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Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Theses/Dissertations

Head Start

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Head Start Teachers’ Perspectives On The Implementation Of Head Start Program Performance Standard 1302.17, Leslie Shumate Floyd Jan 2023

Head Start Teachers’ Perspectives On The Implementation Of Head Start Program Performance Standard 1302.17, Leslie Shumate Floyd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Federal Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) were revised in 2016 to strengthen and improve the quality of all Head Start (HS) programs. The problem addressed in this basic qualitative study is that teachers in a local urban HS program in the southwestern region of Virginia have decreased levels of job satisfaction and cannot support the social-emotional development of their students due to difficulty implementing the standard HSPPS 1302.17. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate the perspectives of HS teachers regarding their job satisfaction while supporting the implementation of HSPPS 1302.17. Lacey’s theory of social strategies …


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 Of Parents Of Black Head Start Graduates Regarding The Black-White Achievement Gap, Telisa Pitts Jan 2022

Perspectives Of Parents Of Black Head Start Graduates Regarding The Black-White Achievement Gap, Telisa Pitts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem of this study was the achievement gap that exists between Black and White children prior to kindergarten entrance. As children continue in school this gap grows substantially; therefore, it was important to understand perspectives of stakeholders regarding this gap. The purpose of this study was to explore perspectives of parents of Black Head Start graduates regarding the Black-White achievement gap, and how those perspectives shaped parents’ actions in promoting their children’s kindergarten readiness. The conceptual framework for this study was based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory. The research questions focused on parents’ perspectives and how they believed those perspectives …


Head Start Teachers' Descriptions Of Inclusion, Lawanda Katrina Lovett-Cunningham Jan 2022

Head Start Teachers' Descriptions Of Inclusion, Lawanda Katrina Lovett-Cunningham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA Head Start program in Southeast Georgia, teachers were struggling to provide appropriate services to students with special needs (SWSN) in inclusive settings. The purpose of this study was to explore Head Start teacher descriptions of their roles and the barriers that inhibit implementation of inclusive education for SWSN. McKenzie and Zascavage’s model of inclusion formed the conceptual framework that guided this study. The research questions for this study addressed teacher descriptions of their roles and the barriers that inhibit the implementation of inclusive teaching strategies. A basic qualitative design was used to capture the insights of 12 purposefully selected …


Perspectives Of Family Engagement In The Migrant And Seasonal Head Start Program, Toni L. Mahaney Stubbs Jan 2021

Perspectives Of Family Engagement In The Migrant And Seasonal Head Start Program, Toni L. Mahaney Stubbs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem is that there is a significantly lower percentage of Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) families (2%) volunteering in Head Start (HS) programs where 75% of volunteers are former or current HS families. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how the local MSHS program incorporates family engagement through home and school experiences by examining how migrant family participants and teaching staff define family engagement, the role family engagement has on parent-teacher relationships, and how families enrolled in the local MSHS program are influenced by family engagement. The conceptual framework was culturally responsive teaching/practice. This …


Prekindergarten Educators' Perspectives On Professional Development About Transgender And Gender-Nonconforming Children, Danita Marie Norris Mccray Jan 2020

Prekindergarten Educators' Perspectives On Professional Development About Transgender And Gender-Nonconforming Children, Danita Marie Norris Mccray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Young children start to develop an understanding of gender and gender identity in prekindergarten. Early childhood educators require professional development in creating safe, supportive learning environments for transgender and gender nonconforming children. Limited research has focused on prekindergarten educators' knowledge, skills, and dispositions about supporting transgender and gender nonconforming children in their classrooms. Framed by Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory and Derman-Sparks antibias early childhood concepts, the purpose of this basic qualitative study with interviews was to explore prekindergarten educators' perspectives on professional development about transgender and gender nonconforming children. Data were collected using semistructured, in-depth interviews with 12 prekindergarten educators …


Head Start Parent Perspectives Of Their Roles In Their Children’S Preschool Education, Fawn Thomas-Brown Jan 2020

Head Start Parent Perspectives Of Their Roles In Their Children’S Preschool Education, Fawn Thomas-Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Head Start expects parent involvement as part of parents’ in-kind contribution to the program, but data from a multi-center Head Start agency in the southeastern United States indicated many parents do not meet this expectation. Lack of parental involvement in Head Start children’s education was the problem of focus in this study. The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of the perspectives of Head Start parents regarding their roles in their preschool children’s education. The work of Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler formed the conceptual framework for this study. The research questions focused on how parents describe their responsibilities for …


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 …


Early Childhood Perspective Of The K-12 Common Core State Standards Implementation, Anita Lesh Benson Jan 2014

Early Childhood Perspective Of The K-12 Common Core State Standards Implementation, Anita Lesh Benson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The importance of school readiness and social-emotional development for children who live in poverty is well established. Head Start programs have championed the development of the whole child across all learning domains. The implementation of the K-12 Common Core State Standards (CCSS) focuses instructional skills on reading language arts, and math. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore Head Start teachers' perceptions and experiences of the CCSS implementation. The study was guided by the constructivist learning framework of Piaget and Dewey. Research questions explored the understanding and effects of the K-12 CCSS implementation from a group of …