Education Commons^™

Genetics With Nettie And Friends: An Exploration Of Genetics In Children's Literature, Erin Soule, Madeleine Gray Burland

Honors Projects

Genetics with Nettie and Friends is an exploration of chromosomal disorders and its place within children's literature. The book provides a comprehensive examination the genetic composition of Downs syndrome, Williams Syndrome, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy at a level to increase understanding in children. This paper provides an insight to the development and construction of the children's book that is available for purchase on Barnes and Noble as well as why representation of genetic disorders in children's literature is needed.

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.

The Effects Of Peace Education On Children’S Prosocial Behavior In An Early Childhood Classroom, Masako N. Brauneis

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to describe the effects of peace education on children’s prosocial behavior. This action research implemented peace education for six weeks in an early childhood classroom of 19 children, in the U.S., ages three to six. Qualitative data including interviews, observational logs, field notes, and a journal were collected. Quantitative data included a tally sheet of incidents and surveys of the children. The research concluded that peace education affected children’s prosocial behavior, increasing the number of prosocial behavior incidents, raising children’s awareness, knowledge, and skills for prosocial behavior, while positively impacting children’s prosocial behavior in …

Experiences Of Early Childhood Educators Working With Teaching Strategies Gold®: A Narrative Inquiry, Sarah Kathryn Guyon

Dissertations and Theses

Research regarding the effects of positive early childhood experiences on long term learning and success is drawing more attention to early childhood education programs than ever before. Promises on the federal and state level of better pay for early childhood educators and "high quality" publicly funded early childhood education programs is an exciting and long-awaited vision by both families and early childhood educators. However, with federal and state funding comes the need for justification of those funds through different measurement structures. One of the widely used measurement structures is the Teaching Strategies GOLD® preformatted, portfolio style assessment system. Teaching Strategies …

Perceptions Of Early Childhood Educators Who Left The Field: A Case Study, Tosca Grimm

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Early childhood education (ECE) educators’ roles in promoting the positive development of children are consistently deemed essential in research. Research also presents the severe problems of burnout and turnover in the ECE field. Specific factors such as low compensation, lack of professional development opportunities, and high-stress environments are causing continued rates of burnout across the early education arena, resulting in ECE educators leaving the field. Therefore, it is important to understand the reasons ECE educators are leaving so these challenges are recognized and remedied. A qualitative descriptive case study was used to examine the issue of ECE educator turnover due …

Pedagogies Of Possibility : A Study Reconceptualizing The Teacher's Role In A Reggio-Inspired Urban Preschool Classroom., Christina Louise Angleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education is an innovative and often imitated “way of being” with young children (Rinaldi, 2006). Reggio-inspired teachers enact rich pedagogical stances in their work with young children. In North American contexts, the approach is frequently associated with wealthy, suburban communities. Adopting a feminist methodology, this dissertation explores the pedagogical moves one teacher made as she enacted the identity of a Reggio teacher in an urban preschool classroom. The theoretical framework guiding this study is grounded in feminist poststructural, postmodern, and decolonization scholarship, each of which inform a movement known as Reconceptualizing Early Childhood …

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 …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Early Childhood Education Preparation And Experiences Of California Certificated Elementary School Educators Assigned To Transitional Kindergarten, Elizabeth A. Golchert

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This dissertation represents original, independent research that is a contribution of new knowledge to the field of educational practice. As a new phenomenon in the California public school system, transitional kindergarten (TK) is now bringing about a closer look by researchers at legislative practices, TK program implementation, local school district policies, teacher preparation, and teacher implementation of best practices related to the education of children of approximately four years of age. The purpose of conducting this study was to broadly examine these topics, but more specifically, investigate the problem of children being assigned to teachers who do not have the …

Responding To The Absence Of Leadership Education In The Early Years Curriculum, Elena Merenda

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The field of early childhood is in a state of flux. Governments nation-wide are initiating changes, in response to the growing body of research demonstrating that early engagements with children and families creates positive outcomes for the whole community. Due to this evolution, there is a social and political expectation that early childhood professionals act as leaders. Although leadership is necessary as the field evolves, the literature suggests that early childhood professionals are hesitant to enact leadership, as their nurturing and caring characteristics are contrary to those required by traditional leadership models enacted by men. In order to empower early …

“Be Calm, Be Kind:” A Qualitative Descriptive Case Study Of Instruction And Assessment Of Stress Management Behavior Education In The Early Childhood Classroom, Rebecca Eugenia Flasz

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore administrator expectations and teacher experiences related to the ways through which teachers instructed students in social emotional learning and stress management at the early childhood education level, and how teachers assessed positive and problem student behaviors. The research questions guiding this study were related to how teachers instructed students in identifying their stressors, how teachers incorporated social emotional learning and stress management into the regular classroom routine to encourage positive behaviors and minimize problem behaviors, and how teachers assessed students’ ability to cope with and overcome their stressors. This study was conducted …

The Effects Of Oklahoma's Universal Preschool Policy On Long-Term Educational Outcomes For Students, Betsy Morgan, Madison Stoecker

Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses

As states have increased their commitment to early childhood education over the past two decades, a debate on the efficacy of state-sponsored universal preschool has divided policymakers, administrators, and taxpayers. Some critics of these programs argue that universal preschool has a diminishing impact which does not justify the up-front cost, while supporters argue that there are long-term positive effects of high quality, universal early childhood education which outweigh the cost. In this paper, we examine the effect, if any, that the existence of a state-funded universally available preschool program has had on county-level average ACT scores in a before-and-after multivariable …

Delaying Kindergarten Entrance By Participating In Pre-Kindergarten And Academic Achievement In Elementary School: Red-Shirting And Achievement Scores, Rachael Postle-Brown

Dissertations

The purpose of this ex post facto causal comparative study is to examine the academic achievement of students entering the educational system, that is, kindergarten, either through pre-kindergarten or no pre-kindergarten. Allowing me to examine “red shirting,” a practice of giving children an additional year, in pre-kindergarten, to mature physically, socially, and academically before entering kindergarten. This study is important to school district personnel and parents whom need to make informed decisions concerning pre-kindergarten programs.

In this study, I compare the elementary academic achievement of students through 3^rd grade, who delayed kindergarten entrance with those who did not delay. …

Early Care And Education Testimonios At The Borderlands, Jennifer Torres Siders

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Latinas represent a large proportion of the United States early care and education workforce, and thus have the potential to wield significant influence over the growth and development of millions of American children. However, the voices of Latina early childhood professionals often are missing in both research and mass media. Instead, social, political, and academic frames cast Latinas as foreign regardless of nationality, uneducated notwithstanding expertise, and passive despite action and influence. This testimonio analysis draws on Chicana feminist epistemology to re-center the perspectives of Latina child care providers and reveal more authentic insights on how they understand and perform …

Teachers’ Experiences Of Change From Traditional Teaching Methods To Active Participatory Learning Approaches Within The Alabama P-3 Pilot Program: A Case Study, Shushan Vardanyan

All ETDs from UAB

This case study explored teachers’ experiences with the implementation of the Alabama P-3 initiative to move away from traditional teaching methods to active participatory learning (APL) approaches. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine teachers from four schools who taught kindergarten (K), first, or second grade. The data were analyzed through comparison of K and primary (P) teachers’ experiences of the implementation of the initiative using Lewin’s (1951) change theory as an a priori theory. The data were organized into two a priori themes: the process of change and forces influencing the change. The process of change theme was presented in …

Does Waldorf Education Offer A Well-Rounded And Integrated Experience That Prepares Students For Higher Grades And Life In General?, Jacqueline A. Stratton

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis research focuses on the study of Waldorf education and how it benefits the whole child. It begins by looking at Rudolf Steiner’s Waldorf educational program and its foundational history and then takes an in depth look at the key elements of its rich philosophy and pedagogy. The literature review focuses on the key question, ‘Does this 100 year-old teaching philosophy encourage a more well-rounded and integrated educational experience than traditional public schools?’ The review highlights four broad topics in relationship to Waldorf education. These include: Educating the Whole Child; Education for the Three Stages of Childhood; Early Childhood …

Exploring Early Childhood Teachers' Beliefs And Perceptions About The Use Of Technology In The Classroom, Sharron Hallanger

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how the professional beliefs and perceptions of teachers in early childhood education (ECE) influenced their acceptance for the use of interactive technology as a learning tool for children. Eight primary grade teachers at a rural school district in Washington State were interviewed. Of the eight ECE teachers, two had no student technology use in their classrooms. The second group of two teachers had some student technology use on a weekly basis, and the last group of four teachers utilized daily student technology use in their classrooms. The sample subjects were interviewed …