Early Childhood Education Commons^™

The Impact Of Standardized Testing, Marissa Rapposelli

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

This paper will discuss the issues revolving around standardized testing and the detrimental effects it has on student’s mental health and testing anxiety. This will also show how it can limit and hinder the students long term learning in the future with standardized and high-stakes testing. It will also show how changes could be made in school systems to help better their students and their learning. The focus is on Pennsylvania testing due to the amount of standardized testing they provide their students.

Let Them Be Little: Teacher Perspectives On Developmental Play In Kindergarten Classrooms, Amy Michelle Towne

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Kindergarten is a German term meaning children's garden. In 1837, Fredrich Froebel founded kindergarten and stated, "Children are like tiny flowers; they are varied and need care, but each is beautiful alone and glorious when seen in the community of peers." Froebel believed that children needed to be nurtured and tended to like flowers in a garden. Kindergarten classes, at this time, encouraged children to develop and blossom freely through play under the guidance, not direct instruction, of the teacher. Through the years, kindergarten has changed drastically. Recent legislation has transformed the kindergarten curriculum even more.

Currently, many kindergarten teachers …

How Teachers Identify Characteristics Of The Reggio Emilia Philosophy In Practice: A Case Study, Autumn E. Smith

LSU Master's Theses

The Reggio Emilia philosophy has been guiding early childhood practices since its development by Loris Malaguzzi in 1963. Originating in Reggio Emilia, Italy, this approach to early childhood education emphasizes building and nurturing relationships between the adult and child. This philosophy is guided by eight core tenets – The Environment as the Third Teacher, 100 Languages of Children, Long-Term Projects, Teacher-Researcher, Image of the Child, Negotiated Learning, Documentation, and Social Relations. Research shows that young children’s engagement with the Reggio Emilia approach benefits their academic, cognitive, and social-emotional development. However, there is currently no school accreditation or teacher certification …

Canadian Families’ Decisions Of Communication Options* For Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing: An Initial Exploration, Holly F. Pedersen, Suzanne Nichol, Nicole Swartwout, Daniel R. Conn

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Communication is an essential aspect of human interaction and helps connect us to the people around us. The majority of children who are deaf or hard of hearing are born to hearing parents who are likely unfamiliar with hearing loss. These parents are then asked to make critical decisions about communication options for their children. It can be a challenging process but one that needs to be done quickly in order to capture the critical language development period. Little research has explored the factors associated with parents’ decisions about communication options for their children who are deaf or hard of …

Evaluation Of A Group Music Intervention To Support School-Readiness Skills In Preschool Children With Hearing Loss, Glynnis Dubois, Joanne Deluzio, Michael Thaut, Stephanie Nixon

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Although children with hearing loss are now often integrated into mainstream classrooms, many do not begin school with age-appropriate school-readiness skills. Traditional therapies in early listening and spoken language programs rarely focus on developing the social skills, executive functions, and motor abilities needed for the typical classroom environment of friends, academics, and play. The question, then, is how to incorporate group activities into traditional therapies in order to build skills in these areas, and whether or not the use of music and its social aspects could support this. A quasi randomized, group, facilitated, music intervention was conducted to help support …

Covid-19’S Impacts On The Labor Market In 2020, Brad J. Hershbein, Harry J. Holzer

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Making The Child Care Tax Credit Permanently Refundable Could Benefit Low-Income Families, Gabrielle Pepin

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Coding Club, Nicole Livingston, Madalyn Meyer

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

Lesson plans for an about 12-week club designed to introduce middle schoolers to coding using Scratch. By the end of the club, every student will have made a game they can share with the class and have learned basic coding and game creation tools. Students can also miss classes or join late and still be able to join and enjoy the club with a different focus lesson every week.

Response To Intervention In Early Childhood Education, Kendyl Young Hinson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to review literature on Response to Intervention (RTI) at the early childhood level. RTI has become increasingly prevalent within K-12 settings. Less research exists for the expansion within early childhood settings. A systematic review of literature was conducted and all available literature on RTI in early childhood education since 2004 was identified and reviewed. Articles were sorted into three broad categories for review: (a) combined, (b) academics, and (c) social emotional behaviors. The review indicated the different behaviors recommended to be examined within the early childhood setting, types of assessment methods used, and interventions …

It’S Really About Relationships: Perceptions Of Teacher Autonomy And It’S Influence On Instruction, Nancy Harmening

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

There is growing concern over why so many U.S. teachers are leaving the profession before retirement. Researchers studying this phenomenon theorize how future attrition rates will be determined by working conditions that either foster or squelch teachers’ sense of professional autonomy. What is unclear from the literature is an understanding of specific intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting this autonomy development during a critical period in teachers’ careers, years 5-15. This study highlights the specific factors that influence the professional autonomies of nine early childhood elementary public-school teachers’ and how their sense of their professional autonomies interact to affect their instructional …

Global Studies Initiative Faculty Report: Interdisciplinary Collaborations, Amy Kilgus Chamley

Global Studies Initiatives in Social Sciences 2020 - 2021

No abstract provided.

The Value Of Play-Based Learning In Early Childhood Classrooms, Brandice Tegrootenhuis

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this literature review is to demonstrate the value of play-based learning in early childhood classrooms and encourage educators and policy-makers to focus more on this developmentally appropriate practice of learning through play in early childhood classrooms. The findings of this literature review are that play is an essential component in all areas of child development. The reviewed research suggests play and academic and social development are closely linked and indicate success in the areas of 21st century skills, literacy and language, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. The conclusion of this review includes recommendations for …

The Use Of Social Stories To Teach Appropriate Social Skills To Create A Peaceful Classroom Environment, Kallie Turner

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research was motivated by the researcher's own classroom observations of student behavior and social interactions as well as an interest in how social stories have been proven to help individual students in social situations. Having had individual students who benefitted from social stories, the researcher's interest grew; the researcher wondered if this same process could be used with an entire class. The researcher is a kindergarten teacher in her fifth year of teaching and had her own students participate in the implementation of reviewing social stories to practice social skills to improve the overall quality of the classroom …

Brain Breaks Improve Student Behavior And Focus, Meghan M. Barker

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to determine the impact of brain breaks, or physical activity breaks, when implemented as a transition to learning centers in the preschool classroom. Learning centers consist of small group time, one-on-one time with the teacher, and whole group time where important preschool state standards are taught. The study was conducted over five weeks in two preschool classrooms. One classroom was designated as the control group, and the other classroom as the treatment group. Data was collected to determine if brain breaks had an impact on student focus and behavior. After five weeks …

The Importance Of Using Manipulatives In Math Class, Jennifer Lange

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review synthesizes research on how the use of manipulatives in math class benefit the learner. The problem is that the students are not always given the opportunity to explore and learn through the use of math manipulatives in order to gain a strong foundation and understanding of mathematical concepts. The purpose of this literature review is to explore the benefits of using manipulatives in the classroom and the impact it has on student achievement levels. The literature review is made up of research studies published within the last 10 years and explores the different types of manipulatives, levels …

Explicit Literacy Instruction Focused On Letter Sounds Vs. Letter Names And Student Educational Growth, Maria O'Dell

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research was to investigate the effects of explicit literacy instruction focused on letter sounds and letter names to determine student academic growth. This study was conducted in the researcher’s early childhood class with a group of 20 preschool aged students. Research was conducted over the course of five weeks with students meeting with the researcher a minimum of two times each week. Data was collected using a literacy assessment with sections on letter sounds, uppercase letter names, and lowercase letter names. The researcher concluded that student growth was observed in the control and treatment groups, …

Increasing Family Engagement In A Preschool Program, Meghan Reiman

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement plan was developed to increase family engagement within a preschool program in a public school district. Research has shown that family engagement can positively impact children's development. Parents and teachers share responsibility in creating a strong, trusting partnership with the common goal of supporting the child's growth and development. Existing research on family engagement contributed to the improvement plan by highlighting the use of technology as a means of engaging families. The three main components of this improvement plan include creating two-way communication with families, involving families in the process of setting goals for their child, and …

Edc 310 The Teaching Of Reading And Writing In The Primary Grades: Introductory Week, Ting Yuan

Open Educational Resources

This OER features the introductory week of EDC 310 in which teacher candidates will learn to use methods of cultural anthropology to learn to be an observant classroom teacher and ethnographer, collect weekly data through weekly classroom fieldwork featuring their child partners, as well as enact culturally-responsive literacy teaching lessons for their child partners on a weekly basis.

Nebline, April 2021

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Experiential Learning Teaches Skills and More

DIY FitBall: A Fun Fitness Activity

Recipe of the Month

Get Ready to Control Pine Tip Blight

Garden Guide

2021 Prennial Plant of the Year

Naturally Occurring Elements in Groundwater, Part 2 of a Series: Iron and Manganese

No Bull! Examine Your Sires’ Breeding Soundness

Inspiring Rich Conversations through Questions by Sarah Roberts

Become a Community Scientist by Kait Chapman

Hearto f 4-H Volunteer Award: James Blake

4-H Announcements for 4-H'ers and Volunteers

Watch Chicks Hatch on Egg Cam

4-H Achievement Celebration

Extension Calendar

2021 Weed Awareness

Controlling and Managing Phragmites

Take 2, Two …

Maintaining A Relational Classroom While Implementing Ts Gold, Leslie K. Gustafson

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Teaching Strategies GOLD is an authentic assessment tool. It is used in many preschool classrooms to observe student development in their daily routine. Teaching Strategies GOLD is an effective means of assessing student development. One of the challenges when implementing Teaching Strategies GOLD is its comprehensiveness. The extensiveness of the assessment has been found to be very time consuming for educators to implement. This has raised the question, “How does an educator maintain a relational classroom while implementing Teaching Strategies GOLD?” The purpose of this paper to research the value of preschool and the use of authentic assessment. It will …