Education Commons^™

Speaking From Places: A Phenomenological Deconstructive Study Of Children’S Places, Child-Centric Methods, And Politics., Sugandh Dixit

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation adopts an innovative phenomenological and deconstructive methodology to create a child-centric research process sensitive to facilitating, integrating, and representing children’s voices in designing their school playground. The study developed and employed two novel child-centric methods, an Embedded Walk and a Communal Child-Map Project in order to integrate parents’ and children’s experiences of the school spaces the authorities planned to renovate. Both methods reveal and complicate the socio-political dynamics that structure children’s, parents’, and researchers’ stances towards children’s places and worlds. During the Embedded Walk, children led their parents through their play spaces and they collaboratively documented the childrens’ …

The Effect Of Ipad Instruction On Capital Letter Recognition Of Preschoolers, Jessica Adkins

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to look at the effect of iPad instruction on capital letter recognition in preschool children between the ages of four and five. The study divided participants into two groups. One group received capital letter instruction with an iPad. The second group received capital letter instruction using letter manipulatives. Letter manipulatives were wooden puzzle letters. Baseline data was taken on capital letter recognition of all participants before this study began. At the end of the study, data was taken on capital letter recognition of all participants. Baseline and final data was compared to show growth. …

The Effect Of Instruction (Rapid Automatic Naming Versus Repeated Read Aloud) On Vocabulary Building For Preschool Children, Alison Bendickson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

STUDY ABSTRACT

Title

The Effect of Instruction (Rapid Automatic Naming Versus Repeated Read Aloud) on Vocabulary Building for Preschool Children

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this research was to determine whether using the strategy of rapid automatic naming or repeated read aloud would increase children’s vocabulary development. The study assessed children in an inclusive classroom. The participants were 3 year old students who required specialized instruction and have Individual Education Programs and students who were typically developing. The students were assessed using Individual Growth and Development Indicators (picture naming) to assess which intervention strategy produced more growth in …

Impacts Of Repeated Reading On Fluency And Comprehension, Tina Podemski

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

In this study, the effects of repeated read aloud interventions in the preschool setting on reading fluency/oral language and comprehension were investigated. Participants in this study included seven students who were all four years of age. Participants faced a variety of factors such as: foster care, mental health and special education. Student participants were determined following an assessment of early literacy skills using the Preschool Early Literacy Indicators (PELI); this assessment focuses on four main areas of early literacy: alphabet knowledge (naming and sounds), vocabulary/oral language (picture naming fluency), comprehension and phonological awareness. Students were selected to participate in tier …

Classroom Strategies To Increase Kindergarten Readiness Of Preschool Ell Students, Cirissa Afonja

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

There are more preschool children in the United States who are English Language Learners than any other age group. This research examines the effects of providing modeling, visuals, and music strategies to English Language Learners in a preschool classroom to increase their literacy, language, and communication skills. The study’s goal was to determine if the specific classroom strategies would improve the participants English language, literacy and communication skills to be kindergarten ready with their same age English speaking peers. The study used language surveys and an assessment to determine which students were English Language Learners, and if they needed …

The Effects Of An Interprofessional Emergent Writing Intervention For Preschoolers, Danika L. Pfeiffer

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This pre-post design study explored the effects of an emergent writing interprofessional education (IPE) experience for preprofessional speech-language pathology (SLPs) and occupational therapy (OT) students. Six preprofessional SLP students and three preprofessional OT students participated in the study, which had two conditions: (a) unpaired SLPs, and (b) SLP and OT pairs. The preprofessional students delivered 8-10 emergent writing interventions to preschoolers in small groups. The preprofessional students’ learning about emergent writing concepts and interprofessional collaborative practice (IPP) was supported through structured debriefs with their clinical supervisors after each session, as well as facilitated discussions to discuss supplemental readings and their …

Developing Social And Emotional Skills In Early Childhood Instruction: A Delphi Study, Tess Breen

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to explore social and emotional learning in early childhood instruction with an emphasis on identifying the methods expert early childhood teachers use to support and promote the development of empathy and emotion regulation, to have the teachers rate the impact of these methods, and to identify the specific activities used to implement the six most highly rated methods.

Methodology: This study utilized the Delphi method which is an iterative process used to collect and distill the judgments of experts using a series of questionnaires interspersed with feedback. Fourteen participants recommended strategies to …

The Interplay Between Early Childhood Education And Mental Health: How Students In An In-Service Early Childhood Teacher Education Program Experience Children With Mental Health And Behavioral Challenges In The Classroom, Katie Statman-Weil

Dissertations and Theses

All early childhood educators who work with children between birth and six years of age are likely to encounter young children who experience behavioral and mental health challenges throughout their careers. Research demonstrates that educators can play a vital role in children's mental health and behavioral development. However, often early childhood educators do not believe they have the knowledge or tools to accurately identify and successfully handle the unique challenges that arise when working with children with behavioral and mental health issues.

Using an Anti-Oppressive Framework, this research study explores, through a qualitative case study design, how students in an …

The Effect Of Social Stories On The Positive Play Behaviors And Social Interactions Of Preschool Students With Developmental Disabilities, Lauren Lee Divittorio

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this single subject design study was to determine the effectiveness of social stories on the positive play behaviors and social interactions of preschool students with developmental disabilities. The satisfaction of staff members with the implementation of social stories in the classroom was also examined. Preschool students in the study showed an increase in positive social interactions including turn-taking, using verbal and non-verbal communication to express their feelings during play, and overall positive play behaviors after implementation of social stories. Staff members reported positive social validity of the intervention. Implications for using social stories with preschool students with …

Early-Childhood Computer-Based Testing: Effects Of A Digital Literacy Intervention On Student Confidence And Performance, Benjamin-David Christopher Legrand

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation

Early-childhood digital students grow up in a fast-evolving age of technology requiring them to use and create with technologies and demonstrate core content knowledge. Although third grade students are mandated to master a new language of standardized testing, a large percentage must also learn a language of technology to complete new computer-based tests to measure content mastery. Krashen (1982) defines high affective filter as negative emotional/motivational factors interfering with understanding and cognition. This high affective filter reduces confidence and negatively impacts measuring content mastery on new computerbased tests. Two third grade classrooms at a high-poverty metropolitan school participated in a …

The Effect Of Seesaw Technology On Parent Engagement At Private Montessori Schools, Stephanie Kurnava, Jamie Sellhorn

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The researchers looked at how using Seesaw technology, in a six-week parent education intervention, would affect parent engagement with their children in learning at home as well as parent understanding of Montessori principles. The research participants were 31 parents and 2 teachers at two private, urban Montessori schools. Data was collected through pre and postintervention questionnaires, teacher logs of parent questions, and Seesaw usage data. Through the intervention, we saw parent knowledge of Montessori principles, parent engagement, parent efficacy, and parent confidence in Montessori education beyond preschool increase. Parents also enjoyed interacting with each other as a community of parents, …

The Effects Of Record-Keeping On Teacher Self-Efficacy And Student Self-Regulation In The Primary Montessori Classroom, Molly W. Wheeler

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This paper examines the effects of teacher use of an online record-keeping system on teacher self-efficacy and student self-regulation behavior. Four teachers and thirty-four students between the ages of three and six years old participated in this seven-week study in one of the few Montessori schools in a Latin American capital city. Pre- and post-study data collection methods included a teacher self-efficacy questionnaire and small group discussion, as well as use of the Head-to-Toe Test, a means of measuring children’s self-regulation behavior. For seven weeks, teachers used the program Transparent Classroom to record lessons, inform their lesson presentations, and track …

The Impact Of Grace And Courtesy Instruction And Modeling On The Normalization Of A Montessori Primary Classroom, Kara A. Mahan

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research studied the effect of instructing and modeling grace and courtesy lessons on the normalization of a primary Montessori classroom. The study was conducted at a private, in-home Montessori classroom serving children three to six years of age. Nine students received daily presentations of grace and courtesy lessons over four weeks totaling twenty lessons in all. Sources of data included student-teacher conferencing, tally sheets, behavioral self-assessments, and teacher journaling. Instructing and modeling grace and courtesy lessons resulted in an increase in desired behaviors, a more positive classroom environment, and additional knowledge gained on this subject. Throughout this study, …

Children's Play, Early Literacy, And Educational (In)Equities., Jane E. Andris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is about the inclusion of play in early childhood school settings, the contested nature of curricula that are not strictly quantifiable, and the ways that institutional inequity influences children’s access to school-based play. It is situated in a public elementary school kindergarten that centered play in the curriculum with varying degrees of support from a range of stakeholders. This ethnographic phenomenological case study depended on data collection methods of observational field notes and participant interviews, and grounded theory methods were employed for analysis. Findings were that teachers and administrators need clearer understandings of play and its integral connection …

Access To Children's Books Featuring Characters With Disabilities, Jacquelyn Thompson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Shared reading and access to print have been linked to improved outcomes for young children and linked to socio-economic status (e.g Neuman, 1999; Zucker, Cabell, Justice, Pentimonti & Kaderavek, 2013). As a community, we know very little about the access to books that the diverse population of preschool age children from Northwest Arkansas have. Moreover, we know very little about the type of books available to them. This study seeks to understand how many children’s books are in select preschools of varying socioeconomic status within Northwest Arkansas that service those with and without disabilities. More pointedly, within the children’s book …

The Effectiveness Of Using Video Modeling Techniques To Improve Motor Skills For Preschool Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Atya Abdullah Hadadi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Beside the main syndromes of socialization and communication for individuals with autism spectrum disorders, they also have impairments in motor skills, such as ball skills (catching and throwing) and postural stability (standing and walking balance). The main objective of this dissertation is to improve motor skills for preschooler children with ASD through use of video-modeling techniques. A secondary objective of this research was to find a correlation between the development and improvement of ball skills and balance tasks. Twenty-six children with ASD were divided into two groups. Twenty-six children with ASD from 3-5 years old participated in two groups: one …

Father Engagement, Marisa Morales

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Monterey County Office of Education Head Start & Early Head Start Family & Community Engagement service has identified the need for father involvement in early childhood education. With a very meaningful purpose “Padres Bien Padres, Very Cool Dads”, was started. Four workshops were given to male role models to support parenting engagement with their children. In addition, professional development training was provided to head start Policy Council to raise awareness of the “Padres Bien Padres, Very Cool Dad’s” program and share different ideas and activities to improve and encourage fathers to participate in head start. The Policy Council members …

Life Through Different Lenses, Teresa Morales

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For this capstone project, my partner and I were able to explore the lack of affordable housing for low-income families and the demonstrable effect on students academic achievement. Children whose families have a difficult time finding adequate housing, live in poor conditions that limits them to acquire their learning skills and abilities to succeed. The community partner we worked with was a local Family Resource Center that provides housing assistance and other social determinants. The purpose of this research was understand how low-income families deal with inadequate living conditions and the impacts of student academic success. Based on an analysis …

Developing Identity Among Third Culture Kids, Amy Carol Rustine

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore experiences that influence the identity development among Third Culture Kids (TCKs). TCKs in this study are individuals that spend part of their developmental years in a county other than the parents’ home country requiring travel overseas. Participants in the research were adults ranging in age from 19-22 attending college in the United States. Data was collected through individual interviews. Themes emerged after developing codes and analyzing the transcripts with codes. Emerging themes reveal TCK’s tremendous struggle within awareness of difference, struggle to fit in and struggle to belong. Teachers and peers …

Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports In Transitional Kindergarten Through Second Grade Classrooms: Year Three And Beyond, Anne Driscoll-Mink

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the effects of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) on students in transitional kindergarten (TK) through second grade before implementation and after implementation of PBIS at platinum level elementary schools.

Methodology: A mixed-methods study will be used to examine the effects of PBIS on students in TK through second grade before implementation and after implementation of PBIS at platinum level elementary schools in southern California. The quantitative method was used to gather archival data on pre PBIS implementation and post PBIS implementation to determine if there was a difference in …

Learning Statistics Through Guided Block Play: A Pre-Curriculum In Statistical Literacy, Robert P. Giebitz

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

Learning to use data to investigate the world and make decisions has become an essential skill for all citizens. Play and curiosity are powerful motivators for learning. Inquiry – the process of asking questions and seeking answers – can engage the natural curiosity of young learners and motivate early learning. Recent research in statistics education has shown that children as young as 4 and 5 years old can learn to collect, organize, and interpret data they acquire through observation, counting, and measuring in a process of guided inquiry. Guided block play has been used for over 100 years to enable …

Leadership Effectiveness In Curriculum Adoption For A Kindergarten, Bo Peng

All Theses And Dissertations

This study of leadership effectiveness focused on adoption, implementation, and evaluation of kindergarten curriculum. The researcher evaluated leadership effectiveness through the processes and outcomes of the team’s decision-making. Research questions were: How does the kindergarten leadership team make decisions about adoption of kindergarten curriculum? How does the kindergarten leadership team evaluate the quality of kindergarten curriculum? How does the kindergarten leadership team evaluate student learning in the three curriculum areas of Chinese language, English language and science? How does the curriculum they have adopted align with the CKEG national standards for kindergarten curriculum in China? The program evaluation, guided by …

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 …

Home Learning In The New Mobile Age: Parent-Child Interactions During Joint Play With Educational Apps, Shayl Griffith

Doctoral Dissertations

The rapidly increasing popularity of touch screen mobile devices, and accompanying educational applications (“apps”) targeted towards preschool children, calls for a new look at parent-child interactions around educational media. Research has shown that parental involvement in children’s educational media exposure can improve engagement and learning outcomes. However, to date little information is available on how parents navigate their children’s use of educational mobile technology, or how similar or different these interactions are to more commonly studied parent-child interactions, such as around shared reading. This study described, using observational data, parent-child interactions around educational apps and mobile devices in a sample …

Critical Pedagogy In Practice: Reflections Of A K-5 Educator, Kelly Gresalfi

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The author illuminates major theoretical concepts integral to critical pedagogy as they apply to grades k-5 through a selective review of the literature and reflection on how these principles intersect with her personal and teaching experiences. A candid analysis of the author's ongoing journey to put these ideas into practice, including ways in which she has felt successful and areas she continues to find challenging, is offered. Suggestions for ways in which elementary school educators can approach their teaching practices and classroom structures through the lens of critical pedagogy are included. Reactions to the thesis from several of the …

Reading Comprehension Instruction For Young Students With High Functioning Autism: Forming Contextual Connections, Karen S. Engel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Central coherence is the ability to perceive and connect salient information in a context such as a narrative text. Weak central coherence theory describes a detail-focused cognitive style of processing information that overlooks connections. This style of processing is a shortcoming of individuals with autism compared to typically developing individuals (Frith, 2003). A six-session instructional intervention to foster coherence processing and reinforce thinking strategies was administered to first and second graders while a control group received an irrelevant treatment. There were 10 students with high functioning autism in each condition, mean age 7.06 years, 18 males and 2 females. It …

Self-Efficacy Of Early Childhood Teachers In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics, Ariella Rachel Donnelley Smith

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify the self-efficacy of early childhood teachers toward STEM subjects as measured on the Teacher Efficacy and Attitudes toward STEM Survey (T-STEM) and to explore factors that influence this confidence.

Methodology. A quantitative approach with two open-ended items was selected for this study, seeking to elicit both quantitative and qualitative data from participants. This approach allowed for multiple viewpoints to be expressed, with the qualitative data collected simultaneously with the quantitative data, and the former designed to illuminate reasons influencing the latter in a complimentary approach. The population for the study included …

The Development Of Young Children’S Social Identity In An Era Of Digital Tools, Sharon Rochelle Kaplan-Berkley

Educational Studies Dissertations

The advancement of innovative digital technologies has created a generation of digital natives (children) growing up in a diverse environment designed by a population of digital immigrants (adults). Consequently, this everyday experience has created some dissonance in their lifestyles, raising questions for educational leaders. The purpose of this mini-ethnographic case study was to develop a deeper understanding of how engaging with digital tools shapes the social interactions of young children, and to examine the various ways online/offline social environments influence face-to-face social peer group formation and functioning. Furthermore, this study explored whether digital technology influences the developing social identities of …

Toward An Emerging Theory Of Leadership Competencies For Early Care And Education Systems Leaders, Julianne Zvalo-Martyn

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the competencies that early care and education systems leaders should possess as perceived by a panel of early childhood systems leadership experts. This study also identified which leadership competencies experts perceive will have the most impact on transformation of the field into an organized system of practice.

Methodology: This study used a mixed-methods Delphi approach consisting of three electronic surveys to identify competencies needed by early care and education systems leaders as perceived by a panel of national experts. Round 1 consisted of open-ended questions. Round 2 asked the panelists …

The Effect Of Book Provision On Family Shared Reading Patterns Among Women Participating In The Nurse-Family Partnership, Susan Marie Knutsen

Education Dissertations

This study sought to determine whether a book provision intervention delivered to low-income mothers participating in the Nurse-Family Partnership had an effect on family shared book reading patterns and family attitudes toward shared book reading. The 25 participants in this study were low-income, first-time mothers, aged 18-25 with infants, newborn to 12 months of age at recruitment (13 male, 12 female, M = 6.7 months of age) currently participating in one of three Nurse-Family Partnership agencies in Washington State.

A pretest-posttest experimental design with random assignment was conducted. A mixed factorial analysis of variance found that the book provision intervention …