Early Childhood Education Commons^™

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Comparison Of Achievement And Cost Of Achievement Of Remedial Reading Students Using Two Different Programs, David Marlin Pocock

All Master's Theses

This paper presents a study of two different remedial reading programs on the eighth and ninth grade levels. The control group (eight grade) used various types of reading machines for classroom instruction. The experimental group (ninth grade) used a basic phonetic approach to the teaching of reading without the use of reading machines. Evaluation of the groups showed a significant difference in student grade level gain and cost of each program per student.

Recommendations included the careful spending of money on remedial programs which do not produce better results than less expensive programs, and suggestions for additional research.

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 …

Comparison Of Effectiveness Of Basal Readers And Sullivan Programmed Materials, Joan E. Lorenz

All Master's Theses

The aim of this study is not to tear down or ridicule any method, Sullivan Programmed or Traditional Basal, but to evaluate as objectively as possible, the merits and limitations which exist in both and to show, through testing a group of 99 first graders and 64 second graders, the possible effectiveness of these methods.

A Study Of Reading In The Kindergartens Of Washington State, Valara Caroline Minear

All Master's Theses

A study was made to discover the attitudes of kindergarten teachers in the state of Washington toward teaching reading in kindergarten, and the actual practices used to teach reading.

Relationship Between School Success And Physical And Familial Factors Of Kindergarteners, Linda Marie Baker

All Master's Theses

Teachers in elementary schools often assert that they could teach more successfully if no child under six years of age was admitted to first grade. While teaching kindergarten this writer also found many parents of kindergarten age children quite concerned about the "best" age for their child to enter kindergarten. Besides age there seemed to be concern in other areas such as physical size, coordination, and emotional maturity. However, most school districts in Washington set chronological age as the major requirement for school admission. The problem to be investigated in this study was to determine the relationship, if any, between …

A Descriptive Study Of Lateral Dominance And Directionality In Kindergarten Children, Sharon Gray

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to (1) explore the relationship between lateral dominance and directionality, (2) determine the relationship lateral dominance and directionality have with age and intelligence quotient, and (3) gather evidence on the differences between boys and girls in the development of lateral dominance and directionality.

A Developmental Study Of An Extradimensional Shift In Concept Learning, Ingrid I. Simonson

All Master's Theses

The present study was similar to that of Guy et al. (1966), since it was designed to evaluate the hypothesis and cue-conditioning models of concept learning. However, there were three major differences. First, three age groups were tested in an effort to determine whether there were age-related differences in learning strategies. Second, the added cue was placed directly on the stimulus figure rather than in the background surrounding the figure. Third, the stimulus objects were less complex since they represented pictures of animals and articles of clothing instead of geometric designs.

A Study To Investigate The Relationships Among Three Tests Which Purport To Measure Perceptual Skills In Kindergarten Children, Carl Rawe Jr.

All Master's Theses

The study was divided into two parts. Part one was concerned with establishing the relationships among the Rutgers Drawing Test, the Metropolitan Readiness Test and the Frostig Test of Visual Perception. Answers were sought to the following questions: 1) How do the tests correlate with one another? 2) What are the shared variances among the tests?

Part two of the study related first grade reading achievement as measured by the Primary Reading Profiles (level one) with the Rutgers and Metropolitan scores. Specifically: 1) Does the study support the work of Williams, who found a correlation of .80 between the Rutgers …

A Comparison Of Reading Readiness Between Kindergarten And Non-Kindergarten Children In The Wenatchee School District, Kenneth Dean Yancey

All Master's Theses

It was the purpose of this study to compare the percentile scores of the Metropolitan Readiness Test of first grade children in Wenatchee School District No. 246 who have had kindergarten with those first grade children in Wenatchee School District No. 246 who have not had kindergarten. The following factors were considered in this study: Chronological age, sex, and total percentile score. This data was taken from the Metropolitan Readiness Tests over a two-year period, 1966-67 and 1967-68.