Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Closing The Literacy Gap: Comparing Student Outcomes Based On Three Phonemic Awareness Programs, Juanita Diaz

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

The nationwide literacy crisis has been in existence for decades. Numerous governmental acts, research, and studies have yet to positively affect the nationwide literacy policies and instruction in schools. The Science of Reading, a body of research from many disciplines inclusive and exclusive of education, has illustrated how structured literacy can positively affect reading outcomes. One of the skills under literacy, phonemic awareness, is an instrumental foundational reading skill that researchers have identified as critical to early literacy and eventual reading proficiency. Historically, many districts have not been mandated to utilize instructional tools or practices grounded in research or evidence. …

Social Protection To Foster Inclusive, Resilient Early Childhood Education In Kenya, Uganda, And Tanzania, Nyagwegwe Wango

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

In order to evaluate the efficacy of systems approaches in enhancing early childhood education (ECE), this study summarizes outcomes from the SESEA and F4L programs in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The study investigates how context-responsive ECE, social-emotional learning (SEL), and social protection (SP) interventions contribute to improvements in teaching practices, inclusion, and learner outcomes using mixed-methods data, including teacher surveys, classroom observations, and policy analysis. The findings show significant improvements in inclusive classroom practices, gender-sensitive pedagogy, and teacher confidence, especially when reflective peer learning and continuous mentoring are incorporated. Children’s academic performance and well-being have been linked to the integration …

Hope Is An Act, Not A Wish: An Autoethnographic Journey Of Reimagining Disability As A Catalyst For Playing With Possibility, Creativity, And Innovation Within Liminal Spaces, Jennifer Salerno

Doctor of Education

This dissertation aimed to challenge and move beyond unjust social norms related to individual ability and independence, finding such norms based on a fictitious ideal of human capacity. Instead, an ethic of interdependence, such as encompasses the natural world, is defined and promoted in turn. People with disabilities are considered deficient and marginalized because they deviate from ableist norms (Flynn, 2020). They face significant barriers to establishing and maintaining relationships with nature as a result of ability expectations around how bodies should look and behave in the natural world (Wolbring & Lisitza, 2017). People with disabilities covet normality and the …

Evaluating Dosage Within A Rapid Caregiver Coaching Model, Emma L. Lovell

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Rapid caregiver coaching models are designed to increase caregiver implementation of naturalistic language strategies while prioritizing feasibility for both families and providers. Participants of the current study were caregivers with young children (ages 1-4) with expressive language delays and autism risk or diagnosis. The current study took place in families’ homes and examined whether a predetermined number of brief coaching and feedback cycles was sufficient to produce clinically meaningful improvements in caregiver strategy use. Target behaviors for caregivers included play-based imitation and expansion, responsive language input, and structured teaching episodes designed to expand child communication. Results were variable but demonstrated …

Evaluating The Effects Of Abbreviated And Full-Length Training Formats On Implementation Of Embedded Instruction Practices, Hannah Elizabeth Keene

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an abbreviated training package and full-length behavioral skills training (BST) on staff implementation of embedded instruction (EI) procedures in a university-affiliated inclusive early childhood center. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across participants was used with four student workers in inclusive preschool classrooms. The initial intervention included a package of didactic instruction and in-vivo modeling. Full BST was planned for participants who did not reach mastery criteria following the brief training.

The primary dependent variable was participant fidelity of EI implementation, and the secondary dependent variable measured the rate of …

Effects Of Tech-Based Self-Monitoring And An Interdependent Group Contingency On Group Engagement, Ariana K. Hefter

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

This study evaluated the effects of a class-wide self-monitoring (SM) intervention delivered via the I-Connect app and paired with an interdependent group contingency, on whole-group engagement in a general fourth grade classroom. Participants included 23 students during a 30-min instructional period. The researcher measured group engagement using momentary time sampling (MTS) with planned activity check (PLACHECK) with a fixed rotation schedule in 30-s intervals and recorded the percentage of students on-task per session. A withdrawal (ABAB) design was used to examine the effects across the baseline and intervention phases. Results indicated a slight increase in group engagement during the intervention …

“They Don't Care If I'M Here Or Not”: The Impact Of Exclusionary Discipline On Black Boys In Elementary Schools, Arielle Gulley

DSW Capstone Projects

Disproportionate and exclusionary school discipline practices continue to affect African American boys as early as elementary school, with significant implications for their mental health, academic engagement, and long-term educational trajectories. This capstone project examines how racially biased discipline contributes to disparities in belonging, emotional well-being, and student-teacher relationships, and advances the need to reframe discipline as a site of mental health intervention rather than punishment.

The systematic literature review synthesizes peer-reviewed research to examine the relationship between exclusionary discipline and mental health outcomes among African American boys in elementary settings, with particular attention to patterns emerging in early educational environments. …

Muinji’J Asks Why (2022) By Shanika Maceachern And Breighlynn Maceachern, Maughn Rollins Gregory

Picture Books

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries American and Canadian government agencies and Christian churches established Indian residential schools where hundreds of thousands of children were “reeducated” in English and Christianity. They were not allowed to use their native languages or given names, to practice their religions, or to communicate with their siblings or parents. They were made to work in crop fields, kitchens, laundries, and industrial workshops. Many were physically and sexually abused. Many never saw their families again. The nine picture books reviewed here are accounts of survivors of residential schools from eight different Indigenous nations. In addition to …

From Pañales To Partnership: An Ethnographic Investigation Of Knowledge, Gender, And Power Within A Family Literacy Program, Sara Mohler

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Within research on family literacy programming (Lynch & Prins, 2021), few studies bring together assets-based perspectives on knowledge and power alongside critical feminist lenses. This qualitative case study (Dyson & Genishi, 2005; Yin, 2018) informed by ethnography (Alonso Bejarano et al., 2019; Desmond, 2014; Günel & Watanabe, 2024) aimed to understand the culture of one family literacy program serving primarily Mexican-American families, named here the Treehouse Preschool, giving particular attention to the intersecting elements of knowledge, gender, and power as they are enacted across the roles and relationships of families and personnel participating in in the program. Data for this …

The Reggio Emilia Approach: Exploring Implementation And Challenges In An American Classroom Setting, Karoline S. Kniel

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

Over the past decades, the Reggio Emilia Approach has gained popularity as an early childhood pedagogy due to both its child-led approach and its inherent inclusive nature. An innovative alternative to traditional early childhood education practices, the Reggio Emilia Approach focuses on fostering a deep relationship between the child and teacher wherein the child takes the lead on choosing classroom projects, themes, and topics for exploration. Emphasis is placed on the child’s self-expression, ideas, and emotions, culminating in a child-driven classroom agenda with a strong focus on the arts. According to the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA) data, there …

Behavioral Interventions For Increasing Group Engagement In K-12 Classrooms: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Lauren M. Lejeune, Mark Devdas Samudre, Hongyang Zhao, Meredith Jeffords, Jason C. Chow

Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education Faculty Publications

This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized the body of research on behavioral interventions for improving group engagement. Fifty studies were included (n = 10 group designs; n = 40 single case designs [SCDs]). Most research on interventions to improve group engagement was conducted in elementary and middle school general education settings. Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (n = 6), the Good Behavior Game (n = 6), Tootling (n = 8), and multicomponent approaches (n = 9) were the most commonly reported intervention types. Antecedent strategies that were most commonly embedded in behavioral interventions to increase group …

Disability Studies And Disability Evaluation In Healthcare—Themes And Challenges Moving Forward, Debra A. Harley, Si-Yi Chao

Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Early Childhood Special Education (Ecse), Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Parent guide about the Texas Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program.

Early Childhood Special Education (Ecse) (Spanish), Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Parent guide about the Texas Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program. Translated into Spanish.

Health Matters: Advancing Pediatric Health Equity Through Accessible And Engaging Health Literacy Activity Books, Lorraine Sheldon

2026

This poster describes the development and implementation of the Health Matters activity book series, a health literacy initiative designed to provide engaging, accessible, and developmentally appropriate health education for pediatric patients and their families. Through multidisciplinary collaboration, audience-centered design, and distribution across more than 30 departments, the project demonstrates how interactive educational materials can advance pediatric health equity, support family engagement, and improve health literacy outcomes.

Success Stories From Ecd Educators And Community Lead Facilitators, Yasmeen Mehboob, Kausar Waqar, Tahira Jabeen, Bibi Salima, Zakir Ahmad

Books

These stories are intended to inspire learning and reflection. As each context is different, the approaches and outcomes described may not apply in the same way elsewhere. Readers are encouraged to thoughtfully adapt these insights to their own settings.

Empowering Pre-Service Ecse Teachers Through Ai Simulation: Strengthening Family-Centered Iep Facilitation, Jody L. Shong

Essays in Education

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly shaping instructional practice across educational contexts, yet its role in preparing early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers for complex relational work remains underexplored. Facilitating Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings requires educators to integrate legal knowledge, developmental data, interdisciplinary collaboration, and family priorities within emotionally nuanced conversations. Many pre-service teachers enter the profession without structured opportunities to rehearse these responsibilities.

This article argues that AI-supported simulation represents a practical and equity-oriented approach to strengthening teacher preparation. Grounded in family–professional partnership theory, anti-bias education, and practice-based pedagogy, this manuscript examines how simulation can support relational competence while …

Early Childhood Classrooms And Higher Education Faculty: Partnerships With Far-Reaching Benefits, Anita Weisburger

Essays in Education

The relationship between a community college early childhood teacher education faculty member and the director of an early learning center grew into a deep and meaningful partnership that went beyond the two main participants.  This description and analysis of their collaboration demonstrates the value of these partnerships to the early childhood classrooms and the faculty at the college, but it also highlights the positive impact on the college students, the young children, the school families and the community at large.  The goal of this article is to reflect on the benefits and challenges in these collaborative endeavors and highlight lessons …

Ecce Leadership Development: Supports, Barriers, And Identity Formation, Andrea Weidele

Open Access Dissertations

Early childhood care and education (ECCE) leadership development is not given the attention it deserves. Despite the proven link between high-quality ECCE programs and positive societal outcomes, leadership development within the sector is significantly under-resourced. Because program quality is inherently tied to leadership efficacy, there is an urgent need to investigate the supports and structures that foster effective ECCE leadership. This study addressed that gap by using a qualitative multiple case study to explore how six ECCE program leaders of licensed ECCE programs from a New England state describe their leadership development, including supports and barriers they encountered and how …

Seeing The Whole Child: Bridging Community Beliefs And Early Intervention, Grace Danladi Saleh

Graduate Research Posters

Background

The first five years of a child’s life are a very important time. What happens during these early years has a big effect on how the child grows, learns to communicate, and relates to others. When caregivers respond warmly and consistently, children tend to do better later on. However, most screening tools used to spot developmental concerns are based mainly on Western ideas of what is normal. These tools often don’t match what many families from different backgrounds believe about child growth, behavior, or communication. As a result, children from diverse communities can be missed or identified too late. …