Education Commons^™

Paraprofessional Training Materials, Program Implementation & Review, Breann Brewer

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

If ever you enter a special education classroom, you may encounter a few events. You may witness a classroom of impressive, almost automatic interactions, delivered in a way so eloquent that the students and staff seem to be in an effortless dance with one another. Or, you may witness a classroom that feels heavy with needs; needs of more staff, more help, more hands, and more time. This visual exercise demonstrates how the structure of a special education classroom sets the tone for student growth and success.

One pivotal part of a special education classroom is the paraeducators. Paraeducators, also …

Using Head Start Children's Language Development To Predict Social Information Processing Ability, Kendra Newman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As young children grow and develop, gaining social skills and different language abilities is extremely important. As children develop, they also acquire the ability to process social information, which then helps them respond in various social situations. Children should eventually be able to respond to social situations in socially acceptable ways, instead of answering in aggressive or passive ways. This study examined the relations between children’s language development, and social information processing ability. This study included 51 children, from 19 Head Start classrooms. Results showed that at the beginning of the Head Start year children with more language, responded in …

Preschool Children's Development In Number, Geometry, And Executive Function: A Cross-Lagged Examination, Brionne G. Neilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Children develop rapidly during early childhood, and this includes their mathematics and executive function (EF) skills. Past research has focused on connections between early mathematics and EF, but more work was needed to fully understand these relations. In particular, past studies have generally used numeracy-based measures to assess early mathematics, although professional guidelines indicate a more comprehensive construct that includes geometry. The research herein addresses some of the gaps of previous work as it examines unique connections between early number, geometry, and EF. One hundred eighteen preschool children from urban and rural communities, being an average age of 53 months …

Psychosocial Effects Of Shared Book Reading, Amy Halling

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many studies have examined the academic benefits of parents reading with their children, but few studies have looked at the psychological and social benefits, and even fewer have related the quality of shared book reading to psycho-social benefits. This study looked at whether positive and negative reading interactions during shared book reading predicted parent-child relationships, child social skills and child academic skills. Twenty-five parents of 4-year-olds read a story with their child and completed parent relationship and child social skills questionnaires. The reading interactions were then coded into two separate composite scores: positive and negative. Positive interactions did not significantly …

An Evaluation Of An Interactive Computerized Training To Teach Instructors How To Respond During An Active Shooter Situation, Lorraine A. Becerra

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Active shooter events in the U.S. are occurring more often in commercial environment and schools. In these emergency situations educators must quickly decide to complete actions that will protect themselves and their students. Typically, during these situations, the educator should complete in a run, hide, or fight sequence of behaviors. The educator must also consider challenges for their student’s particular disabilities during these situations. Interactive computerized training (ICT) may be one easy method to teach educators these procedures. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of interactive computerized training to help educators learn how to respond during …

Relationships Among Preschool Attendance, Type, And Quality And Early Mathematical Literacy, Jennifer E. Throndsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As students enter kindergarten, some students are more academically prepared than others. This study looked at the relationships among preschool attendance, preschool type (i.e., public, private, Head Start, and home-based technology providers) and preschool quality and early mathematical literacy skills for diverse students. The study sought to answer three research questions: What is the relationship between preschool attendance and early mathematical literacy? What is the relationship between preschool type and early mathematical literacy? What is the relationship between preschool quality and early mathematical literacy? Within each research question, there was also an investigation to see if there were differing effects …

An Analysis Of Variability Of Play Behavior With Preschool Children With Autism, Mary Katherine Endicott Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Children with autism often display repetitive, stereotypical movements with toys in lieu of appropriate play skills. Unlike typically developing children, they do not vary their play with toys. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether three preschoolers with autism would vary their play actions when exposed to a lag schedule of reinforcement and physical prompting procedure. All three participants demonstrated varied play actions with the lag schedule and prompting procedure in place. These behaviors maintained when a probe was conducted two weeks later in the absence of the lag schedule. Although responding was high in the 2-week …

Training Early Childhood Educators To Identify Behavior Function And Select Function-Matched Interventions, Laura V. Cox

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Problem behavior in the classroom can have a negative impact not only on the student’s learning but on his or her social interactions and the child may risk rejection by teachers and peers. This study evaluated the effects of a training package delivered to preschool teachers on their ability to identify what may be causing the problem behavior and identify strategies that may reduce problem behavior.

Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of this training package in older age groups or grade levels as well as to other professionals who work with children with problem behavior. Results from this study …

An Evaluation Of An Ipad-Based Activity Schedule, Kassidy Stuart Reinert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A visual activity schedule is a set of pictures or words that can be used to teach an individual with disabilities to complete a set of tasks. These schedules can help individuals with disabilities to become more independent and complete tasks appropriately. Children with autism often engage in behaviors that are repetitive or not appropriate when playing. Visual activity schedules have been used to teach a variety of skill and teach appropriate play. Typically, activity schedules are paper based; this study examines the use of an activity schedule taught on an iPad. This study included three young boys with a …

Teacher Perception Of Social/Emotional Skills Of Preschool Children And The Relationship To Common Core Standards, A. Mi'kel Price

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Sampson is a 4-year-old preschooler. It is difficult for him to make friends, understand simple social settings, and interact with peers. He struggles to interpret incoming contextual information (such as talking to a peer about the blocks they are playing with), has difficulty comprehending non-literal/figurative expressions (such as jokes and irony), and implicit messages (such as when a child does not want to play with him). Sampson’s difficulties increase his risk of social isolation and lower self-esteem.

This vignette offers a glimpse into the challenges faced by children with low social/emotional skills. The social use of language, often referred to …

The Use Of A Discrimination Training Procedure To Teach Mand Variability To Children With Autism, Matthew T. Brodhead

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Repetitive behavior and delays in communication are core deficits of autism spectrum disorder. As a result, individuals with autism often engage in repetitive verbal behavior, and they may not vary their verbal behavior, even when the situation demands it. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a script training and discrimination training procedure on mand variability in preschoolers with autism. Participants were taught to vary their vocal mands in the presence of written scripts, a green placemat, and Lag schedule of reinforcement. They were also taught to not vary their vocal mands in the presence of …

The Importance Of Developmentally Appropriate Practice In Early Childhood Education, Jeneille Larsen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

It is important for educators, parents and families to know how children learn and what options of early education and curriculum are available. Three theorists and their theories on how children learn and obtain information, the NAEYC's statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practice and various preschool's throughout the world and their methods and curriculum is discussed. A "perfect" preschool method is then proposed using all the previous information to formulate the ideal preschool and curriculum.

Preschool Nutrition Education And Influences On Food Neophobia, Kelsey Eller

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Food neophobia, the fear of new foods, has been identified as a significant barrier to the intake of healthy foods, including fruits and vegetables in young children. Food neophobia can hinder dietary quality as well as dietary variety by limiting the development of food preferences. It has also been suggested that neophobia is linked to the development of childhood obesity, and due to the escalating epidemic of childhood obesity that is known to be associated with serious health complications, interventions that target food neophobia in preschool aged children may be successful in improving healthy eating habits and potentially reversing the …

Mother-Child Attachment And Preschool Behavior Problems In Children With Developmental Delays, Mary S. Lamont

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Secure mother-child attachment has been found to be an important factor in the healthy emotional development of children and has been shown to have effects on child, adolescent, and adult behavior. Previous research has primarily focused on attachment in children who are typically developing. However, little research has been conducted in populations of children with developmental delays. The research thus far has suggested that medical situations, child disabilities and maternal emotions may affect interaction patterns between the mother and the child which may in turn influence the security of the mother-child attachment in children with developmental delays. This study contributes …

The Effect Of A Narrative Intervention On Preschoolers' Story Retelling And Personal Story Generation Skills, Trina D. Spencer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Narration, or storytelling, is an important aspect of language. Narrative skills have practical and social importance; for example, children who tell good stories receive attention and approval from their peers. When children accurately recount events surrounding an injury or dispute, vital information is passed to parents and teachers. Additionally, early childhood narrative skills are moderately correlated with reading comprehension in primary grades. Because narration is socially and academically valued, language interventionists often address it. The research literature on narrative intervention has most often included school-aged participants and those with language or learning difficulties. Only a small number of studies have …

Examining The Effects Of A Self-Study Package On Teachers' Use Of Coincidental Teaching In Preschool Classrooms, Laurie A. Dinnebeil

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This investigation examined the effects of a self-study package on three early childhood special education teachers' use of coincidental teaching with preschool children with, or at risk for, disabilities. The results of this investigation showed that all teachers performed better on a posttest than a pretest measure for knowledge of coincidental teaching. Teachers were also able to complete a series of written assignments pertaining to coincidental teaching. Increases in coincidental teaching knowledge, however, were not accompanied by changes in coincidental teaching behavior for two of the three teachers. Participating teachers reported satisfaction with the self-study package as an instructional format …

Nutritional Understanding Of Preschool Children Taught In The Home And Child Development Laboratory, Thomas R. Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was devised to determine the readiness of preschool children to learn about basic concepts of nutrition. Sixty preschool children enrolled in the Utah State University Child Development Laboratory, comprised the sample. Twenty children were taught at home by parents, 20 were taught at the Laboratory, and 20 received no instruction. The curriculum was based on the concept of nutrient density and used the Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ) in developing instructional materials. INQ is an index for comparing the amount of nutrients to the amount of calories in a food. Food Profile Cards, visual representations of this information …

The Preschool Child's Knowledge Of Musical Pitch, Farol Ann Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this study was to determine what kinds of musical instruments were most effective in developing pitch discrimination in preschool children. Five melody instruments were used in this study, including a wooden soprano recorder, a C flute, a commercially made xylophone, a melodica, and a set of cut conduit pipes played as a xylophone-type instrument. Children from the Child Development Labs at Utah State University, Logan, Utah comprised the sample.

It was found that children do identify high and low pitches more easily in some instruments than in others. They discriminated between high and low pitches of the …

The Content Of Preschool Children's Original Stories, Danae Elaine Dana

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The early years of childhood are characterized by new ideas; experimentation; the building of relationships; fears, both real and imagined; and play, through which the child tries to assemble these experiences into a meaningful whole. The early years are an exciting, complex and vibrant time of learning while the child grows in his understanding of himself and the world around him.

Differences In Frustration Reactions Of A Group Of Preschool Children, Lorraine Storey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent years, the concept of frustration has been central in both mental hygiene and social psychology. This is rightfully so. Frustration has been defined as any kind of thwarting or blocking of the motive (4, 7, 14). Any person involved in modern day living is confronted with many types of situations which do actually block or thwart his wishes or drives. A person may be blocked because of conditions existing in the environment, because of personal inadequacies, and because of conflicting drives. Since a person is forced to face so many sources of frustration, the method that he chooses …