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Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Theses/Dissertations

Early Childhood

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Articles 1 - 12 of 12

Full-Text Articles in Education

Teachers' Perspectives Of Implementing Language Modeling In Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms, Gena R. Puckett Jan 2023

Teachers' Perspectives Of Implementing Language Modeling In Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms, Gena R. Puckett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers’ language modeling skills are important for children’s language development and school readiness. However, 34% of pre-kindergarten (pre-K) classrooms score in the low range on the language modeling dimension of the CLassroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) observation tool within the instructional support domain in a southern state. For this basic qualitative study, the purpose and research questions explored pre-K teachers’ perspectives on the challenges of implementing language modeling and the type of support they need to improve language modeling skills in a southern state. The conceptual framework that guided the study was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, specifically the concepts of the …


Perspectives On Motor Skills Necessary For Kindergarteners’ Formal School Readiness, Allyson M. Schildt Jan 2023

Perspectives On Motor Skills Necessary For Kindergarteners’ Formal School Readiness, Allyson M. Schildt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have noted that before children can learn academics, they must first have developed motor skills. Motor skills are foundational to learning and integrated into other domains of learning as a child develops. The problem addressed through this basic qualitative study is that some kindergarten students in the northeastern United States lack motor skills necessary for formal school readiness, and kindergarten teachers are challenged to support students’ development of motor skills necessary for formal school readiness. The purpose of this study was to explore kindergarten teacher perspectives on kindergarten students’ motor skills necessary for formal school readiness. Thelen’s dynamic systems …


Teachers' Perspectives Of Implementing Language Modeling In Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms, Gena R. Puckett Jan 2023

Teachers' Perspectives Of Implementing Language Modeling In Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms, Gena R. Puckett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers’ language modeling skills are important for children’s language development and school readiness. However, 34% of pre-kindergarten (pre-K) classrooms score in the low range on the language modeling dimension of the CLassroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) observation tool within the instructional support domain in a southern state. For this basic qualitative study, the purpose and research questions explored pre-K teachers’ perspectives on the challenges of implementing language modeling and the type of support they need to improve language modeling skills in a southern state. The conceptual framework that guided the study was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, specifically the concepts of the …


Staff Perspectives On Parent Withdrawal From Maternal, Infant, And Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs, Dr. Laquetta Delores Peoples Jan 2023

Staff Perspectives On Parent Withdrawal From Maternal, Infant, And Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs, Dr. Laquetta Delores Peoples

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was investigated through this study was the high withdrawal rates of families that enroll in MIECHV programs. Examining this issue provided data that will be shared with MIECHV programs to identify potential strategies to reduce high withdrawals. This basic qualitative study with semistructured interviews examined MIECHV staffs’ perspectives on the reasons for high withdrawals. The purpose of this study was to examine MIECHV program staff members’ perspectives on the reasons for the high withdrawal. The study was guided by Mowder’s parent development theory (PDT) and examined parenting as a continual process whereby parents constantly adjusted their parenting …


Staff Perspectives On Parent Withdrawal From Maternal, Infant, And Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs, Dr. Laquetta Delores Peoples Jan 2023

Staff Perspectives On Parent Withdrawal From Maternal, Infant, And Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs, Dr. Laquetta Delores Peoples

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was investigated through this study was the high withdrawal rates of families that enroll in MIECHV programs. Examining this issue provided data that will be shared with MIECHV programs to identify potential strategies to reduce high withdrawals. This basic qualitative study with semistructured interviews examined MIECHV staffs’ perspectives on the reasons for high withdrawals. The purpose of this study was to examine MIECHV program staff members’ perspectives on the reasons for the high withdrawal. The study was guided by Mowder’s parent development theory (PDT) and examined parenting as a continual process whereby parents constantly adjusted their parenting …


Parents’ And Teachers’ Perspectives On Quality Communication In A Head Start Program, Danielle Racquel Bryant-Mathurin Jan 2023

Parents’ And Teachers’ Perspectives On Quality Communication In A Head Start Program, Danielle Racquel Bryant-Mathurin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractResearchers have suggested that active communication between teachers and parents is positively associated with student success in school, specifically in terms of student attendance, performance, and behavior. The problem that inspired this basic qualitative study was the quality of parent-teacher communication in Head Start programs that serve low socioeconomic status (SES) students. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine the quality of parent-teacher communication in a Head Start program that serves low SES students in the northeastern United States and explore how quality of parent-teacher communication might be improved. Ecological systems theory and the communication component of …


Perspectives On Motor Skills Necessary For Kindergarteners’ Formal School Readiness, Allyson M. Schildt Jan 2023

Perspectives On Motor Skills Necessary For Kindergarteners’ Formal School Readiness, Allyson M. Schildt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have noted that before children can learn academics, they must first have developed motor skills. Motor skills are foundational to learning and integrated into other domains of learning as a child develops. The problem addressed through this basic qualitative study is that some kindergarten students in the northeastern United States lack motor skills necessary for formal school readiness, and kindergarten teachers are challenged to support students’ development of motor skills necessary for formal school readiness. The purpose of this study was to explore kindergarten teacher perspectives on kindergarten students’ motor skills necessary for formal school readiness. Thelen’s dynamic systems …


Early Childhood Teachers' Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities, Andress Devon Carter-Sims Jan 2021

Early Childhood Teachers' Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities, Andress Devon Carter-Sims

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers are struggling to transfer newly acquired knowledge and skills from professional learning experiences into their classrooms. This study aimed to explore teachers' perceptions of how professional learning communities (PLCs) enhance elementary teachers' instructional practices based on interviews with teachers in a rural school district. Olivier and Huffman's theory of utilizing PLC to their fullest potential was used as a conceptual framework for the study. This framework highlighted five dimensions of meaningful collaborative learning to increase teaching and learning in schools. This was a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews of 10 certified elementary teachers who engaged in PLC. Interview transcripts …


Exploring Early Childhood Teachers’ Perspectives Regarding How They Teach Vocabulary, Serena Williams Jan 2020

Exploring Early Childhood Teachers’ Perspectives Regarding How They Teach Vocabulary, Serena Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous studies have been done on the lack of quality and consistency of vocabulary instruction in low socioeconomic schools. The problem addressed in this study was that some students were performing well on vocabulary assessments in low income early childhood classrooms while other students were performing poorly. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perspectives of early childhood teachers in low socioeconomic schools of students with high vocabulary scores regarding how they teach students based on their zones of proximal development. The conceptual framework used in this study was Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory of cognitive development, …


Head Start Teachers’ Self-Efficacy And Experiences Teaching Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Leronda Phillips Jan 2020

Head Start Teachers’ Self-Efficacy And Experiences Teaching Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Leronda Phillips

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism spectrum disorders are pervasive developmental disorders in which a student’s inability to communicate, undeveloped social skills, and restricted interests require intervention from trained professionals. Autism spectrum disorder is an eligibility for special education where students can be affected by the presence of a lack of qualified teachers. Teachers who work with students with special needs experience more frustration and burnout than do teachers of typical students; research has suggested that teachers with higher self-efficacy have more success than do teachers with lower self-efficacy. The study’s theoretical basis was derived from Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. This phenomenological qualitative research study explored …


Exploring Head Start Teachers’ Challenges Working With Dual Language Learners, Jolene Andriaschko Jan 2020

Exploring Head Start Teachers’ Challenges Working With Dual Language Learners, Jolene Andriaschko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the number of dual language learners is increasing in the United States, little is known about the challenges Head Start teachers and education coordinators face in working with this population. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore Head Start teachers’ and education coordinators’ perspectives regarding the support teachers need to meet the challenges of working with dual language learners. This study was grounded in Jim Cummins’s language acquisition framework, which suggests that dual language learners benefit from instruction in their native language and the language of the classroom. A basic qualitative study design was used with …


Professional Development Of Head Start Teachers In Emotional And Instructional Support, Marilyn Mcleod Harris Jan 2016

Professional Development Of Head Start Teachers In Emotional And Instructional Support, Marilyn Mcleod Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the southwest region of Tennessee, a local Head Start program classroom assessment scoring system's (CLASS) scores fell in the lowest 10% among national Head Start programs in emotional and instructional support. Since 2012, the Office of Head Start has released reports showing that the average Head Start program has low performance CLASS emotional and instructional support scores. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to investigate the professional development of local Head Start teachers with low CLASS scores in emotional and instructional support. Knowles's adult learning theory of andragogy was the overall conceptual framework and the concentrated theory …