’ school readiness skill development foster students’ successful transitions to formal schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic in a metropolitan area in the southwest region of the United States. Data were collected through one on one, semistructured interviews, and analyzed by following an inductive process using Saldaña’s …

Prekindergarten Practitioners’ Perspectives Of The Creative Curriculum For At-Risk Students, Navine Fortune

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Investigators have addressed elementary practitioners’ perspectives concerning the concept of curriculum development and children’s learning; however, much less information is available on prekindergarten practitioners’ perspectives of curriculum for at-risk prekindergarten students. This basic qualitative study explored prekindergarten practitioners’ perspectives of self-efficacy, competence, and motivation in the implementation of The Creative Curriculum for Preschool Program with at-risk students in a southeastern state. The theories of constructivism and self-efficacy guided the conceptual framework for this study. The research questions focused on prekindergarten practitioners’ perspectives of self-efficacy, competency, and motivation during implementation of the curriculum. Data were collected using in-depth semistructured interviews with …

Prekindergarten Educators' Perspectives On Professional Development About Transgender And Gender-Nonconforming Children, Danita Marie Norris Mccray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Young children start to develop an understanding of gender and gender identity in prekindergarten. Early childhood educators require professional development in creating safe, supportive learning environments for transgender and gender nonconforming children. Limited research has focused on prekindergarten educators' knowledge, skills, and dispositions about supporting transgender and gender nonconforming children in their classrooms. Framed by Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory and Derman-Sparks antibias early childhood concepts, the purpose of this basic qualitative study with interviews was to explore prekindergarten educators' perspectives on professional development about transgender and gender nonconforming children. Data were collected using semistructured, in-depth interviews with 12 prekindergarten educators …

Prekindergarten Teachers' Perspectives Of Supporting The School Readiness Of English Language Learners, Shannon Rice

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem examined in this study was that English language learners (ELLs) are not meeting readiness proficiency, which contributes to the growing learning gap between ELLs and their native English-speaking peers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of prekindergarten teachers' perspectives about what is needed to increase their effectiveness in teaching ELLs. The conceptual framework for the study was Vygotsky's sociocultural theory. Prekindergarten teachers' perspectives were examined to understand how they assess, create goals, and monitor the learning progress of ELLs as well as how they can be further supported by colleagues and administration. Data …

An English-Speaking Prekindergarten Teacher For Young Latino Children: Implications Of The Teacher…Child Relationship On Second Language Learning, Cristina Gillanders

Cristina Gillanders

This case study was designed to describe how an effective English-speaking prekindergarten teacher develops strategies for communicating with and teaching young English language learners. The teacher’s classroom practices to enhance her own relationship with the children promoted opportunities for the Latino children to become full participants in the classroom community. At the end of the year, the Latino children showed progress in formal and informal measures of receptive vocabulary in both English and Spanish. Findings from the study suggest the importance of the affective and social nature of second language learning in young children. Implications for practice and research are …

The Relationship Between Program Quality Indicators And Student Achievement In A Braided Prekindergarten Program, Susan L. Flemmons

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between prekindergarten classroom quality indicators and student achievement at the prekindergarten level. Pre-existing data on prekindergarten classroom quality measures and student achievement was utilized. Quality indicators were assessed using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) (Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008) and student achievement was measured by the end of year results on the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) (Invernizzi, Meier, Swank, & Juel, 2004) and the Bracken School Readiness Assessment end of year results (Bracken, 2007).

A quantitative ex post facto correlational research design was employed to identify relationships …

A Study Of Prekindergarten Impact On Early Literacy Readiness, Lakeisha Shantae Stokes

Dissertations

The awareness of the positive impact of prekindergarten programs on the success of early literacy of students has heightened due to the research performed on the topic (Barnett et al., 2003; Cohen, 1996; Magnuson & Waldfogel, 2005). The purpose of this study was to evaluate prekindergarten student gains in the development of early literacy skills, depending on their prekindergarten program experience. The study further examined Head Start and public school prekindergarten teachers’ knowledge of early literacy skills.

Results from the prekindergarten teacher survey indicated that public school prekindergarten teachers had higher levels of education than Head Start prekindergarten teachers. The …

Daily Calendar Group Time And The Mathematical Skills Of Preschoolers, Deborah Ann Lavine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The evidence supporting the common instructional method of daily calendar group time to teach math skills to prekindergarten children has been inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of exposure to daily calendar group time on prekindergarten children's math score gains in a private early-childhood program located in the suburban Southeast. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory guided this quantitative, causal comparative design wherein archival data from 104 prekindergarten students' pre- and posttest numeracy skill scores on the Young Children's Achievement Test were analyzed. Data from 6 classrooms over 2 school years were compared using multiple linear regression. Four …

Prekindergarten And Kindergarten Teachers' Perceptions Of Demographic Determinants And Academic Success, Melanie Ellen Boyle

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine kindergarten and prekindergarten teachers' perceptions of academic success for children based on the type of care children received prior to beginning kindergarten, as well as other demographics, which could cause variations in academic success. The researcher used a seven section multi-method survey instrument, which included teacher demographic questions, Likert-scale perception questions, and one open-ended question. Sections of inquiry included: Common Core, general academic risk factors for students, barriers to overall academic success, student demographics, and promotion of academic success for students. The survey instrument was distributed to prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers in …

Implementation Of Language And Literacy Practices By Prekindergarten Teachers In The West Virginia Universal Pre-K System, Leslie Papelier

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study investigated the perceived frequency of implementation of language and literacy practices for 217 West Virginia Pre-K teachers. Teachers were employed in public school-based and community-based classrooms for 4-year-olds. Respondents completed the Language and Literacy Practice Survey (LLPS), which measured their perceived frequency of implementation of 18 language and literacy practices. Their overall perceived ability level for implementing effective language and literacy instruction was also assessed. Respondents also rated their use of resources and materials to facilitate effective language and literacy instruction. Additionally, respondents answered open-ended qualitative questions to determine perceived constraints that may hinder their effective implementation of …

The Nieer Report: The 2004 State Preschool Yearbook Summary, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

This study was conducted by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), a is a unit of Rutgers University, which supports early childhood education policy by providing objective, nonpartisan, information based on research. The 2004 State Preschool Yearbook is the second report in a NIEER series evaluating state-funded preschool programs. It describes state-funded prekindergarten in the 2002-2003 school year. Tracking these trends is essential, since the role states play in preschool education will increasingly affect how successfully America’s next generation will compete in the knowledge economy. The State Preschool Yearbooks were developed by NIEER to serve as a resource …

The Children's House: Review Of A Decade Of Prekindergarten Education In A Laboratory Setting On A University Campus, Darlene J. Janovy

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this thesis was to trace the development of The Children's House at Mankato State University from its establishment in 1972 to the close of the 1981-82 school year. This study provided histori­cal data to document the development and progress of the program through a combination of sources including The Children's House files, University records, personal files and recollections of the writer, and personal in­terviews with key persons in the history of the program. The study pro­vided data and descriptions in regard to program philosophy, design and curriculum, funding, staffing and facilities. A review of the literature provided …