Education Commons^™

Translanguaging And Identity In A Kindergarten Classroom: Validating Student's Home Culture And Language In An English-Only Era, Maria Eugenia Lozano Lenis

Doctoral Dissertations

This ethnographic multi-year study examines the effects of federal and state education policies in language-minority school children’s in Western Massachusetts. Specifically, it explores, how, in an increasingly English Only era, a Latina kindergarten teacher resists Massachusetts' restrictive bilingual education law at the same time that she builds on her students’ multi-ethnic identity. Methodologically, this study combines ethnographic and discourse analysis methods and techniques analyzing the curricular effects that the NCLB and the state of Massachusetts language policy have on an underperforming school serving a predominantly Latino/a population. The focus of the study is the literacy practices enacted by a Dominican …

The Impact Of Early Numeracy Intervention On Kindergarten Students, Jennifer L. Hill

EDL Sixth Year Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of early numeracy intervention with kindergarten students. In order to grow a stronger understanding of how providing mathematics intervention can benefit students, the intervention was provided to kindergarten students aimed to seek answers to how providing the earliest possible intervention can positively impact the achievement gap and a child’s understanding of number. This study explored the impact early numeracy intervention had on five kindergarten students and compared their growth to those of their peers not receiving intervention to determine the positive impact providing Response to Intervention had on kindergarten students. …

The Relationship Between An Affective Instructional Design, Children’S Attitudes Toward Mathematics, And Math Learning For Kindergarten-Age Children, Wendee B. White Mrs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between an Affective Instructional Design (AID), children’s attitudes toward math, and math learning. Participants included 15 kindergarten children at a university K-12 laboratory school located in East Tennessee. This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-intervention (AID)-posttest design. Data, including pretest/posttest attitude surveys, and baseline and intervention non-participant video observations of math learning and math attitudes, during 13 math lessons were coded and analyzed. As hypothesized, a significant positive correlation (r = 0.936, p = 0.000) was found between attitude and math learning. Additionally significant differences were found between the baseline (pre-intervention) mean score and the final …

Story Elements For Kindergarten, Renee D. Faulk

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Story Elements for Kindergarten

This unit will help students understand that authors use story elements to create stories and that readers can anchor comprehension by identifying these elements. Two authors will be used in this inquiry over a two week period. The first week will survey books by Kevin Henkes. The second week will examine stories by Tomie dePaola. Note that other children’s authors may replace these two or may be used to continue this study. This unit was created to parallel a writing unit studying authors’ craft. Each week can be used to notice what techniques an author uses …

An Exploration Of How Using Best Practices Curriculum With Tutoring Affects Kindergarten Literacy: A Literature Review, Cay Collins

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Early interventions are being used to improve reading skills in children. The purpose of this literature review is to examine the best practices used in kindergarten literacy. The review will look at some of the current tools used in schools that have produced positive results. It will also examine the Wildcat Buddies tutoring program at Central Washington University, which uses the Sound Partners curriculum. The review will focus on how using current programs with tutors may positively impact literacy outcomes for early learners.

Increasing Phonemic Awareness In Kindergarten Students: Using Ipads In Language Arts Centers, Michelle Harrison

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Language arts teachers find that students at any elementary grade show a wide range of abilities, specifically in the area of phonemic awareness. Student abilities are not evaluated accurately using paper pencil tests.

A review of the literature addresses teaching approaches and effective use of technology in an elementary classroom. Implications of the research suggest that student engagement with technology have an impact on their learning (Kearsley & Shneiderman 1998). The research indicates that, if teachers do not monitor progress,students often view the use of iPad apps as games, not educational opportunities. Research findings emphasize that in order for students …

Integrating Ipads In The Kindergarten Classroom: How Does Technology Engage Students In Learning?, Kristine Ray

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

Abstract:

This action research was conducted over the course of a semester with 22 kindergarteners at a public school in Lincoln, Nebraska. The researcher set out to find how technology engaged students in learning using iPads. The students were given a questionnaire to determine prior interactions with technology such as tablets, smartphones, computers or laptops. Majority of students viewed these devices for entertainment and pleasure. After integrating the use of iPads in the classroom for whole group instruction, during guided reading for small group instruction, and during choice time, the students viewed the devices as a learning tool as well …

Cursive Handwriting With Kindergartners, Amy J. Carlson

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Abstract This action research studied the impact of Handwriting Without Tears® (HWT) cursive instruction on handwriting skills for kindergarten students. The study occurred in an early childhood (ages 3-6) classroom at a private Montessori school. Eight students received multisensory HWT cursive instruction twenty minutes per day for six weeks. Sources of data included participant print and cursive writing samples analyzed with a rubric, HWT print assessments, scored attitude scales of participants’ feelings about handwriting, a tally sheet of writing works chosen, and a teacher journal. Following the intervention, participants’ scored higher on the HWT assessment, especially in the section regarding …

When And How To Appropriately Implement Teaching Tools And Strategies For Early Childhood Numeracy, Elizabeth Bartha, Julie Dombai

Education: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The Augustana/Longfellow Number Sense Project (NSP) is a collaborative action research project that was created to provide purposeful, individualized instruction for Longfellow’s kindergarteners and enhance the teacher education program at Augustana. During this program, we work with Kindergarten students on mathematical concepts and skills. Our lessons incorporate both hands-on materials and educational software into our lessons. As we became familiar with this software, we began to suggest ways we could improve the software as well as ideas for new applications designed to help meet needs the students encountered in the classroom. Because the students interacted with a variety of teaching …

Parental Expectations And Perspectives As They Relate To Their Children With Special Education Needs (Sen) During Transition From Early Intervention/Preschool To Kindergarten, Arika Spencer-Brown

Dissertations

Parental Expectations and Perspectives as They Relate to Their Children with Special Education Needs (SEN) During Transition From Early Intervention/Preschool to Kindergarten

By Arika Spencer-Brown

The purpose of this study was to define parent perspective and expectation as it pertains to their children with special needs transition process using a descriptive method. This study was designed to assess the perception and expectation of third year and first year Head Start families and provide insight into how effective their special needs transition was from preschool into kindergarten and the individuals related to the overall development of an Individualized Family Service Plan …

Dancing Literacy: Expanding Children’S And Teachers’ Literacy Repertoires Through Embodied Knowing, Allison Leonard, Anna H. Hall, Danielle Herro

Anna H Hall

This paper explores dance as literacy. Specifically, it examines qualitative case study research findings and student examples from a dance artist-in-residence that explored curricular content using dance as its primary mode of inquiry and expression. Throughout the residency, students constructed meaning through their dance experiences in dynamic and autonomous ways, exhibiting complex literacy practices of inquiry and communication. Focusing on the kindergarten student participants’ experiences, the authors highlight three themes in their dance literacy practices: (a) artistic autonomy, (b) embodied knowledge, and (c) multimodality. As embodied knowledge, dance innately allowed for integrative literacy possibilities in the dance residency. The dance …

Dancing Literacy: Expanding Children’S And Teachers’ Literacy Repertoires Through Embodied Knowing, Allison Leonard, Anna H. Hall, Danielle Herro

Anna H Hall

This paper explores dance as literacy. Specifically, it examines qualitative case study research findings and student examples from a dance artist-in-residence that explored curricular content using dance as its primary mode of inquiry and expression. Throughout the residency, students constructed meaning through their dance experiences in dynamic and autonomous ways, exhibiting complex literacy practices of inquiry and communication. Focusing on the kindergarten student participants’ experiences, the authors highlight three themes in their dance literacy practices: (a) artistic autonomy, (b) embodied knowledge, and (c) multimodality. As embodied knowledge, dance innately allowed for integrative literacy possibilities in the dance residency. The dance …

Opportunities For Play-Based Experiences In Post "No Child Left Behind" Kindergarten Classrooms: The Role Of Training, Resources, And Accountability Pressures In Meeting Best Practices, Cristina Medellin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In response to No Child Left Behind (NCLB), opportunities for play-based experiences in classrooms have been challenged over the past decade. Despite research demonstrating the educational benefits of child driven play, teachers and schools have been pressured to focus on improving children's success on standardized assessments which may not relate to the developmental achievements expected from activity based experiences. To explore teachers' response to the tension between assessment driven mandates and best early childhood practices, this study investigated which factors influence teacher practices and values. Specifically, how do teacher training and classroom resources influence teachers' values about the appropriateness of …

Dancing Literacy: Expanding Children’S And Teachers’ Literacy Repertoires Through Embodied Knowing, Allison Leonard, Anna H. Hall, Danielle Herro

Publications

This paper explores dance as literacy. Specifically, it examines qualitative case study research findings and student examples from a dance artist-in-residence that explored curricular content using dance as its primary mode of inquiry and expression. Throughout the residency, students constructed meaning through their dance experiences in dynamic and autonomous ways, exhibiting complex literacy practices of inquiry and communication. Focusing on the kindergarten student participants’ experiences, the authors highlight three themes in their dance literacy practices: (a) artistic autonomy, (b) embodied knowledge, and (c) multimodality. As embodied knowledge, dance innately allowed for integrative literacy possibilities in the dance residency. The dance …

Test-Taking Or Not In The Early Years, Anne Santa

Progressive Education in Context

Explains why the Bank Street School for Children does not use an admissions test for young children applying to the program.

Parental Goal Orientations For Their Kindergarten Children: Introducing The Nuremberg Parental Goal Orientation Scales (Nupagos), Marold Reutlinger, Anke Ballmann, Wilma Vialle, Zhitian Zhang, Albert Ziegler

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study introduces the Nuremberg Parental Goal Orientation Scales (NuPaGOS) which were designed to measure kindergarten children's parents' goal orientations for their children. The postulated four goal orientations are learning goal orientation, performance goal orientation, well-being goal orientation and fear of over-demanding orientation. We expected that the four factors underlie a g-factor. The hypothesis concerning the structure of the goal orientations was confirmed in a study with 203 parents of kindergarten children. Correlational analyses with validation variables provide initial evidence for the concurrent and discriminant validity of the NuPaGOS.

Examining The Impact Of Pre-K And Kindergarten Classroom Alignment On School Readiness Outcomes, Margaret Deane Franko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored children’s experiences of instructional alignment from prekindergarten to kindergarten and analyzed the impact of those alignment experiences on children’s school readiness outcomes. The study answered the following overarching research question: Does the alignment of children’s learning experiences between prekindergarten and kindergarten impact school readiness outcomes? Three sub-questions drove the research design: (1) How do children’s prekindergarten and kindergarten learning experiences align; (2) To what extent does the alignment of early learning experiences predict children’s school readiness outcomes; and (3) Does the quality of prekindergarten classroom teacher interactions moderate the impact of any PK-K alignment effects? Using cluster …

The Relationship Among Esol Services, Vocabulary, And Reading Comprehension In Primary Grades, Cassandra Marie Arcila-Knortz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the growing English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) population in the United States, English instruction is becoming vitally important in schools. Despite this growing need, many schools are eliminating ESOL support services that promote English learning, and some schools are eliminating ESOL support services in primary grades. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether providing ESOL support in kindergarten improved students' reading level, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Vygotsky's social learning theory and theory of proximal development provided the theoretical framework of the study. The research questions concerned differences in comprehension scores, vocabulary scores, and reading …

A National Survey Of Kindergarten Screening : Purposes, Tests, And Procedures, Kiana Ashley Jannesari

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Kindergarten screening is an opportunity to assess all entering school children and decide whether they are in need of further evaluation. Current school district level policies and procedures, however, have not previously been documented on a national level, including those to be used for individuals from diverse backgrounds (i.e., English Language Learners). In the past, school entry assessments have, at times, been linked to decisions about children's school readiness, which is problematic because screening does not provide diagnostic information, and definitive conclusions may not be made based on the results. Also, a major challenge for screening programs is the limited …