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Full-Text Articles in Education
Early Childhood Teachers' Experiences In Collaboration Practices Related To Developing Professionally: A Qualitative Case Study, Linda Alston-Morgan
Early Childhood Teachers' Experiences In Collaboration Practices Related To Developing Professionally: A Qualitative Case Study, Linda Alston-Morgan
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine early childhood teachers’ experiences in collaboration practices to support teacher professional development in three early childhood schools in Central New Jersey. The theory guiding this study was social cognitive theory by Bandura (1986), which focuses on learning through observations and social interactions. Bandura’s theory aligned with the study and revealed how collaborative opportunities are utilized as an approach to help teachers learn from each other and develop professionally. However, specific activities underlying the professional development of teachers during the collaborative sessions need more exploration. The research included data regarding early …
Preschool Teachers' Lived Experiences Embracing Challenges In Preparing Students For Kindergarten: A Phenomenological Study, Rhodora A. Alonzo
Preschool Teachers' Lived Experiences Embracing Challenges In Preparing Students For Kindergarten: A Phenomenological Study, Rhodora A. Alonzo
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenology was to describe pre-school teachers’ lived experiences embracing challenges in preparing students for kindergarten at a public school district in Mid-Atlantic State. The theory that guides this study was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory keying in on the zone of proximal development (ZPD), which represents the amount of learning possible by a student, given the proper instructional conditions. The research questions include, “What do pre-school teachers perceive as challenges to preparing students for kindergarten?” “What are teachers’ perceptions about the importance of alignment between the pre-school and kindergarten programs?” “What are markers of pre-school students that …
Exploring How Preschoolers Use Ipads To Develop Phonemic Awareness: A Case Study, Patricia Pounds Scalf
Exploring How Preschoolers Use Ipads To Develop Phonemic Awareness: A Case Study, Patricia Pounds Scalf
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe how iPads may be used to develop phonemic awareness as part of emergent literacy skills acquisition for six preschool students at Little Lambs Christian Preschool (pseudonym) in central Tennessee. The theories guiding this study were the social constructivist theory, as it related to the use of play for the development of new skills, and the emergent literacy theory, which provided a framework for identifying and defining the skills children need to develop before learning to read. The following was the proposed central research question: How does the use of iPads …
A Phenomenological Exploration Of Early Childhood Educators' Perseverance Experience, Alison Lee Mellott
A Phenomenological Exploration Of Early Childhood Educators' Perseverance Experience, Alison Lee Mellott
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences which motivated early childhood educators to persevere in their positions at the same early childhood education center, for five or more years, in south-central Pennsylvania. For the purpose of this research, perseverance was generally defined as continuous teaching at the same site for five or more years. The theory guiding this study was Herzberg’s (1968) motivation hygiene theory as it addressed experiences which impacted job satisfaction and dissatisfaction, directly impacting perseverance. One central research question and two supporting research questions were used to guide the study. The central …
Ipads In Preschools: A Collective Case Study About Tablet Technology In Subsidized Preschool Programs, Dean Tagawa
Ipads In Preschools: A Collective Case Study About Tablet Technology In Subsidized Preschool Programs, Dean Tagawa
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Preschool children today will not remember a time when there were no smartphones, laptops, or iPads. The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to develop an in-depth understanding of the challenges and benefits of implementing tablet technology for early education teachers that work in subsidized preschool programs. Tablet utilization in preschool classrooms was generally defined as how teachers from five different classrooms utilize tablet technology to enhance the instructional programs for children in subsidized preschool programs. The setting for this study was five early education centers in a large urban school district. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, …
Effects Of Social-Emotional Education On Pre-Kindergarten Student Academic Achievement, Lauren Pierce Starnes
Effects Of Social-Emotional Education On Pre-Kindergarten Student Academic Achievement, Lauren Pierce Starnes
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Social-emotional education is an ongoing area of interest to optimize student achievement and ameliorate problem behaviors. This study examines the systematic effects of social-emotional education on preschool students’ academic achievement testing. A sample of Pre-Kindergarten students from private, suburban preschools was examined for this study. The results of this study yielded strong positive academic achievement scores in the domains of Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Early Math for students exposed to a social-emotional education program compared to a matched sample not exposed to social-emotional education. The results add to the research on social-emotional education by studying a lesser-studied population of …
Perceptions Of The Role Physical Activity Plays In Early Childhood Education, Martha Swirzinski
Perceptions Of The Role Physical Activity Plays In Early Childhood Education, Martha Swirzinski
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to describe the perceptions early childhood educators who intentionally implement physical activity into their class day in Eastern Virginia have with regards to using physical activity with preschoolers ages three to five. The theory guiding this study was the social constructivist theory by Lev Vygotsky (1978) which maintains that each individual has a different perspective about any given experience based on their prior experiences and all experiences build upon themselves to create knowledge. The constructivist theory suggests learners must interact with their environments to gain new knowledge (Ogunnaike, 2015). The basic …
Total Communication Methods For Preschool Children With Autism: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Parent And Professional Perceptions, Leigh Beesley
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this transcendental, phenomenological study was to explore experiences of using a total communication system with preschoolers diagnosed with autism as explained by their parents and teachers. The research focused on the experience specifically relating to functional communication and social interactions. Determining resources that parents and teachers need that may have made the employment of the strategies more successful, was of importance to this study in order to determine implications, or future needed research. The participants in this study, determined by purposive sampling, included parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, and speech therapist located in an elementary school setting. The study …
Predicting Future Special Education Eligibility From Developmental Assessment Of Young Children (Dayc) Scores, Helen E. Shaw Tripp
Predicting Future Special Education Eligibility From Developmental Assessment Of Young Children (Dayc) Scores, Helen E. Shaw Tripp
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This quantitative non-experimental correlational study used logistic regression and archival data to examine the relationship between scores obtained by children at age three on the Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAYC) rating scale and later special education eligibility status. The purpose of this study was to determine if DAYC scores can predict future special education eligibility as defined by the criteria of the State of Tennessee Department of Education and thereby provide a tactic for early identification and intervention. The 74 participants were students from a small, rural, high-poverty school district who were initially evaluated at age three using the …
A Comparative Study Of The Teaching Methods Of Christian And Secular Preschools, Lloyd Mcdaniel
A Comparative Study Of The Teaching Methods Of Christian And Secular Preschools, Lloyd Mcdaniel
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This dissertation is a comparative study of the teaching methods of Christian preschools and secular preschool. I used two Christian and two secular preschools for the study. The study included interviews of the teachers and preschool directors and observations of actions in the classroom. Many children enter kindergarten not fully prepared for a classroom environment. Some of these children have never been outside the home without a parent and to be placed in a strange setting with strange people and answering to adults that are not parents, can be quite stressful. They are expected to become adjusted and start learning …