Education Commons^™

Improving Read-Aloud Instruction In An Autism Preschool Classroom, Amanda M. Bruffy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to look at what literacy strategies can be implemented to engage autistic preschool students during read-aloud instruction. Through this qualitative case study, I conducted research to find strategies that would engage my students in a way that is purposeful, effective, and create instruction where students take something meaningful away from the lesson. The research was conducted in a self-contained preschool classroom with a focus on Autism. A teacher's journal, family questionnaire, observational and anecdotal notes were used and collected to analyze data from read-aloud instruction. The data that was collected was analyzed through the …

Using Cognitive Coaching To Facilitate Instructional Reflection, Brooke Walczak

Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive Coaching is a model (Costa & Garmston, 1985) designed to help teachers to become more self-directed in both their workplace and their lives. This single case study sought to analyze the effects of the Cognitive Coaching Model on instructional reflection. It also examined the coach's reflection on their strategies and how these strategies affected instructional reflection. One Reading Education graduate student conducted four coaching rounds with one veteran teacher who was teaching preschool for the first time. Data included video recordings, observational notes, Cognitive Coaching Self-Assessments, and researcher journals. This data was analyzed using a comparison/grounded theory that used …

Using A Cultural Response To Select Multicultural Social Studies Read Alouds In A Kindergarten Classroom, Meredith Shockley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to examine student interactions before, during, and after the reading of multicultural literature in kindergarten during the science and social studies instruction. The texts selected were picked based on information about the students' Funds of Knowledge, family make-up, and culture within the particular classroom. Over the course of two months, five multicultural texts were read aloud and discussed. Recorded book discussions, student drawings, and one-on-one interview questions were used to gather data. After all the data was collected, the following themes became apparent: family connections, diversity, and student engagement. Based on the data, …

Teaching Social Justice In Kindergarten To Reduce Bias In Children, Deanna Marie Villari

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand what happens when students in a Kindergarten classroom participate in learning about social justice to create a culture of empathy. Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995) serves as a theoretical framework for implementing mini-lessons using the 2020 Teaching Tolerance's Anti-Bias Framework and social justice standards to create an inclusive kindergarten environment. The objective was to increase engagement in the classroom and create a more positive and comfortable environment for students during play group and class discussions around picture books. Qualitative research was used in this study, which focused on read-alouds, class discussions, and …

Will Teaching Pecs To Vocal And Non-Vocal Students Increase Social Interactions?, Patricia Kathleen Infantino

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of PECS when taught to vocal and non- vocal students would increase communication and interactions during social situations. While using PECS both groups increased their social interactions during play time. Before this study the children in group one were not interacting at all. After being taught the use of PECS Group One interacted an average of five times per session. Before the study the children in Group two were not demonstrating any interactions, and after being taught the use of PECS they interacted an average of 10 times per …

The Effect Of Social Stories On The Positive Play Behaviors And Social Interactions Of Preschool Students With Developmental Disabilities, Lauren Lee Divittorio

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this single subject design study was to determine the effectiveness of social stories on the positive play behaviors and social interactions of preschool students with developmental disabilities. The satisfaction of staff members with the implementation of social stories in the classroom was also examined. Preschool students in the study showed an increase in positive social interactions including turn-taking, using verbal and non-verbal communication to express their feelings during play, and overall positive play behaviors after implementation of social stories. Staff members reported positive social validity of the intervention. Implications for using social stories with preschool students with …

Teacher Perspectives On Social Thinking, Kelley Yankowski Sarnelle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to obtain teachers' perspectives on students' social skills and problem behaviors before and after implementing a social skills curriculum to students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. Teachers were given a survey to rate students' social skills and problem behaviors prior to and following intervention. Students were then taught using the Think Social! social skills training program. Students participated in six sessions. Results showed that teachers reported that most of the students increased their social skills and decreased their problem behaviors after being taught using the Think Social! curriculum. Results suggest students with emotional and …

Investigation Of Preschool Teachers Perceptions, Understandings, And Practices Related To Resilience Pedagogy: A Qualitative Single Case Study, Nancy Fern Ziobro

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this qualitative single case study were to (a) understand the meaning of resilience through the lens of preschool teachers working in an elementary school in a small urban district and (b) to explore the impact of engaging preschool teachers in professional discourse with their colleagues regarding pedagogical practices that foster resilient behaviors in their students. Using focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and graphic elicitations this study discovered the meaning of resilience through descriptions of preschool teachers' understandings, perceptions, and teaching practices. Key findings indicate teachers viewed resilience in terms of the ability to persevere and recover in times …

Using Wordless Picture Books To Develop Oral Language Skills With Kindergarten Students, Jennifer M. Natale

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to study the oral language development of the average kindergartner, through the use of wordless picture books, as he or she is provided with practice in which to build oral language. The specific aim is to implore whether the addition of oral language activities using wordless picture books, into the regular kindergarten program, will enable students to better express themselves orally through storytelling, as well as to transfer that skill into orally dictating a written story. This study is significant in that, as academic demands increase in the kindergarten classroom, it appears that students …

The Impact Of Song And Movement On Kindergarten Sight Word Acquisition, Katy Martin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this naturalistic, qualitative study was to document the impact that song and movement had on kindergarten sight word acquisition. To investigate this, 18 kindergarten students were taught 20 new sight words using songs and movement over the course of four weeks. Data was systematically collected and analyzed to determine the specific benefits that song and movement had on kindergartner's sight word learning in regard to automaticity, motivation, and engagement. The kindergarten students were administered a pre-and post-sight word assessment along with a pre-and post-song and movement motivation and engagement student survey. Throughout the study, a qualitative journal …

Fire Safety Training Using Video Modeling In Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Amy Morgan

Theses and Dissertations

Studies on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show limited research on topics involving safety, especially those that relate to fire evacuation procedures. Current research provides minimal information for understanding and practicing fire safety procedures. This topic requires more research to ensure that these children are able to understand and follow safety procedures during a fire to prevent and reduce injury and death. The research questions advanced in the study were: 1) Is video modeling an effective approach for teaching fire safety skills to children with ASD? 2) Does the teaching approach result in generalization of fire safety skills in …

Fostering Social-Emotional Skills: A Cross-County Comparison Of The New Jersey Early Intervention System, Abigail Alston

Theses and Dissertations

The positive influence of early intervention on the future success of infants and toddlers who qualify for these services has been supported by various studies. Social-emotional skills, a targeted outcome of early intervention services, are an essential component of a child's social and academic success. New Jersey County Determination Reports demonstrate a disparity between the percentage of children entering early intervention with social-emotional skills below age expectation and then proceeding to exit early intervention with substantially increased social-emotional skills. The purpose of this study was to understand whether certain variables impacted these percentages. Variables investigated for each county included the …

Learning Behaviors And Academic Readiness Among Preschool Children In A Private School, Chelsea L. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Prekindergarten programs have been designed with the purpose of improving children's academic skills and behaviors before the start of formal schooling (Howes et al., 2008). Previous research has determined that academic readiness in young children is influenced by the child's learning behaviors (Schaefer & McDermott, 1999). The study examined children's learning behaviors and academic readiness at the pre-Kindergarten year in a learning-centered private school in Southern New Jersey. Forty children were recruited from three separate classrooms and tested with the Bracken School Readiness Assessment-Third Edition (BSRA-3: Bracken, 2007) to assess their academic readiness. Learning behaviors of the children were assessed …

Can Sensory Strategies Reduce Tantruming To Increase Positive Familial Interactions?, Deborah Stacy Maule

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of sensory strategies in relation to a child's success in regards to enjoyment of his or her family life. This study was based on the sensory struggles of one little boy who spent much of his time tantruming. This was possibly due to his inability to self-calm so that he could find success instead of strife within his home environment.

This study took place over fifteen Early Intervention home visits in southern New Jersey, and parental questionnaires were referenced each time to note progress or regression in areas pertinent to the child's social emotional and …

Self-Regulated Learning And Self-Efficacy In Prekindergarten Students, Leonard Wayne Long

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand prekindergarten teacher perceptions of self-regulation and to investigate how prekindergarten students regulate their learning.

Research entailed video recorded observations of prekindergarten students engaged in social-cognitive behaviors during centers. The Creative Curriculum - one of several State recommended programs for prekindergarten - provided the foundational guidelines for teachers to incorporate into daily lessons - one of which is for students to play in organized centers. Naturalistic observations were conducted in five-minute intervals per student and coded according to The Play Observation Scale. During play, students' activities were coded according to interaction with …