Education Commons^™

Using Touch Technology To Foster Storytelling In The Preschool Classroom, Eloah Decat, V Damjanovic, S Branson, J Blank, I. R. Berson

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This practitioner research explores ways children engage in literacy learning through storytelling with the use of touch technology in a VPK (Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten) classroom. With access to diverse touch technology devices but no experience using these technologies, a VPK teacher explored strategies to use the resources to enhance literacy learning in the classroom with the support of a professional learning community (PLC). The PLC consisted of a master’s student, university faculty, school director, and a technology liaison. The implementation of this study took place over three weeks, and every week children created a different story. Collected data include photographs, student …

Intentional Strategies That Build Self-Regulation In Preschoolers, Melissa Martin

Graduate Teacher Education

As academic standards continue to increase, young children are often challenged to attend to structured and teacher-directed educational activities for developmentally inappropriate periods of time. In response, there is an increasing awareness of how academic achievement and self-regulation are affected by difficulties in sensory processing. Traditional interventions for children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) have primarily been conducted by trained Occupational Therapists (OT) in clinical based settings. This capstone investigated research on possible collaborative interventions and environmental supports and adaptations within the classroom setting that would build self-regulation and attention in all preschool children. The studies reviewed indicated support for …

Socio-Dramatic Work Systems For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jorey Prange

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project assessed the integration of socio-dramatic work systems for two children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in an inclusive preschool classroom. It provides details about Teaching Strategies GOLD assessment tool and Structured Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication related handicapped Children (TEACCH) Work Systems. My experience working with two children with ASD shows that creating and implementing dramatic play work systems helped these two students improve their dramatic play skill progression as rated with the Teaching Strategies GOLD assessment tool.

An Evaluation Of An Interactive Computerized Training To Teach Instructors How To Respond During An Active Shooter Situation, Lorraine A. Becerra

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Active shooter events in the U.S. are occurring more often in commercial environment and schools. In these emergency situations educators must quickly decide to complete actions that will protect themselves and their students. Typically, during these situations, the educator should complete in a run, hide, or fight sequence of behaviors. The educator must also consider challenges for their student’s particular disabilities during these situations. Interactive computerized training (ICT) may be one easy method to teach educators these procedures. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of interactive computerized training to help educators learn how to respond during …

Exploring The World Around You: A Guide To Learning About The Natural World, Jordyn Kuemerle

Honors Projects

This paper discusses the research, methodology, and purpose of my Honors Project. My project is a workbook for children to complete with their parents or guardians all about exploring nature. Language and literacy development is the overall focus of my workbook, but children who complete it also learn about shapes, colors, and comparing sizes in nature. The original inspiration for this workbook came from reading Molly Bang’s 2016 book, Picture This: How Pictures Work, and I originally wanted to make a children’s book in nature. After further research I found out that many educators and education professionals agree that children …

Who Counts As A Writer? Examining Child, Teacher, And Parent Perceptions Of Writing, Anna H. Hall, Kelley M. White, Ying Guo, Andrea Emerson

Publications

The current study used a mixed method design with 245 preschool children, 255 teachers, and 156 parents. Researchers interviewed children and surveyed teachers and parents about their perceptions of preschool children’s writing abilities and developmental writing stages. The results of the study showed that each group defined writing differently and parents were less likely to have positive perceptions about preschool children’s writing abilities than children and teachers. Correlation analysis demonstrated that teacher and parent perceptions of children’s writing abilities were not related to children’s own perceptions of their writing abilities in this study. This study illuminates that alignment of home …

Using Assistive Technology Tools To Support Learning In The Inclusive Preschool Classroom, Marla J. Lohmann, Katrina A. Hovey, Ariane N. Gauvreau, Johanna P. Higgins

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

For over a century, early childhood experts have discussed the importance of play for young children’s growth and development. Play is critical for the development of young children as it increases learning (Barton, 2015), supports young children in gaining social and communication skills (Dennis & Stockall, 2015), and leads to social awareness and empathy skills (Brown, 2009). However, for young children with disabilities, accessing play and social interactions can prove to be challenging (Fallon & MacCobb, 2013). In order to support preschoolers with disabilities in learning through play, the authors recommend the use of assistive technologies (AT) for (a) communication, …

Parent, Teacher, And Administrator Perceptions Of School Community Relationships, Tammy Watson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this purposive qualitative study was to examine the perceptions of school community relationships of preschool parents, preschool teachers, and elementary administrators. In this purposive study, participants were chosen based on predetermined characteristics (Shenton, 2004). Parents from varying levels of academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as their level of parental involvement, were included in this study to eliminate bias.

The following themes emerged through coding and transcribing data: the family aspect at school; positive perception of principals; positive perception of teachers; open lines of communication between home and school; opportunities for parent involvement; the expectation of parent …

Influences Of Block Play On Academic Learning In Preschool, Kelsey Rasmuson

Graduate Teacher Education

Preschool classrooms often include free play time during the school day. Many studies have been conducted on the common sociodramatic play center, yet less research has observed the importance of block play. However, the block play center can be used to foster literacy and mathematics skills. Similar to other play centers, block play is a social phenomenon where students can develop language skills and vocabulary. Early math skills are supported as students count, sort, classify, and identify blocks. Students must also use spatial awareness and language to place blocks. Furthermore, preschoolers must problem solve and use logical and creative thinking …

Increasing Engagement During Circle Time Using Technology, Amanda Williams

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

All preschool teachers dream of a way to make all students engaged during circle time. This may seem like an impossible task but this study finds that adding technology during circle time can increase engagement. In this study the teacher and the students will be using a Smart Board as the technology. This is done by using interactive hands on activities allowing the students to be involved in their own learning rather than being lectured the information. In this study a rubric was used to assess the student’s engagement during circle time. Engagement without the use of technology scored a …

The Impact Of Early Math And Numeracy Skills On Academic Achievement In Elementary School, Payton Guhl

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The following literature review explores the impact of learning early math and numeracy skills prior to formal schooling on later academic success. Much of the current focus in early childhood is based around literacy. However, as this literature review shows, early math skills are a more powerful predictor of academic success through elementary school. Several studies have been performed to show the significance of these skills on future math success and were consulted for this review. Within this review is what early math and numeracy skills are, how they develop in young children, the importance of these skills, how they …

Using A Universal Design For Learning Framework To Provide Multiple Means Of Representation In The Early Childhood Classroom, Ariane N. Gauvreau, Marla J. Lohmann, Katrina A. Hovey

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

In order to ensure high quality outcomes for all children in the early childhood classroom, teachers are expected to utilize both the Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) provided by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC, 2009), as well as the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (DEC, 2014). Both NAEYC’s DAP and DEC’s Recommended Practices align with the use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is a framework that supports the learning needs of all learners through intentional, proactive, and reflective instruction and interactions. This article provides a brief overview of UDL, with a specific …

How Does Classroom Context Affect Head Start Teachers' Use Of Cognitively Challenging Talk?, Jordan Alexis Gregory

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Social-Emotional Development In Preschool, Gena Jadwin

Graduate Teacher Education

The development of children’s cognitive and social-emotional learning is of significant importance in education, specifically in early childhood education. Early childhood administrators, educators, and support staff have noticed an increase in the amount of students displaying underdeveloped or lacking social-skills within preschool classrooms. This paper will analyze and summarize research to explain the relationship between social-emotional skills and temperament, classroom environment, and educational outcomes in preschool aged students. It was found through research that a lack of social-emotional understanding and skills was impactful to a child’s future emotional responses and academic achievement. In order for leaders to best prepare teachers …

An Examination Of The Roles Of Classroom Quality And Approaches To Learning On The Early Academic Skills Of Latino Dual Language Learners Enrolled In Head Start, Marcela A. Galicia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined the relationship between classroom quality, approaches-to-learning, and early academic skills among 384 Latino dual language learners (DLLs) enrolled in Florida Head Start programs. The children were living in low-income homes where Spanish was the primary language spoken by at least one parent. The study analyzed the extent to which approaches-to-learning behaviors moderate early literacy and numeracy skills in Head Start classrooms of varying quality. During the spring of their prek-4 year, the children were administered the English and Spanish Letter-Word Identification and Applied Problems subtests of the WJ-III (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001) and the Batería III …

Effects Of Yoga On Student Attention In Pre-K, Amanda Paulson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects Yoga Calm (Gillen & Gillen, 2009) had on student attention in Pre-Kindergarten students. Nine pre-kindergarten students receiving special education services at an elementary school participated in 5-10 minutes of yoga practice each day in a small group environment before returning to a large group setting for shared reading. The yoga time consisted of teaching of different sequences along with breathing techniques that could also be used independently. Observations were conducted on a weekly basis during shared reading. The observations focused on whole body listening (eyes, ears, mouth, hands, arms, legs, …

Preschool As A Wellspring For Democracy: Endorsing Traits Of Reasonableness In Early Childhood Education, Joy D. Erickson, Winston C. Thompson

Democracy and Education

Traits of reasonableness are necessary characteristics of successfully engaged citizens within pluralistic liberal democratic societies. Given the evident unlikelihood of the spontaneous development of these critical characteristics, pedagogical effort ought to be exerted towards ensuring that this goal is realized. In what follows, we argue that preschool presents a unique and compelling opportunity for supporting this worthy pedagogical aim, such that, despite purported prohibitions entailed within arguments for the political neutrality of curricula, it ought to be promoted within this area. In the service of illustrating this point, we provide four examples of promising beginnings for this work.

Fictional Narrative Skills Of Preschool-Age Bilingual Children With Typical Language Development, Lydia Bias

Honors Projects

Oral narrative retells are commonly used in assessment to examine language and literacy development in young children. Due to the increasing number of bilingual children in the United States, it is necessary to understand typical development in order to assess and intervene when needed. English story retells from eight preschool-age Spanish-English bilingual children were analyzed in the present study using the Narrative Assessment Protocol. Analyses were conducted to examine differences in narrative microstructure at two time points. In the present study, a Wilcoxon Signed Rank Sum test which is a nonparametric statistical measure was used to determine whether there was …

Using Self-Regulation To Predict Preschoolers' Symptomology Of Disruptive Behavior Disorders, Andrew White

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

The use of brief rating forms completed by caregivers to identify children at-risk for developing behavioral disorders is common (Lane et al., 2009). However, identifying a behavioral measure assessing child-level variables (i.e., temperamental traits) which predict later behavioral concerns has potential to improve universal screening practices in the context of a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework. Self-regulation (Rothbart & Bates, 2006) is a trait that is related to externalizing problem behaviors (e.g., Espy et al., 2011), and may be useful as a means to predict young children at risk for developing behavioral disorders. The purpose of this study is …

Melody Attention Grabber, Brandi Hass

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of a melody attention grabber would create a calmer learning environment in a preschool classroom over the use of other attention grabbers. This study was conducted in a rural, lower elementary school in an inclusive preschool classroom. This classroom contained both regular education and special education students of the preschool age of four and five-year-old students. The researchers’ intention for this study was to determine if a melody attention grabber would create a calmer learning environment in a preschool classroom over the use of other attention grabbers.

New York City Pre-K Leadership Study, Veronica Benavides, Faith Lamb-Parker, Sheila Smith

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Presents key findings from a study of New York City pre-K leaders that evaluated how leaders support teachers and what factors help or hinder leaders’ efforts to positively impact learning for all children.

The Relationship Between Parent Education Of Sleep And Routine & Classroom Behavior Of Students At A Pee Dee Region Elementary School, Kristina Chandler, Jessica Webb

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research was carried out to determine if parent education of sleep and routine had an effect on classroom behavior (physical contact and defiance). The research was completed in two full day 4K (four-year-old) Montessori classrooms in a Pee Dee Region elementary school. Students and parents were included in the research. Data from parents was gathered using assessments and sleep diaries. Teacher data was gathered using reflection journals and tallying charts. Parents were provided weekly education on sleep and routine importance. There was no conclusive data to show that parent education directly affected classroom behavior. The researchers believe the …

The Effects Of Songs On Hmong Vocabulary Acquisition, Julie Thao

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research assessed the effects of singing a song to learn language in a bilingual classroom. The research took place at a bilingual Hmong-English Montessori preschool program. 28 preschool-aged children participated in the research which was conducted over five weeks. Data sources included a parent questionnaire, vocabulary pre-test, vocabulary post-test with a follow-up conversation, daily observation logs, and tally sheet. The children were taught 16 Hmong vocabulary words with half the words sung to the tune of a common children’s song and the other half by simple reciting. The results from the vocabulary post-test showed that there was an …

Refugee Parent's Perspectives On Preschool Enrollment After Migration And Resettlement., Kathy Stovall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, researchers have documented the behaviors of refugee parents and their challenges as it relates to their children in preschool programs. However, there is a gap in the literature for understanding the refugee parental perception of preschool after resettlement, and what motivates or detracts from preschool enrollment. This research study was conducted to understand the phenomenon of preschool enrollment by refugee parents. The phenomenography research methodology was chosen for this study because it explores how a group collectively perceives a phenomenon. In this study, the research addresses how refugee parents perceive enrollment in public preschool programs. The data …

Disability Awareness In Young Children, Guadalupe Y. Espinoza

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Young children who attend schools nowadays are likely exposed to many more types of diversity ranging from race, ethnicity, religion, and social class to name a few in comparison to the past. One area of diversity in specific is the inclusion of individuals with disabilities, and because children are so young in age, they may not be aware of disabilities or even identify when a peer or a surrounding adult has a disability. In schools the idea of raising disability awareness to an extent where students not only understand but recognize disabilities, perhaps, is one of the most challenging aspects …

Inclusion And Racial Diversity Curriculum In Preschools, Vanessa Sanchez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Preschool aged children begin to observe the things that makes individuals different in the world around them. Teachers have the opportunity to teach children the importance of recognizing the differences and accepting towards others who are racially different. Lessons around racial diversity will help children extend their knowledge about others and help develop positive attitudes towards racial diversity . To address the need for preschool aged children to learn about diversity in a positive way, I created a 3 day lesson plan about racial diversity executed at CSUMB child care center.

Fostering Social-Emotional Competence In Preschoolers, Celina Waddy

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In order to form and maintain healthy relationships with peers and adults, preschool-age children must develop the skills needed to manage and express their emotions appropriately. Without these social-emotional competence skills, young children’s success in current and future relationships may be hindered. In order to address preschoolers’ social-emotional competence, I created a 3-day lesson plan, which covers emotion identification, expression, and regulation, and delivered it to a group of preschoolers at the Hartnell Community College Child Development Center in Salinas, California.

Edifying The Spirit Of Love And Liberation In The Education Of Young Children: Lessons From Critical Pedagogy And Reggio Emilia Inspired Educators, Seyedeh Zahra Agha Seyed Yousef

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

In an age of adultism in which children have been perceived as mere drains on society, schooling often has been viewed as a means to an end. Due to the fact that a capitalistic society requires future workers, children have been socialized in the necessary skills and knowledge required to fulfill their future job requirements. Consequently, schooling often has taken place in the form of the banking model in which students are treated as empty vessels to be filled up by the knowledgeable teachers, and then to regurgitate said knowledge on assessments to prove their understanding. I challenge this antiquated …

Effects Of A Spanish Phonological Awareness Intervention On Latino Preschoolers' Dual Language Emergent Literacy Skills, Xigrid T. Soto

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Young children’s emergent literacy skills, particularly phonological awareness (PA) and alphabet knowledge (AK), are two of the strongest predictors of future reading skill. There is limited research evaluating the effectiveness of emergent literacy interventions on the dual language PA and AK skills of at-risk Latino preschoolers who are Dual Language Learners (DLLs). The bulk of existing interventions are conducted only in English. There is preliminary evidence supporting that DLL Latino children benefit from Spanish PA and AK instruction; however, few studies include preschool-aged children.

This study applied a multiple probe design across units of instruction to evaluate the effects of …

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 …