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Full-Text Articles in Education

The Effects Of Writer's Workshop On Writing Achievement In The Kindergarten Classroom, Mary Mester Jan 2011

The Effects Of Writer's Workshop On Writing Achievement In The Kindergarten Classroom, Mary Mester

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Only one quarter of American students in Grades 4, 8, and 12 were considered at or above the proficient level in writing in 2002 and 2007. The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the effect of the instructional strategy known as writer's workshop on students' writing achievement. Writer's workshop is an instructional strategy involving daily writing and systematic lessons. The research question guiding this study examined the writing achievement of students taught through writer's workshop versus students taught through the county's writing curriculum which utilizes journal writing on a regular basis but does not involve systematic lessons or …


Early Childhood Educators Teaching And Learning In Professional Learning Communities: A New Approach To Professional Development For Preschool Teachers In A Southern California School District, Robin Fairfield Jan 2011

Early Childhood Educators Teaching And Learning In Professional Learning Communities: A New Approach To Professional Development For Preschool Teachers In A Southern California School District, Robin Fairfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood education teachers have been challenged with the demands for accountability in literacy and English language development, as well as kindergarten readiness skills of preschool children. Researchers have studied professional learning communities (PLCs) as a framework for professional development and student achievement. However, few have studied the effects of PLCs in preschool. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how PLCs support preschool teachers in Head Start and other preschool programs. The research questions involved understanding teaching and learning opportunities for early childhood education (ECE) that can produce positive child outcomes. Using social constructivist assumptions, data …


Preschoolers' Use Of Technology In The Classroom, Re, Darlene M. Estes-Del Re Jan 2011

Preschoolers' Use Of Technology In The Classroom, Re, Darlene M. Estes-Del Re

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Almost from birth, children are immersed in a technologically rich world yet they often enter preschools that offer little to no use of technology. Preschool learning is tied to more traditional forms of reading and writing; this may be inconsistent with the ways children are learning at home and will learn in elementary school. Despite growing interest in creating learning environments that better mirror the technological experiences of the home, there is a significant gap in current research about how learning is affected in preschool environments designed with multiple forms of technology. This qualitative single case study was designed to …


The Perceptions Of Developmental Therapists About The Influence Of Inner-City Home Environments On Service Delivery, Tywanda Jiles Jan 2010

The Perceptions Of Developmental Therapists About The Influence Of Inner-City Home Environments On Service Delivery, Tywanda Jiles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act required that early intervention services for young children from birth to age 3 take place in their natural environment. However, limited research has been conducted on the impact of this requirement on the actual service providers who work within the home environments. Lewin's field theory on behavior, individual person, and the environment formed the theoretical framework for this descriptive case study, which examined the perceptions of developmental therapists on how their service is influenced by the inner-city home environment. Ten developmental therapists in a midwestern metropolitan city were interviewed about their beliefs …


The Efficacy Of A Vocabulary Acquisition Program In Young English Language Learners, Renee Mimbs Powers Jan 2010

The Efficacy Of A Vocabulary Acquisition Program In Young English Language Learners, Renee Mimbs Powers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers know that many nonnative English language learners (ELLs) have problems with successful negotiation of academic English vocabulary. The purpose of this study, working from a behavioralist perspective as espoused by Thorndike, Skinner, and Bandura, was to determine if a vocabulary program influenced word acquisition in first grade ELLs. The research questions focused on the degree to which the program affected the learner's vocabulary and helped to alleviate word poverty from among the 34 participants in the study. In this quantitative pretest -- posttest design, ELL students were exposed to 9 weeks of intense instruction. The vocabulary acquisition of ELL …


Preschool Environments, Relationships And Creative Skills: A Case Study, Petronella Anita Cameron Jan 2010

Preschool Environments, Relationships And Creative Skills: A Case Study, Petronella Anita Cameron

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies indicate the importance of supporting children's creative and social skills during the early years of their development, in part because children can develop low self-esteem when these skills are left unattended in preschool environments. However, as of yet research has not identified strategies preschool instructors used to prepare preschool environments to nurture the development of these skills. This qualitative case study examined how preschool environments nurture the development of preschool children's creative skills and relationships. Grounded in Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and Torrance's theory of guiding creative talent, the study used a purposeful sample of 9 prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers …


Multiyear Student/Teacher Relationships And Language Development In Children Of Hawaiian Descent At Kamehameha Schools Community Based Early Childhood Education Program, Susan Collins Jan 2010

Multiyear Student/Teacher Relationships And Language Development In Children Of Hawaiian Descent At Kamehameha Schools Community Based Early Childhood Education Program, Susan Collins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although numerous studies have documented the connection between early language and academic achievement, there is much less information available about the effects of teacher/student relationships on language development. Based on Vygotsky's theory that all learning takes place in the context of relationships, this quasi-experimental study examined language scores for students in an early education classroom who stayed with the same teacher for 2 years compared with those in a classroom with two different teachers for each of the 2 years. Pre- and posttest scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III (PPVT-III) and language scores on the Developmental Indicators for the …


The Use Of Handheld Devices For Improved Phonemic Awareness In A Traditional Kindergarten Classroom, Cristy Ann Magagna-Mcbee Jan 2010

The Use Of Handheld Devices For Improved Phonemic Awareness In A Traditional Kindergarten Classroom, Cristy Ann Magagna-Mcbee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effective teaching strategies that improve the development of phonemic awareness are important to ensure students are fluent readers by third grade. The use of handheld devices to improve phonemic awareness with kindergarten students may be such a strategy, but no research exists that evaluates the use of these devices. This study explored the effectiveness of Bee-Bot handheld devices in kindergarten classrooms to teach phonemic awareness. A 4-month sequential mixed-methods study was conducted in four classrooms: two that used Bee-Bot handheld devices in phonemic awareness lessons and two that never used the devices. The score gain (Fall 2009 to Winter 2010) …


The Relationship Between Perceived Preparedness, Effiacy And Special Education Training, Leslie Haley Wasserman Jan 2010

The Relationship Between Perceived Preparedness, Effiacy And Special Education Training, Leslie Haley Wasserman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited information exists on early childhood first year teachers' training for accommodations for diverse student abilities in classrooms. This mixed methods sequential explanatory study examined the self-efficacy of 28 first year early childhood teachers from Midwest urban schools. Vygotsky's social learning theory and Gardner's multiple intelligences were used as the conceptual framework. Email survey data were collected and analyzed using a t-test to answer the quantitative questions on the relationship between perceived efficacy and type of and amount of special education training provided in preservice programs. Qualitative questions on self-efficacy to instruct diverse students within the regular classroom were examined …


A Study Of The Impact Of Imagination Library Participation On Kindergarten Reading Achievement, Lisa Embree Jan 2009

A Study Of The Impact Of Imagination Library Participation On Kindergarten Reading Achievement, Lisa Embree

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Very little research has been conducted on the impact of the Imagination Library, a Tennessee based reading program, on student reading achievement. Therefore, the purpose of this cross-sectional explanatory study was to test whether Imagination Library program participation had an impact on reading achievement for kindergarten students from 3 rural elementary schools. The theoretical basis for this study was Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, the process of scaffolding, and language learning models. ANOVA was used to test the hypothesis that reading achievement for participants was significantly different from nonparticipants and was also used to test the hypotheses of relationships between reading achievement …


Survey Study Of The Relationship Between Parents' And Teachers' Perceptions Of What Constitutes Effective School -To -Home Communications, Jill L. Murphy Jan 2009

Survey Study Of The Relationship Between Parents' And Teachers' Perceptions Of What Constitutes Effective School -To -Home Communications, Jill L. Murphy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Even though guidelines at a suburban elementary school in Georgia were in place for teachers regarding frequency and methods of parent communication, it was unclear if these methods were being used consistently and effectively. Research has shown that effective communication increases student achievement, but there is a lack of research examining communication preferences of teachers and parents. Therefore, this study evaluated current practices by comparing parents' and teachers' perceptions of what constitutes effective school-to-home communications. The researcher administered questionnaires to a random sample of teachers and parents of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students to compare their perceptions of the …


Changing The Negative Behavioral And Developmental Outcomes To A Toxic Prenatal Environment Through Parent Education, Angela Elieen Laughlin Lebedev Jan 2008

Changing The Negative Behavioral And Developmental Outcomes To A Toxic Prenatal Environment Through Parent Education, Angela Elieen Laughlin Lebedev

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of current education materials on changing maternal smoking attitudes. Children are affected by prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke. Although there are educational efforts to discourage pregnant women from smoking, the practice continues in a significant number of pregnancies. New materials, based on current research, were also evaluated for effectiveness. The theoretical framework for this study was adult learning theory presented by Knowles which makes the assumption that an individual is shaped by environmental systems, that adult learning is affected by previous knowledge they bring to the learning and that adults …


The Impact Of Daily Writing On Kindergarten Students' Phonemic Awareness., C. A. Snell Jan 2007

The Impact Of Daily Writing On Kindergarten Students' Phonemic Awareness., C. A. Snell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether or not a significant relationship exists among daily writing and student growth in phonemic awareness. The study also considered the impact of writing on the phonemic awareness development of students at different literacy levels. Although studies exist on the importance of phonemic awareness development in reading acquisition, a deficit exists examining the correlation among daily writing and the phonemic awareness development of students representing different literacy levels. Forty students in an experimental group engaged in daily writing opportunities, while 37 students in the control group engaged in less frequent writing …