Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Light And Shadow Lab: Interest, Experimentation, Collaboration, & Wonder, Mollie Peoples

General Human Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

This creative project focuses on the experimentation and exploration of light and shadows with the children at the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center (JTCDSC). The creation, development, and implementation of the light studio was influenced by many approaches and concepts that surround early childhood development. It incorporated inspiration from my travels to Italy, where I studied the Reggio Emilia approach in context. In Reggio Emilia, I had the opportunity to visit the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre, local schools that implement distinct child guidance approaches, and The Creative Recycling Centre Remida. The light studio at the JTCDSC incorporates both …

Social Emotional Learning: Presence And Prevalence In Early Care And Education Programs And Effects On Teacher Self-Efficacy, Gabrielle Humble

Undergraduate Honors Theses

A large pool of reviewed literature and studies suggest that Social Emotional Learning (SEL) provides a multitude of developmental benefits to early childhood-aged children. The focus of this study was to assess whether SEL techniques were utilized within early care and education programs throughout the East Tennessee region and to investigate the relationship between SEL techniques and teacher self-efficacy. Sixteen early childhood teachers in the East Tennessee region completed a survey that gauged both their exposure and usage of SEL techniques in the classroom and their teacher self-efficacy. Findings showed that teachers primarily implemented self-studied SEL techniques in the classroom …

Cultural Representation In The Classroom, Priscilla R. Rodriguez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The purpose of this paper is to establish the importance of cultural-representation in schools where the majority of the students identify as Latino. The participants for the Capstone Project included a classroom of third-grade students in a public elementary school located on California’s Central Coast. The supporting literature provides additional information on why incorporating culturally-relevant literature is needed. The issue is what books are available to the students that talk about their culture. By providing culturally-relevant books to students in the classroom in hopes to promote a more positive relationship with reading and a personal relationship with attending school. For …

Improving Nicu Referrals To The Missouri Early Intervention Program (First Steps), Luke Prest, Lauren Fenstermann, Ayman Khmour

Posters

First Steps is the statewide early intervention program in Missouri, but a review of referrals from the Truman neonatal intensive care unit revealed that only 24% of eligible patients were being referred. This poster describes efforts to increase awareness among residents and to refer all eligible patients to First Steps upon discharge.

The Impact Of Technology On Handwriting Instruction In Kindergarten Students, Tricia Van Regenmorter

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to study the outcome of computer-assisted instruction on handwriting quality. Quality handwriting includes legibility, orientation, formation, size, and placement on a base line. The participants were fourteen Kindergarten students in a preschool through eighth grade private school in a suburban setting. The fourteen participants were placed into two instructional groups through random grouping. One group of participants received computer-assisted instruction while the other group received teacher-assisted direct instruction. Participants participated in their assigned instructional approach for 10 minutes 3-4 times a week for four weeks. Data was collected quantitatively. At the conclusion …

Vocabulary Development In Preschool English Language Learners, Annie Van Der Zwaag

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this actions research project was to determine what the impact of using pictures when teaching vocabulary would have on preschool English Language Learners (ELLs). Participants were four and five-year-olds in a public preschool. Quantitative data was taken using Creative Curriculum GOLD to collect observations. Two checkpoints were used for this research. The fall checkpoint was collected in October. The winter checkpoint was collected in February. Students were shown pictures of new vocabulary words from a story along with pictures in the book. The results of this study suggest that there was a small amount of growth in …

How Blended Learning Impacts Student Engagement In An Early Childhood Classroom, Natalie Kocour

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to determine if teaching with a blended learning approach increases student engagement in an early childhood classroom. Participants were three year-olds with individualized education plans and general education four and five year-olds in a half day preschool program. Students came from a wide variety of backgrounds and different socio-economic backgrounds. Quantitative data was collected through observation by recording which students were actively engaged, passively engaged, disengaged, or disruptive during a twenty –minute small group time for nine weeks. Qualitative data was collected through observations by the teacher and para-educator, interviews with students, …

New York City Pre-K Leadership Study, Veronica Benavides, Faith Lamb-Parker, Sheila Smith

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Presents key findings from a study of New York City pre-K leaders that evaluated how leaders support teachers and what factors help or hinder leaders’ efforts to positively impact learning for all children.

Increasing Awareness Of Mandated Reporting And Child Abuse, Madison Mulcahyzelenski

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Mandated reporting of child abuse and neglect laws were enacted to require reporting of possible abuse or neglect at the earliest possible stage from those who interact with children. However, many individuals in occupations that are mandated to report abuse or neglect do not realize or are not properly informed that their occupation falls under the laws of mandated reporting. To address this lack of awareness, I created one in-service training session for the staff of Morro Bay Aquatics that covered the laws surrounding mandated reporting, how to fill out a suspected abuse report, and how to identify abuse when …

Applying Parental Involvement In Early Literacy, Luis Moya

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Early literacy for young children has been linked with academic achievement, reduced grade retention, higher graduation rates, and enhanced productivity in adult life (Monterey County First 5, 2016). Parents may not always know how to engage in literacy development strategies or how they can participate in literacy exposure. Bringing awareness about early literacy parents is a key component to enhancing young children’s development. To address this need,my project will consist of providing an informative presentation about the importance of early literacy with families who attend the Library and Read, Grow, Play program for families with children 0 to 5 at …

Teaching Emotions In Early Childhood, Rocio Anaya

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many preschoolers may not yet be able to identify how they feel and be able to regulate their emotions. These children can experience a hard time expressing their feelings and engage in emotional outbursts that are detrimental to their goals, which also challenge their caregivers. To address this problem among preschoolers, I have created a three-day lesson plan on emotion regulation for children at the Marina Child Development Center in Marina, California.

The Effects Of Imitation, Modeling, And Prompting On Play Skills Of Young Children With Disabilities, Andrea Rau

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research was to determine if direct instruction of play skills would improve the play of three-year-old children with disabilities in the inclusive setting. Participants included five children with disabilities ranging in age from 38 to 48 months old. Quantitative data was collected using event sampling to assess the number of different independent play actions performed by participants before and after intervention. Qualitative data was collected to determine commonalities in which intervention action steps resulted in successful imitation. The intervention implemented was a combined systematic approach of contingent imitation, modeling, and a system of least prompts …

Using Guided Play To Acquire Literacy Skills, Kimberly Farrell

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research was to determine if exclusively using guided-play based learning strategies with kindergarten students who have individualized education plan (IEP) literacy goals in letter sound identification assists these students in acquiring this skill. Students were provided instruction with the inclusion of technology and worksheets between the Fall and Winter FAST assessment screenings. Students were then provided guided play-based instruction to identify letter sounds between the Winter and Spring FAST assessment screenings. Data collection was obtained through bi-weekly IEP progress monitoring procedures and through the FAST assessment. Analysis of the data shows that students made overall …

Melody Attention Grabber, Brandi Hass

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of a melody attention grabber would create a calmer learning environment in a preschool classroom over the use of other attention grabbers. This study was conducted in a rural, lower elementary school in an inclusive preschool classroom. This classroom contained both regular education and special education students of the preschool age of four and five-year-old students. The researchers’ intention for this study was to determine if a melody attention grabber would create a calmer learning environment in a preschool classroom over the use of other attention grabbers.

School Entry Age And School Readiness., Robin Berry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, there was a change in School Entry Age (SEA) legislation. This dissertation analyzed the relationship between SEA and school readiness after the enactment of the new legislation. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to control for student demographics to ascertain the relationship between SEA and school readiness. Findings were as follows: older students scored significantly lower than younger students on the BRIGANCE Kindergarten Screen (BKS), students who had exposure to private child care outside of the home fared much better than students who were kept at home the year prior to kindergarten, and female students …

Fostering Social-Emotional Competence In Preschoolers, Celina Waddy

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In order to form and maintain healthy relationships with peers and adults, preschool-age children must develop the skills needed to manage and express their emotions appropriately. Without these social-emotional competence skills, young children’s success in current and future relationships may be hindered. In order to address preschoolers’ social-emotional competence, I created a 3-day lesson plan, which covers emotion identification, expression, and regulation, and delivered it to a group of preschoolers at the Hartnell Community College Child Development Center in Salinas, California.

Disability Awareness In Young Children, Guadalupe Y. Espinoza

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Young children who attend schools nowadays are likely exposed to many more types of diversity ranging from race, ethnicity, religion, and social class to name a few in comparison to the past. One area of diversity in specific is the inclusion of individuals with disabilities, and because children are so young in age, they may not be aware of disabilities or even identify when a peer or a surrounding adult has a disability. In schools the idea of raising disability awareness to an extent where students not only understand but recognize disabilities, perhaps, is one of the most challenging aspects …

Environmental Conservation Curriculum For Preschoolers, Veronica Lampreda

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Preschool children are often not exposed to the importance of environmental conservation. Preschool curriculum typically focuses on social, physical, emotional, and simple academic lessons such as alphabets and numbers, which overpower any curriculum geared towards environmental conservation. To address the lack of knowledge on this topic in preschool settings, I created a curriculum about the three r’s of environmental conservation; reduce, reuse, recycle. I implemented a three day curriculum to four and five year old children at the Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) Child Development Center, in Monterey, California.

Bullying Awareness Within Elementary School Children, Maritsa Garcia Rendon

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Bullying is common in elementary schools and may lead to long-lasting effects for children. Young Children may not be aware of the consequences that bullying may have on themselves and their peers.When bullied, children may not know how to respond and what resources may be available to them.In order to address the lack of bullying awareness, I have created a three-day curriculum about what is bullying and how to help prevent it, which will be delivered to children in a 1st grade class at Calaveras Elementary School in Hollister, California.

Benefits Of Play For The Social And Emotional Development Of Children In Kindergarten, Chelsea Andrade

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

There is an increasing push to focus on academics at a young age and take play out of learning. Research shows that play is beneficial for the social and emotional development of children. Play helps children to learn self-control, emotion-regulation, communication, conflict resolution, and so much more. This senior capstone project explored how play is beneficial for the social and emotional development of children in kindergarten. Through a literature review and surveys conducted with fourteen kindergarten teachers in Monterey County, results showed how beneficial play is for kindergarten students. The results from surveys also revealed how teachers in Monterey County …