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Full-Text Articles in Education
Getting More Young Children Outdoors By Supporting And Encouraging Their Teachers, April Greibrok
Getting More Young Children Outdoors By Supporting And Encouraging Their Teachers, April Greibrok
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This capstone thesis used an Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods (ESMM) research design to answer the question, How do we support and encourage teachers to take their early childhood classes outdoors? While anecdotally, and through literature review, there appear to be barriers to outdoor activities, e.g., policies and regulations, or lack of safe clothing or equipment, there also is an abundance of research on the benefits of having children spend time in nature, or with natural elements. In the early childhood setting the mixed method survey research identified actual-stated common barriers to spending time outside with a class. An initial quantitative …
Dragonfly’S Toolkit: An Innovative Curriculum Framework To Facilitate Socio-Emotional And Character Development Skills In Preschoolers, Celeste Finn
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how can teachers scaffold development of the social-emotional functioning of preschoolers to improve their emotional health? To answer this question, the project included researching and developing ways to improve a child’s social-emotional awareness and character development to create a classroom culture where relationships are secure and children can thrive. This project reviewed studies from numerous experts in areas of social-emotional learning, early childhood curriculum development, executive functioning and character development to form the theoretical foundations to create a social-emotional learning and character development curriculum for children ages three to five. The research …
Perceptions Of Adult-Child Collaboration In Toddler Environments In A Midwestern Montessori School, Anne Estes
Perceptions Of Adult-Child Collaboration In Toddler Environments In A Midwestern Montessori School, Anne Estes
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to investigate adult perceptions of adult-child collaboration in two Montessori toddler environments and how it affects language, independence, and social interaction development. The study took place in one Midwestern Montessori school. The study was conducted on perceptions of adult-child collaboration through an electronic survey and intensive interviews. Five Montessori toddler assistants took the survey and two Montessori toddler guides completed intensive interviews. Once data were collected, qualitative theory methods were utilized to code, evaluate, and analyze all data. After data were re-analyzed, new theories and insights emerged surrounding how adult-child collaboration in a Montessori …
Promoting Teacher Retention And Increasing Job Satisfaction By Preventing Burnout In The Early Childhood Workforce, Erin Bergevin
Promoting Teacher Retention And Increasing Job Satisfaction By Preventing Burnout In The Early Childhood Workforce, Erin Bergevin
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Burnout is a serious psychological condition characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of reduced personal accomplishment (Maslach, 1982). When early childhood educators experience burnout, it undermines educational quality, puts children’s emotional development at risk, and compromises teachers’ mental health. Furthermore, burnout contributes to the alarmingly high rate of teacher turnover in the field of early childhood education. This project addresses the research question: How can early childhood program leaders learn to implement supportive strategies to promote teacher retention and increase job satisfaction? The project is comprised of a series of professional development sessions and a comprehensive resource handbook intended …
Building Background Knowledge To Fill The Gaps, Jaclyn Semlak
Building Background Knowledge To Fill The Gaps, Jaclyn Semlak
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this study was: How does curriculum support early intervention strategies of at risk preschoolers? Topics explored in the review of the literature include early intervention, literacy and language, oral language and vocabulary, school readiness and vocabulary instruction. Curriculum was designed for teachers instructing 4 year olds to specifically target language instruction through a tiered approach. The Understanding by Design model was used in order to create desired results, how progress will be measured, and specific lessons falling into categories of read aloud, guided group and active learning. Limitations, implications, and recommendations for future research are …
Developing A Business Model For An All-Day Nature-Based Preschool In The Twin Cities Metro Area Of Minnesota, Hannah Gall
Developing A Business Model For An All-Day Nature-Based Preschool In The Twin Cities Metro Area Of Minnesota, Hannah Gall
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, what is the best way to setup and implement a Waldkindergarten-inspired all-day nature based school for ages three to five in the Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota? The project focuses on the Waldkindergarten style of school in Western Europe and how this can be configured to the laws and weather patterns in the state of Minnesota. It focuses on the all-day aspect of this type of school, which is much less popular than a part-day program of this type due to the complexities and extra expenses of an all-day model. The …