Early Childhood Education Commons^™

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Parental Attitudes And Student Achievement On Standardized Test Scores In Mathematics, Susan S. Lapp

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parents' attitudes toward mathematics and students' standardized test scores in mathematics. Eighty-four parents of fourth-grade students in a southeastern military dependent school system were surveyed to determine their attitudes to mathematics when they were in elementary school and their attitudes about mathematics today. Parents also responded to questions about their children's abilities and attitudes toward mathematics.

Total scores for the survey were matched with the students' mathematics scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation was used to compute the correlation coefficients. A positive …

Using Cross-Age Tutors In Developing Language Skills In Kindergarteners, Jane Wartenbe

All Graduate Projects

This master's project provides a handbook to be used by teachers in planning and implementing a cross-age tutoring program for the purpose of developing language skills in kindergarteners. Included is a summary of research documenting benefits of such programs, featuring information on various program designs and activities and information on a pilot project conducted by the author prior to development of the handbook. The handbook includes: procedures for pairing tutors and tutees, scheduling the time, days, dates and location for tutoring sessions, training of tutors and sample lesson plans for tutors to use with their tutees.

Curriculum Based Measurement And Portfolio Assessment: An Effective Evaluation System, Johanna Roberts

All Graduate Projects

The researcher reviewed current literature regarding curriculum based assessment, curriculum based measurement (CBM) and portfolio assessment. The researcher developed a curriculum based measurement for kindergarten prereading and premath skills as a part of a portfolio system. A first grade math curriculum based measurement was designed collaboratively with two first grade teachers. A beginning reading assessment was also designed for the first grade. Results showed that a portfolio assessment with CBM's is an effective evaluation tool.

An Experimental Design Study On The Effects Of Interaction Between Regular Kindergartners And At-Risk Kindergartners During Learning Center Play On Achievement, Mary Gim Murphy

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Resource Handbook For Planning And Implementing An Integrated Preschool Program, James Wallace Holden

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to design and develop a resource handbook to assist teachers and administrators responsible for implementing an integrated preschool program. To accomplish this purpose, research and literature relative to current integration delivery models, primarily those in Washington State were reviewed. The handbook developed was piloted in the Taholah, Washington School District.

Enhancing Oral Language Experiences In The Pre-Kindergarten Setting, Anna Kearny

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate how an oral language emphasis benefits pre-kindergarten children in preparation for entry into kindergarten. This study investigated the concept of enhancing oral language activities in the classroom. Growth in the cognitive, social, and emotional areas in pre-kindergarten children was noted.

Teachers' Beliefs Regarding School-Wide Integration Of Mildly Handicapped Students In The Ephrata School District, Charlotte Throgmorton

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to determine the attitudes of teachers in the Ephrata. Washington. School District regarding the school-wide integration of mildly handicapped students in the classroom and the supports needed to insure its success. To accomplish this purpose, a survey instrument was designed and administered to elicit teacher responses. Survey responses were tabulated by frequency, rank order, percentage, and average, and provided a basis for descriptive analysis of data obtained.

Monthly Parent Involvement Reading Packet, Beverly J. Severtsen-Meeks

All Graduate Projects

The importance of parent involvement in reading with their child at home was studied. A review of literature was done on this topic. Many researchers strongly supported the importance of parents reading with their child and many suggestion were given. The author put together nine monthly parent involvement reading packets (September-May) and implemented them in a self-contained first grade classroom. The parents spent quality time, each month, completing the packet with their child.

Developing In-Class Activities To Support First-Second Grade Literature Instruction, Trina Danette Miller

All Graduate Projects

Literature-based activities were developed in the curriculum areas of Social Studies and Mathematics to be used with the district's adopted literature book program. A district survey indicated a strong interest in these two curriculum areas. This project will provide teachers with activities that support literature instruction in a learning center environment. The activities also help students to self-select a book of interest and to become actively involved in learning center activities that support the books of choice, plus increase their interest and comprehension.

The Effects Of Early Education On The Receptive Language Development Of Kindergarten Children, Barbara C. Everly

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the receptive language of children who had attended an early childhood education center, and those who had not. Subjects were 64 kindergarten students from an elementary school on a military base in the southeast. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test- Revised (PPVT-R) was administered to all subjects. The t test for independent means was computed; no significant differences in mean scores existed between the two groups. Further analyses of the subjects were made to assess if age or gender influenced the results. The only significant difference …

The Relationship Of Participation In Head Start And Kindergarten Readiness, Maxine C. Brown

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

An applied project presented to the faculty of the School of Education at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Education Specialist by Maxine C. Brown on August 2, 1990.

A Comparison Of The Academic Achievement Of Urban Second-Grade Pupils With Different Forms Of Public Preschool Experience, Elva Williams Hunt

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Assessment of the potential value of the preschool experience has prompted urban educators to consider the advantages of preschool service delivery by the public schools. Urban policy makers ponder whether or not advocacy for preschool education should include advocacy of the provider. This study addressed the provision of preschool service for students from urban low-income families.

The grade placement of students born in three consecutive years was observed to determine their progress during the first three years of public schooling. Students were categorized with regard to their participation in preschool: some had attended a public school system preschool, First Step; …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Locus Of Control And Achievement In Third And Fifth Grade Students, Elaine Sheats

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between internal locus of control and academic achievement in third and fifth grade students. The Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale was used to determine a locus of control score for each subject. The Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Form 8 was used to obtain an achievement score for each subject. The study implemented a correlational research design. The Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the test scores. Results indicated a significant relationship between the internal dimension of locus of control and academic achievement.

The Relationship Between The Initial Screening Instrument And The California Achievement Test In Kindergarten, Alana F. Losonsky

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between the scores of kindergarten children on the Initial Screening Instrument (ISI) and the California Achievement Test (CAT). The subjects were 100 students who did not receive a passing score of seven on the ISI and 100 students who did receive seven or above in an urban public school system. The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to compute the correlation coefficients. A significant relationship was found in Sound Recognition, Mathematical Concepts and the Composite Score. Sex and racial differences were also significant for children receiving scores …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Family Characteristics And Standardized Test Scores In Reading Comprehension And Mathematics Concepts, Carolyn H. Hemmings

Theses and Dissertations

Standardized testing ln the public school has become a crucial issue during this decade as more testing ls effected ln all grade levels, even to the extent that promotion to first grade may depend on a child/s standardized performance. Previous research has shown parent involvement ,, to be a factor which contributes to grade point averages; therefore, this study was developed to address the possibility of a correlation between parent involvement and successful standardized test scores.

Eighty-four parents of fifth-grade students in a selected county in Georgia were surveyed to determine their involvement in their child's public school education. Total …

First Grade Achievement Predicted By The Metropolitan Readiness Tests And The California Achievement Tests, Frances Wright

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Metropolitan Readiness Tests (MRT) is a better predictor of first grade achievement than is the California Achievement Tests (CAT). The subjects were 400 representatively selected students from 10 of 38 elementary schools operating in a public school system in the Southeast. MRT scores for 1985 were collected for 200 kindergarten students, and CAT scores for 1986 were collected for 200 kindergarten students. These tests were administered to small groups of kindergarteners in the spring of each year by the regular classroom teachers. The children participated in the regular classroom curriculum …

The Pre-First Transition Room Program, Jeffrey Scott Peck

All Master's Theses

The pre-first transition room program was studied. Characteristics, philosophies, testing procedures, and reading programs were described. Twenty schools in Educational Service District 171 were surveyed to determine attitudes and the type of pre-first programs available in the Educational Service District. Twenty pre-first students were observed throughout the 1986-87 school year to determine social, emotional, and academic growth. Results indicated similar immature characteristics were displayed by developmentally young children. Pre-first programs are similar in philosophy, goals, and curriculum design. Pre-first programs can provide developmental activities which meet individual needs of pre-first children.

Participation In Decision Making And Its Effect On Job Satisfaction And Role Stress Of Staff In Child Development Agencies In The United States, Norma Seay Gray

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the relationship of staff participation and desire to participate in the decision-making process of an organization to perceived job satisfaction and role ambiguity and overload of teachers in child development agencies. The study also included an investigation of the methods of decision making most often used by child development agencies to determine if there was a significant relationship between the teachers’ level of satisfaction in participating in decision making and the mode of decision making used in their organizations.

Two hundred thirteen teachers from seventy-six child development programs completed questionnaires indicating how frequently they participated in each …

The Effects Of Head Start On Cognitive Development, Gloria Toelle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare Head Start students with non-Head Start students in first grade to see if there were significant differences in cognitive achievement. A posttest only design was used, and a factorial analysis of variance was used as the statistical analysis at the .05 level of significance. Both sex and Head Start comparisons were made, but no significant findings were found. However, it was noted that boys who went to Head Start were able to achieve as much as the girls who did not. Since boys are usually less ready for school, the conclusion from …

The Effects Of The Absence Of The Natural Father On Interpersonal Problem-Solving Of Preschool Children, Barbara Kennedy Stanley

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

An Applied Project presented to the faculty of the School of Education at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Education Specialist by Barbara Kennedy Stanley in September of 1983.

A Comparative Study Between A Readiness Measure And An Achievement Test As Measured By The Metropolitan Readiness Test And The Science Research Associates Achievement Series, Linda L. Ditchburn

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this research was to complete an experimental study which would investigate the nature of the relationship between readiness and achievement. Data collection included two components: scores from the Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT), administered at the kindergarten level; and scores from the Science Research Associates (SRA) Achievement Series, administered to the same 284 subjects at the fourth grade level. Correlation coefficients between these two tests were determined for all subtests, total tests, composites, and the Educational Ability Series. Since correlation coefficients between the MRT and the SRA evidenced significantly positive relation­ ships, the implication is clear that performance …

[Improving Instruction In Reading Comprehension Utilizing Basal Readers], Patsy Carol Cada

All Graduate Projects

The specific purposes of this project were to:

1. Analyze the instructional comprehension questions suggested by the Houghton Mifflin teachers' manual for the basal reading series grades 1, 2, and 3. This included oral questions used to guide silent reading and post-story discussion questions.

2. Develop additional instructional resources to correlate with the Houghton Mifflin basal reading series grades 1, 2, and 3. Specifically created were alternative questioning strategies to aid early readers in the development of a process for comprehending written passages as they are reading.

These resources will be submitted for use in the author's local school district.

The Development Of A Comprehensive Preschool Screening Instrument, Jana Lee Johnson

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this paper was to research criteria for screening for young, handicapped children with the intent of developing a single, comprehensive screening instrument. Analyses of existing screening devices and data from educators in the field were also included in the study.

The resulting screening instrument was designed to assess the developmental acquisition of skills. Major developmental areas included in the screening instrument are language skills, motor development, perceptual skills, cognitive development, social skills, and self-help skills.

The Effects Of Structured Versus Unstructured Instruction On The Generalization Of Language Concepts In The Preschool Child, Cheryl A. Milford

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

"Project Dial": An Early Childhood Screening Program, Lewis S. Sarff

Masters Theses

This field study addressed the problem of "actively seeking" out and identifying children (ages 3 to 5 years) likely to develop late learning problems upon school enrollment. The procedures developed and reported in this paper deal with initial public relations, facilities, personnel, an evaluation instrument Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning (DIAL), hearing and vision testing, and reporting of results to parents and school personnel.

The paper also includes means and standard deviations for DIAL subtest scores by one year age groups and by sex, as well as simple and multiple r's for each of the DIAL variables individually …

An Assessment-Diagnostic Center For Pre-School Public School Handicapped Children In Illinois: The Rend Lake Project, John Powell

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of A Short Term Preacademic Total Approach Program On The Language Development Of Disadvantaged Children, Doug Richter

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This research tests a short term total academic language development program on the development of language delayed children. It was hypothesized that an increase in vocabulary and response length after a six week treatment program would be reflected on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and the Mean Length of Response Test. The treatment program utilized both the group and tutorial approach emphasizing the basic skills associated with listening, language, reading, writing and arithmetic. The subjects were nine-preschool Head Start children participating in a summer program at Western Kentucky University. A comparison of the performance on pre and post test revealed …

The Relevancy Of Apostolate Of The Lay Educator In Catholic Elementry Schools, Of The Archdiocese Of New Orleans, In The State Of Louisiana In The Light Of Vatican Council Ii, Sr. Judith D. Coreil M.S.C.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For decades the Catholic of the United States have voluntarily supported school systems. Statistics attest that in 1970, 4,367,323 pupils we being educated in the elementary and secondary schools alone. In the recent past these schools were staffed and administered largely by religious personnel. However, research indicates that the layman pioneered in the nineteenth century in the organizing, financing administering and staffing of the Catholic School.

Conservation Concepts Of Migrant And Resident Mexican-American And Resident Anglo Six- And Seven-Year-Old Children, Tom E. Morris

All Master's Theses

This study presents the comparison of conservation levels of six- and seven-year-old children from three different ethno-cultural backgrounds- migrant Mexican-American, resident Mexican-American, and resident Anglo. Scores on conservation tasks were analyzed by age and culture using a two-way Analysis of Variance. Mexican-Americans in the sample school were found to be at a significantly lower level of conservation.

A discussion of possible cultural effects, and educational and research recommendations were given.

An Experiment With Third Grade Pupils To Determine The Observable Relationship Between Decoding Instruction And Comprehension Growth, D. Pope

All Master's Theses

It was the purpose of this study to determine if there is a relationship between concentrated decoding instruction and comprehension growth of third grade pupils. The program was designed as follows: 1) a comprehension pretest was administered to twenty-four third grade pupils; 2) an experimental and a control group of equal comprehension ability was established; 3) each day for twenty minutes, isolated from the control group, the experimental group, underwent intense decoding skills instruction; 4) upon completion of 90 days of instruction a comprehension posttest was administered and the mean raw scores of the two groups analyzed by the t …