Education Commons^™

Program Evaluation Of Behavior Management Training For Preschool Teachers: Teacher Outcomes, Danielle Marie Young

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Teachers are required to manage difficult behaviors within their classrooms with limited support and resources. Additionally, there is not a lot of research that has been completed looking at teacher attitudes or how children’s behavior impacts them personally. The current study looks at teacher outcomes based upon an evidence-based teacher training program. The teacher training was implemented at the Western Kentucky Head Start. Teachers’ job stress and self-efficacy were measured before the training, after the training, in the fall, and in the spring. In addition, standardized observations were completed, looking at classroom climate and management, in the fall and spring …

Beware: Teachers Who Blog, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

A recent case from Pennsylvania, Munroe v. Central Bucks School District (2014), raises fresh questions about the free speech and expression rights of public school teachers as they use the Internet. In Munroe, when a board terminated a high school teacher’s employment for making controversial postings about her students and colleagues on her personal blog—postings that proved disruptive—a federal trial court rejected the educator’s claim that she was dismissed in retaliation for exercising her right to free speech.

Before reviewing the facts and judicial opinion in Munroe, it is worth noting that blogs (a term coined in the late 1990s …

A Grounded Theory Study Of The Experiences Of Early Childhood Educators Implementing Action Research As A Professional Development Method, Donna James

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this systematic grounded theory study was to gain insight through the experiences of early childhood educators and their perceptions as they implemented action research as a professional development method. This study focused on the process of implementing action research as a professional development method and strived to answer questions related to the possible future use of this model in other educational settings while describing educator experiences, perceptions and beliefs. Data collection included interviews, observations, and journals. Detailed procedures for analysis were employed during the study with three phases of coding: Open, Axial, and Selective. Data was analyzed …

Child Maltreatment: What Attitudinal Factors Of Commitment, Confidence, And Concern Predict Reporting Practices Of Preservice Speech-Language Pathologists?, Alan Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The pervasiveness of child maltreatment is a global issue, although its impact on the United States is markedly severe. The mortality rate for children four years of age and younger continues to rise annually, with an especially alarming increase present for children with disabilities. Although inservice and preservice educators, including speech-language pathologists, are mandated to report suspected maltreatment, several obstacles appear to hinder their actions. Understanding the factors that predict an individuals' likelihood of reporting malfeasance may help minimize maltreatment occurrence and child mortality. Preservice speech- language pathologists attending accredited programs in the United States were surveyed regarding their attitudes …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Examining The Getting Ready Intervention For Supporting Young Children With Challenging Behaviors, Miriam E. Kuhn

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Families and preschool teachers of children with persistent challenging behaviors are taxed daily by difficulties presented in care and management of such children in their homes and early education settings. This study utilized a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach in three phases to better understand a collaborative partnership model of intervention, Getting Ready (Sheridan, Marvin, Knoche, & Edwards, 2008), for supporting preschoolers with challenging behaviors attending Head Start or state-funded pre-kindergarten programs. Preschool teachers received professional development and individual coaching to help them improve partnerships and collaboratively plan with parents to promote children’s growth, and enhance parent-child interactions.

In Phase …

Bringing Literacy Home: Latino Families Supporting Children's Literacy Learning, Stephanie Wessels, Guy Trainin

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

DUAL LANGUAGE LEARNERS (DLLS) are part of the educational landscape across the United States. Public school enrollment of dual language learners increased by 51 percent from 1997 to 2008 (NCELA 2011). At the same time, students who are DLLs meet the same academic standards as English-only students after an adjustment period (Goldenberg 2008). The challenge for our schools and communities is educating all students while helping DLLs close the gap in language and cultural understanding so they can succeed in the American educational system. Research suggests that working to close the achievement gap during regular school hours only is not …

The Differences In Approaches To Learning Among Kindergartners Who Attended State-Funded Pre-K, Kristin Mobbs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This causal-comparative study examined the differences in early childhood experiences on the critical school readiness domain of approaches to learning. Kindergarten teachers from a small district in northeast Georgia completed the Learning Behaviors Scale to examine the dependent variables of competence motivation, attitude toward learning, attention/persistence, and strategy/flexibility from a convenience sample of 187 kindergarten students. The school district provided archived data that included kindergarten class lists, preschool experiences during the 2012-2013 school year, race, gender, free/reduced lunch status, and elementary school attended for kindergarten in order to examine kindergartners' learning behaviors. Descriptive statistics provided information on the mean differences …

Elementary School Teachers' Interpretation And Promotion Of Creativity In The Learning Of Mathematics: A Grounded Theory Study, Yinjing Shen

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Creativity is important for young children learning mathematics. Comparing the investment theory of creativity and national standards and principles for early mathematics shows that doing mathematics is more than applying rules and procedures; rather, learning mathematics takes a lot of creativity. However, much literature claimed that creativity for young children in the learning of mathematics was not adequately supported by teachers in the classroom due to teachers’ poor college preparation in mathematics content knowledge, teachers’ negativity towards creative students, teachers’ occupational pressure, low quality curriculum, and the like. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to generate a model …

Policy Brief: Keeping All Students Safe Act Of 2014, Nancy Bergerson

Policy Analysis

Senator Harkin (D-IA), Senator Murphy (D-CT), Senator Baldwin (D-WI), and Senator Hirono (D-HI) introduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act (S.2036) in the Senate on Feb. 24, 2014. Rep. Miller (D-CA) introduced H.R. 1893 on May 9, 2013. The Act would produce limitations for the use of restraints in public and private schools. Currently, 19 states have no policies in place to address this issue. The law would require better training, monitoring and enforcement of these standards, as well as the collection of related data which would be available to the public. We are asking you to co-sponsor the Keeping …

Fidelity Of Implementation, Teacher Perspectives And Child Outcomes Of A Literacy Intervention In A Head Start Program: A Mixed Methods Study, Dawn Davis

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The success of early childhood interventions have been influenced by the degree to which they were implemented with fidelity (e.g., Davidson, Fields & Yang, 2009; Dusenbury, Brannigan, Falco, & Hansen, 2003; Elliot & Mihalic, 2004), meaning “the degree to which teachers and other program providers implement programs as intended by the program developers” (Mellard & Johnson, 2008, p. 240). This study examines relations among implementation fidelity, teacher characteristics, their perceptions, and child literacy outcomes within a preschool literacy intervention using a mixed methods design.

This study examines child literacy outcome data from 247 preschool children and fidelity, perceptions and demographic …

Early Childhood Open Course Ware, Department Of Early Education And Care, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Build Out Of School Time Network - Bostnet

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Early Education and Care in Inclusive Settings (EECIS) is UMass Boston's program for both entry-level and experienced early childhood practitioners. It is designed for individuals seeking leadership roles in the early childhood field. The program's specific focus is support for individuals who wish to work in Early Intervention and early childhood programs outside of the public schools.

The goal of the Early Childhood Open Course Ware is to provide on demand high quality professional development across the state with consistency available at various levels of academic rigor.

Assessment And Curriculum Modification For Grade 1 Students With Disabilities In Tanzania: A Pilot Study, Angi Stone-Macdonald

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The purpose of this study was: 1) to analyze aggregated student assessment data from grade 1 students at a public government primary school in Northern Tanzania to determine the efficacy of a curriculum based screen tool, and 2)to examine current practices of inclusion for Tanzanian children in the early grades.

Examining The Historical Representation Of Native Americans Within Children’S Literature, Lauren Hunt

2014 Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creative Activity Documents

In this research, I evaluated the historical representation of Native Americans in children’s literature. The portrayal of Native Americans in children’s literature is important because Native Americans are commonly included within elementary school social studies curriculum. For this reason, teachers should know how the literature they select historically represents Native Americans. This historical representation includes—but is not limited to—their interactions with European explorers, colonists, and eventually Americans. Teachers must be aware that publishers of children’s books are businesses; their job is to sell books. As a result, these companies do not always ensure that the books they sell are historically …

Children’S Attitudes Towards Peers With Disabilities: Associations With Personal And Parental Factors, Soo-Young Hong, Kyong-Ah Kwon, Hyun-Joo Jeon

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the following: (i) associations among children’s prior contact with people with disabilities and the three dimensions of children’s attitudes towards people with disabilities: children’s understanding of and their feelings about people with disabilities and their behavioral intentions to make inclusion decisions; (ii) the relation between children’s behavioral intentions to make inclusion decisions and the demands of activity contexts and the types of disabilities; and (iii) the association between parents’ attitudes and children’s attitudes. Participants included 94 typically developing four- and five-year-old preschoolers. Children’s understanding of disabilities and their prior contact with people …

Growing Ideas - Confidentiality: Respecting The Privacy Of All Families, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

Care and education professionals routinely receive confidential information about children and families as part of their work. Maintaining confidentiality is important both legally and ethically.

Growing Ideas - Caring For Young Children - Business Matters, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

Caregivers or business owners? Family child care providers are both. Paying attention to the business aspects of running a family child care home is an important component to having the income and working environment needed for program success.

Growing Ideas - Building Belonging: Providing Guidance For Social Skill Development, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

As young children with and without disabilities grow, they are learning how to develop relationships with others and to be members of a community. All children need support to learn and achieve these important life skills. The process adults use to teach and support this learning is known as guidance. Effective guidance assumes the following conditions: Respect, understanding, and appreciation for every child’s unique qualities; Knowledge that children’s mistaken behaviors provide learning opportunities; An encouraging community where every child belongs and feels safe; and a developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive setting.

Growing Ideas - Daily Transitions - Time For A Change, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

Young children with and without disabilities experience many changes during their day. Daily transitions in early care and education programs take place during an activity, or when children move from one activity to another or one location to another. Transitions include the following: Arriving at or departing from a program; Exchanging toys; Entering or leaving a play area during free choice time; Cleaning up after morning activities and starting a group circle time; Getting dressed to go outside to play; and Shifting from playing with friends to working with a teacher/therapist on a particular skill. Thoughtful planning is needed so …

Growing Ideas - Whack! Slam! Bang! - Aggression, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

Aggressive behavior - hitting, pinching, biting, and other acts through which children may hurt themselves or others - is a way children communicate by using their bodies. Children behave aggressively for a variety of reasons.

Growing Ideas - Partnering With An Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) is a collaborative relationship between a mental health consultant and families, care and education professionals, and/or early care and education teachers. ECMHC strives to improve the ability of families, teachers, and care and education professionals to promote, sustain and restore healthy social and emotional development for all children. Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation approaches challenging situations with children from a problem solving perspective. ECMHC is not a therapeutic intervention: it occurs in the children's natural settings - child care, home, and school.

Growing Ideas - Admissions Policies And Practices That Build Inclusive Child Care Communities (For Providers), University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

Quality inclusive child care settings include children with disabilities and health, behavioral or mental health concerns. Admissions policies that clearly state eligibility criteria, practices, program and parent and/or guardian responsibilities, can help families evaluate if the program will be a good match for their child. Providers may want to obtain legal advice to be sure their policy and procedures align with relevant federal and state laws and regulations.

Growing Ideas - Shocking Language! - Swearing, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

When children swear, it is important to understand the hidden meaning behind those troubling words. As with any behavior, it is important to learn as much as you can about a child and what may be causing this swearing behavior. Young children usually do not know what the swear words mean, so what is the swearing behavior communicating? Is a child saying..."I am angry!" "This word makes people pay attention!" "I want to be like my favorite TV character!" "I need a friend!" or " I feel sick or hurt."

Growing Ideas - Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) is a collaborative relationship between a mental health consultant and family members, child care providers, early care and education teachers, and/ or child development professionals. ECMHC strives to improve the ability of families, teachers, and caregivers to promote, sustain and restore healthy social and emotional development for all children. It supports building and maintaining healthy working relationships between care and education professionals and families.

Growing Ideas - Admissions Policies And Practices That Build Inclusive Child Care Communities (For Parents And Guardians), University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

All children, including children with disabilities, benefit when quality inclusive child care settings provide an equal opportunity to participate. Admissions policies and practices that reflect this inclusive philosophy can help parents and guardians evaluate whether the program will be a good match for their child.

Growing Ideas - Laws That Support Early Childhood Education For All, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

State and federal laws protect the rights of children with disabilities. These laws support the inclusion of children with disabilities in care and education settings. Care and education professionals should be familiar with these laws.

Growing Ideas - Inclusive Early Childhood Education, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

Inclusive early childhood programs are built upon a foundation of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) and consider individualized approaches that benefit all children. Inclusive programs welcome ALL children, including children with disabilities, and provide opportunities for each child in the group to participate, learn, and truly belong. Care and education professionals consider the needs of all children when planning, implementing, and evaluating the program.

Growing Ideas - Thoughtful Teaching: Developmentally Appropriate Practice, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) describes an approach to education that guides early childhood professionals in their everyday practice. DAP comes from more than 75 years of research on child development and early learning. It gives early childhood professionals information from which to make decisions based on their knowledge of child development and what is known about how young children learn.

Growing Ideas - Ouch! That Hurts! - Biting, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

Children bite for a variety of reasons. Biting behavior provides clues to how children are feeling, their stage of development and what they need from their environment to be successful. Understanding what the young child needs is the first step in developing an effective response. For some children, biting may be related to their stage of development. Biting can be very common, for example, at the toddler stage. When young children lack skills and strategies to communicate their feelings and needs effectively, they may feel overwhelmed. Biting then becomes a child's way of expressing frustration.

Growing Ideas - Assessment Basics: From Observation To Instruction, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

Developmentally appropriate assessment supports learning through the process of gathering information related to a child's development and learning style. It provides professionals with a picture of each individual child and helps to answer essential questions about a child's growth and development.

Growing Ideas - Friends & Feelings: Social-Emotional Development In Young Children, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

Social-emotional development involves the ability to form close, secure relationships and to experience, regulate, and express emotions. Social-emotional growth is affected by a variety of factors, such as an individual’s unique biology and temperament, as well as life experiences. “Social” refers to how individuals interact with others. “Emotional” refers to how individuals feel about themselves, others, and the world.