Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons^™

Media-Educational Habitus Of Future Educators In The Context Of Education In Day-Care Centers, Henrike Friedrichs

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This doctoral research study has three research questions: (1) How are the forms of media-educational habitus of future educators shaped? (2) What conditions influence whether or not media education is done in day-care centers? The qualitative study (9/2011-6/2012) consists of six semi-structured interviews with media education teachers in educator training, four focus group discussions with future educators in the second year of their courses and four group discussions with future educators in their third year. The analysis using the documentary method shows two different forms of habitus: ‘The day-care center as shelter against 'bad' electronic media’ (type I) and ‘media …

Assessing Young Children's Literacy And Mathematics Understandings, Collette Taylor, Joanne Mulligan, Maurice Walker, Prue Anderson, Marion Meiers

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Current research indicates that young children are capable of developing mathematical concepts and reasoning much earlier than previously considered. Moderated by Professor Collette Tayler, this symposium on assessing young children's literacy and mathematics understandings is in three parts. Firstly the authors explore the Pattern and Structure Assessment (PASA). PASA is an early mathematical assessment interview which focuses on a range of concepts and processes and is linked with mathematical attainment in the ACER Progressive Achievement Tests in Maths (PATMaths). Secondly, the authors report on the piloting of an early-years technology-based tool called the Digital Early Reading and Mathematics Assessment (DERMA). …

The Relationship Between An Affective Instructional Design, Children’S Attitudes Toward Mathematics, And Math Learning For Kindergarten-Age Children, Wendee B. White Mrs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between an Affective Instructional Design (AID), children’s attitudes toward math, and math learning. Participants included 15 kindergarten children at a university K-12 laboratory school located in East Tennessee. This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-intervention (AID)-posttest design. Data, including pretest/posttest attitude surveys, and baseline and intervention non-participant video observations of math learning and math attitudes, during 13 math lessons were coded and analyzed. As hypothesized, a significant positive correlation (r = 0.936, p = 0.000) was found between attitude and math learning. Additionally significant differences were found between the baseline (pre-intervention) mean score and the final …

Use Of The Physical Classroom Environment As A Teaching And Learning Tool Including The Impact Of The Ccssi In Kindergarten Through Third Grade Classrooms In Northeast Tennessee, Charity Hensley-Pipkin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The specific goal of this study was to determine the use of the physical classroom environment as a teaching and learning tool in an era of the implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI). This qualitative multi-case study focused on the learning principles and epistemological beliefs of primary teachers with reference to the physical classroom environment and the teaching process in regard to meeting the expectations set forth by the CCSSI. The researcher sought participation from a city school district in Northeast Tennessee which included a total of 8 participating teachers consisting of 2 each of grades kindergarten, …

Interrogating Views On The Evaluation Of The Quality Of Pre-Primary Education In Tanzania: A Stakeholders’ Perspective, Pambas Basil Tandika Dr

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This paper reports the findings of a study on the evaluation of the quality of education in Tanzania, conducted amidst worries that the quality of education has slumped as learning in pre-primary class is different from that of other education levels. In determining the quality of pre-primary education, a qualitative descriptive design was employed, involving pre-primary school teachers, parents, primary school supervisors, curriculum developers and educational policy-makers who were purposively selected. The study found that self- and external evaluations were means through which the evaluation of the quality was conducted. It further determined teacher-related criteria, the learning environment, and learners’ …

Reading Between The Play Lines, A Play-Based Research Study: Children At Play Acquiring Literacy Skills Socially And Through Self-Discovery, Brianne Siderio

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this qualitative research were to observe a group of kindergarten students during play exploration and determine how kindergarten students acquire literacy skills socially and through self-discovery. Students demonstrated a wide acquisition of literacy skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language during play exploration. Students acquired these skills socially among peers and through self-discovery while experimenting and exploring with play materials. Themes that emerged from play exploration sessions and interpretations of play episodes and student work are discussed. Implications for future research in the area of play in kindergarten are considered.

Improving Student Engagement In Preschool Classrooms With Developmentally Appropriate Read Aloud Opportunities, Kimberly Russomanno

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of various presentations of read aloud and engagement in a preschool classroom in order to improve emergent literacy and listening comprehension. Engagement was looked at as well in respect to teacher expectations and what the research unveiled. The research took place over four weeks in a half day preschool inclusion program. The research looked at traditional story book reading, interactive shared reading, e-books, repeated readings and story props for retelling of familiar stories. Read aloud sessions were recorded over the four week period to look for patterns in student and …

Impact Of A Teacher Training Program To Increase Informative Praise And Decrease Commands And Negative Comments, Lauren A. Binford

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research has found that many children who come from a low socioeconomic background often begin their schooling careers behind most students. Head Start programs around the nation are utilized to close the gap in achievement, by providing those students with the educational support necessary to prepare them for future schooling. However, when assessed with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), Head Start programs have been found to be weaker in the area of Instructional Support. As a result, teachers are falling short in the way they provide feedback, incorporate higher thinking skills, and foster language development. In order to strengthen …

Imagination: Active In Teaching And Learning, Christopher Cunningham

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

This autoethnography tells the story of the author’s endeavor to examine my teaching during a sculpture lesson in three 2^nd grade art classes in a mid-western suburban Title I elementary school. I analyze my planning, teaching, reflecting through the lens of Stuart Richmond’s Characteristics of Imaginative Teaching as well as noted educational theorists’ conceptions of imagination and imaginative teaching and learning. These theorists include but are not limited to Maxine Greene, Kieran Egan, John Dewey, and The Lincoln Center Institute’s Capacities for Imaginative Learning. I conclude that imaginative teaching is an intentional act and that there is no …

Loris Malaguzzi And The Teachers: Dialogues On Collaboration And Conflict Among Children, Reggio Emilia 1990, Carolyn Edwards, Lella Gandini, John Nimmo

Zea E-Books Collection

In 1990, three American scholars participated in an extraordinary research experience with Loris Malaguzzi and the educators of the Diana School in Reggio Emilia, Italy. They were studying “cooperation”— how preschool educators promoted collaboration and community in their classrooms and schools—and they used videotapes of classroom episodes to provoke teachers to reflect on the meanings suggested by the actions of themselves and others. In October 1990 the three traveled to Reggio Emilia and spent several days with the Italian educators.

The Diana School faculty viewed these encounters as powerful opportunities for their own professional development through the documentation process, rather …

Full Time Attendance In An Early Childhood Education Center Improves Emergent Literacy Skills, Dana Samuelsen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the predetermined amount of attendance of preschool per week had an effect on the present understanding of early literacy skills in preschool aged children. Archival data, of forty-nine participants, was used to identify amount of attendance in a private early childhood education program. Early literacy skills were assessed by the child care center's previous academic reviews reported by teachers from 2010 to 2014. The "PreK Academic Review" was used to collect data on early literacy skills and oral language abilities. The teachers recorded the students' abilities by marking each category as …

Training Together: State Policy And Collective Participation In Early Educator Professional Development, Anne Douglass, Alice Carter, Frank Smith, Sherri Killins

New England Journal of Public Policy

This study used one state’s early care and education work-force registry and professional development attendance data to examine early educator patterns of professional development participation and the extent of collective participation. The article presents the concept of collective participation in professional development, discusses its potential benefits, and highlights the utility of statewide digital tracking of early educators’ patterns of professional development for informing policy. Results show that collective participation is uncommon in early education and care but can be increased through professional development policy decisions. The article concludes with implications for research and policy.

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Emotional Literacy Instruction On At-Risk Students, Shannon H. Garcia

Dissertations

This study examined the impact of social-emotional literacy instruction for at-risk adolescents ages 13 to 18 at the high school level. Of particular interest is the impact of social-emotional literacy instruction on at-risk youth Grades 9-12 in secondary high schools’ 8-week-long social-emotional literacy class through Project AWARE, particularly in the areas of suspension, expulsion, attendance, connectivity, attitude toward school, resiliency, and relational aggression rates; the data were analyzed using archival data and teacher interview. Project AWARE, the social-emotional literacy intervention examined in this study, educates and provides mentorship for at-risk students, while also providing a group educational component on relationships …

From The Co-Editors, Todd Pagano

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

We continue to work diligently to improve JSESD. One of the largest challenges to the journal remains the solicitation of manuscript submissions. As such, we are asking the journal’s readership to assist us in advertising the journal. If you are familiar with individuals who might be interested in submitting a manuscript, please pass along the JSESD author link provided above. We are especially interested in articles on science education for students with varying types of disabilities and at a full range of grade levels (K-12 and postsecondary).

Improving Pre-Service Teachers' Preparation To Integrate Music And Movement In Early Childhood Classrooms, Elaine Myrianthopoulos

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This study examines student teachers' fieldwork experiences, in order to better support their efforts to integrate music and movement in early childhood classrooms.

A Historical Perspective On The Revolution Of Science Education For Students Who Are Blind Or Visually Impaired In The United States, Cary A. Supalo Dr.

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The following was an invited presentation given by Dr. Cary A. Supalo to the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois annual state convention that was held in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday, October 28, 2011. These remarks were slightly modified for the Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities.

Cary A. Supalo

What does the term Revolution mean? To some it can simply mean change. To others, it can mean drastic change, and still to others, revolution is no more than a descriptor for something else. In this context, I believe revolution refers to a time of significant change.1 …

Improving Motivation, Engagement And Differentiation In Lesson Development Using An Interactive White Board: 10-Hour Workshop Cycle Toward Professional Development Certificate, Leslie Lieman, Jenelle Fiori, Naliza Sadik

Publications and Research

The School of Education prepares aspiring teachers for teaching in 21st century classrooms by offering intensive interactive white board training cycles. In designing interactive lessons, the workshop cycle focuses on the pedagogical decision making that can improve classroom teaching and student engagement and understanding.

Investigating Children’S Abilities To Count And Make Quantitative Comparisons, Joohi Lee, Shamah Md-Yunus

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

This study was designed to investigate children’s

abilities to count and make quantitative comparisons.

In addition, this study utilized reasoning questions

(i.e., how did you know?). Thirty-four preschoolers, mean

age 4.5 years old, participated in the study. According to

the results, 89 % of the children (n = 30) were able to do

rote counting and 70 % (n = 24) were able to do rational

counting. When children were asked how they knew how

many objects were in a set, 30 responded that they used a

counting strategy. Sixty-five percent of children (n = 22)

answered ‘‘zero’’ when no …

Teaching Respect, Inclusion, And Acceptance In Ethnically And Culturally Diverse Early Childhood Classrooms, Romina S. Sapinoso

Master's Projects and Capstones

Given the increasingly diverse demographics of American public schools, it is necessary for teachers who are interested in exposing their students to concepts of inclusion, respect, and acceptance to have access to a resource guide and model for implementing a curriculum that is culturally and ethnically inclusive. This project sought to develop a resource guide for teachers of early childhood in schools to teach about inclusion, respect, and acceptance in a diverse classroom setting. This resource will be useful for teachers in grades Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, first and second in creating a safe space to celebrate students’ differences and increase …

Assessing Vocabulary Of Children: Investigating The Evaluation And Instruction Of Basic Concepts, Rebecca Elizabeth Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Vocabulary knowledge of preschool children is a key factor in predicting literacy success in elementary school (Hammer, Farkas, & Maczuga, 2010). However, few deliberate attempts to teach basic concept vocabulary have been studied (Bowers & Schwarz, 2013; Wilson, 2004). The purpose of this research is to determine if large group explicit instruction with interactive activities of specific basic concept vocabulary will increase preschool children's understanding of basic concept terms when measured by a standardized basic concept assessment. This research will also assess the validity of a basic concept-curriculum based measure (BC-CBM) as an efficient tool to monitor a child's understanding …