Early Childhood Education Commons^™

The Influences Of The Public Health Care System And Education System On The Economic Growth Of Swaziland, Grace Greer

International and Global Studies Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Kingdom of Eswatini, also known as Swaziland, has one of the youngest populations in the world with over 70% of citizens being under the age of 18 years old. This creates a substantial opportunity for economic, social, and educational growth in a country previously plagued with diseases such as HIV/AIDS, poor health care infrastructure cutting off thousands from basic care, and an educational system with a very low attendance rate and an even lower graduation rate. By evaluating the root causes of such issues dating back to the colonial era there is an opportunity to reprioritize health care ...

Music As A Form Of Therapy In The K-4 Special Education Classroom: A Phenomenological Study, Roger Hattaway

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe the perceptions of elementary K-4th grade teachers on the effects of music therapy as it pertains to academics and behavioral incidents in the special education classroom (Gooding, 2010).

Methodology: This qualitative study used a phenomenological design to ascertain the perception of the teachers on the impact of music therapy regarding academics of students in the K-4 grade special education classroom. The data were collected using the descriptive narrative to ascertain the perception of the changes in academics and behavior gathered from the interview questions.

Findings: Analysis of the ...

Art And Eco Therapies: Benefits To Motor Development Of Preschool-Age Children In The Screen Era, Tatiana J. Miranda Orama

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

In the highly technological society we currently live in, children are spending more time in front of screens instead of engaging in play or spending time in nature. Screen time has increased significantly in the past year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Excess screen time poses a threat to the motor development of preschool-age children. The fields of art therapy and ecotherapy have theoretical and practical groundings that make them an alternative to traditional therapies in the area of skill development and deficit prevention for children’s motor skills. This study focuses on the benefits that art therapy and ecotherapy ...

Impacts On Elementary School Students Related To Covid-19 And The Role Of Social-Emotional Learning In Children’S Mental Health, Amanda Davis

Master of Science in Education | Master's Theses

Research has shown that schools provide an ideal universal location for preventing behavioral issues and supporting students’ mental health (Ball et al., 2016; Daunic, et al., 2021; Maras et al., 2015). A large body of research has also connected students’ social-emotional skills and their attainment of academic success (Cook et al., 2018; Durlak et al., 2011). With this research and the gaining popularity of SEL, more SEL programs are being created, implemented, and evaluated. The purpose of this study was to understand some of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on young students' mental health and how teachers have responded ...

The Role Of Science In Elementary Education, Emily Moran

Master of Science in Education | Master's Theses

The role of Science in education has evolved over the years. Although it is currently considered an important subject, there is a gap in knowledge involving the level at which Science is incorporated in elementary education and how teachers view the subject. Since the introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards, there has been a shift towards creating more equitable learning opportunities that include inquiry based and three-dimensional instruction (Britton, Iveland, Schneider, Tyler, & Valcarcel, 2016). Recent studies show that many teachers struggle to incorporate science standards and concepts and lack confidence in cohesively integrating science into their lessons (Nadelson & Smith ...

A Qualitative Study Of Parental Needs In Supporting Home Literacy Environments And Child Literacy Interest, Leah Carlson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Literacy education begins long before students step foot in their first classroom. Much research has been done that highlights the importance of the home literacy environment and the development of literacy interest in children (Jeynes, 2018). Home literacy environment (HLE) refers to the variety of literacy materials and activities found within the home. Literacy interest, broadly put, is a child's desire to engage in literacy activities. The development and practice of these has shown to be correlated with students' later reading success in school. Considering this, the role of a parent in their child’s success is influential. However ...

The Link Between Play And Literacy Learning In Kindergarten, Rachel Modrow

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

In many schools, children's free play time is being taken away and is replaced with more academic time. When children enter kindergarten, they are five to six years old. These young children need to participate in free play in the classroom to help build their social skills, continue their imagination, and allow them to explore. Children entering kindergarten are beginning their first school experiences by learning basic literacy skills such as reading and writing. This study observed students free play time in a kindergarten classroom to see if students are using literacy skills in their play. If the students ...

Autism: A Teacher's Guide, Kaitlyn Schaps

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Studies have shown that many educators are not prepared to teach children with ASD in their classrooms, as they may not be familiar with the characteristics of these children (Jiar Yeo & Teng, 2020) and do not have the knowledge needed to help them succeed.

In this guide, we discuss the different characteristics of ASD, how they affect a child’s education, how to collaborate with families, and research and evidence based (proven to be effective through research and quality studies) intervention strategies that will assist general education teachers, paraprofessionals, special education teachers, and any other professional in the educational field ...

Transition: Early Intervention To Preschool, Kim Thiesse

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) requires all Individualized Family Service (IFSP) plans to address transition. Early Intervention programs must initiate and discuss the transition process from early intervention to school-based services with each family at least 90 days before the child’s third birthday. Transition should be a process of information sharing and planning for each individual family. The transition process can be very stressful for many families because services, service providers, location, and delivery of services change. Preschool is often a family’s first experience with a school environment, successful collaboration and communication through the transition phase ...

State School Finance In The Mountain West, 2019, Kristian Thymianos, Ally M. Beckwith, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

K-12 Education

This fact sheet examines K-12 school finance indicators drawing from an original report by Albert Shanker Institute and Rutgers University Graduate School of Education. These indicators show whether states are funding school districts to national standards. This fact sheet examines state-level data for the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) from the State School Finance Profiles report for the 2018-2019 school year.

Parenting Isn't Easy: Parent Newsletters For Social/Emotional Learning In Early Childhood, Lauryn Meyer

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

Most educators know that it is very important to a child’s overall success to be supported socially and emotionally, especially in Early Childhood. We understand that children do not just act out the way they do because they feel like misbehaving. The challenging behavior is usually the cause of some other sort of reaction the child might not know how to explain or verbalize, for example: feeling tired, hungry, or uncomfortable in a certain situation.

In Early Childhood, educators work closely with parents and caregivers in order to continue the same level of learning at home as well ...

Supporting Exceptional Learners Through Evidence-Based Practices In Social Emotional Learning And Academic Settings, Lexia Werner

Honors Projects

My honors project will be purposeful in researching the learning strategies that help all students and comparing and contrasting them to strategies that specifically help learners with learning differences and/or have special education plans. These exceptional learners have specialized accommodations or educational plans tailored towards their learning needs. In other words, I will research the teaching strategies that are used in the classroom environment from a standard general education standpoint and strategies that are used, specifically, with students that obtain learning differences. In addition, I will analyze this information by comparing and contrasting the groups of strategies with one ...

Movement In Math - Integrating Movement-Based Activities Into Kindergarten Math, Katelyn Belch

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Gross-motor movements have shown promising effects on student academic achievement and engagement especially in kindergarten classrooms. The purpose of this study was to examine what happens when movement-based mathematical activities are introduced into a kindergarten math curriculum and its implications on how kindergarteners engage during math time. Using surveys, observational and reflective data, and semi-structured interviews of students and my cooperating teacher, this study aimed to examine student and teacher perceptions of incorporating movement-activities. When movement activities were introduced into math time, the students were more engaged in math. The movement activities served as form of play-based learning and relied ...

Incorporating Writer’S Workshop In A Third-Grade Classroom: A Look Into How Students Perceive Themselves As Writers, Peyton Bourland

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study examined how students perceived themselves as writers and what happened when writer’s workshop was implemented into a third-grade classroom. The researcher collected data through pre- and post-perception surveys, observations, artifacts, and student interviews. Findings showed that self-confidence played a role in how students perceive themselves as writers. An array of emotions was observed during the implementation process and the emotions impacted the students and their desire to write. Mentor texts, share time, graphic organizers, instrumental music, and choice were utilized during the writer's workshop to promote engagement in writing. Students verbalized how these practices assisted them ...

“I Can’T Calm Myself”: Mindfulness In A Special Education Resource Setting, Paige Schmidt

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this study was to examine how brief mindfulness practices influence students receiving special education in a resource setting that provides one-on-one support outside of the general education classroom. The researcher utilized three to five minutes of breathing exercises, stretches, and discussion every day before beginning instruction. Data was collected through observations, pre- and post-surveys, and post-activity interviews. The constant comparative method was used for analyzing data to find emerging or recurring themes in the data collected. Three major themes emerged from the collected data: social-emotional regulation, making a choice, and the flexibility of mindfulness. Through observations, four ...

Finding Their Chrysanthemum: Linguistic Representation In Children's Literature, Marielena Zajac

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Children in America today struggle with finding themselves in the books they read due to societal expectations. From an early age, children are dictated on the correct way to speak and write in “American,” which can leave children and their home languages feeling unseen and dismissed. To help further the conversation and promotion of linguistic diversity in American society, this capstone analyzes dialectal representation in children’s books, with a heavy focus on attitudinal linguistic principles rather than prescriptive mechanics. The secondary research explores current literature and resources that discuss literacy acquisition in adolescents, trends in dialects in America, and ...

Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices Post-Covid: A Classroom Action Project, Jillian Weemaes

MA TESOL Collection

Out of recognition of experienced trauma, trauma-informed practices have existed in schools and classrooms long before the start of the pandemic and will continue to exist and evolve after. Programs need to evolve due to the changing nature of the pandemic such as the possibility of teachers experiencing trauma alongside their students, and distance learning complicating the ability of students to make connections with peers, teachers, and administrators. Limited literature currently exists in the field showcasing how teachers have changed and updated their practices since the start of the pandemic. The objective of this action research is to add to ...

Building Speech Pattern 1: Picture Stimuli, Kathy J. Jakielski

Building Speech and Quantifying Complexity

Building Speech Pattern 1: Picture Stimuli is part 1 of 8 in the picture stimuli to accompany the Building Speech & Quantifying Complexity documents. To see the full series, visit: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/cgi/siteview.cgi/csdbuildingspeech

Building Speech & Quantifying Complexity is a dual approach to treating and evaluating articulatory complexity in child speech. It has two components: Building Speech and Quantifying Complexity. These two components can be used independently or together. When used together, the speech-language pathologist has a method for selecting goals and targets of varying levels of articulatory difficulty, plus a means for measuring changes in a ...

Building Speech Pattern 2: Picture Stimuli, Kathy J. Jakielski

Building Speech and Quantifying Complexity

Building Speech Pattern 2: Picture Stimuli is part 2 of 8 in the picture stimuli to accompany the Building Speech & Quantifying Complexity documents. To see the full series, visit: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/cgi/siteview.cgi/csdbuildingspeech

Building Speech & Quantifying Complexity is a dual approach to treating and evaluating articulatory complexity in child speech. It has two components: Building Speech and Quantifying Complexity. These two components can be used independently or together. When used together, the speech-language pathologist has a method for selecting goals and targets of varying levels of articulatory difficulty, plus a means for measuring changes in a ...

Building Speech Pattern 3: Picture Stimuli, Kathy J. Jakielski

Building Speech and Quantifying Complexity

Building Speech Pattern 3: Picture Stimuli is part 3 of 8 in the picture stimuli to accompany the Building Speech & Quantifying Complexity documents. To see the full series, visit: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/cgi/siteview.cgi/csdbuildingspeech

Building Speech & Quantifying Complexity is a dual approach to treating and evaluating articulatory complexity in child speech. It has two components: Building Speech and Quantifying Complexity. These two components can be used independently or together. When used together, the speech-language pathologist has a method for selecting goals and targets of varying levels of articulatory difficulty, plus a means for measuring changes in a ...