Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Using Positive Behavior Instructional Support (Pbis) In Early Childhood, Megan Merkel

Graduate Research Papers

Challenging behaviors in early childhood education are becoming recognized as a serious barrier to social-emotional development and an indication of severe maladjustment in school and adult life. Educational professionals have been seeking to define, elaborate, and improve on existing knowledge related to the prevention and resolution of young children's challenging behaviors. The current literature review was conducted to describe the relationship between children's challenging behavior and implementing Positive Behavior Instructional Support (PBIS) and Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) in early childhood classrooms and programs. In addition, this review presents conclusions, recommendations, suggested educational policies, and needed future research.

Examining Associations Between Classroom Environment And Processes And Early Mathematics Performance From Pre-Kindergarten To Kindergarten., Victoria J. Molfese, Todd Brown, Jill L. Adelson, Jennifer Beswick, Jill Jacobi-Vessels, Lana Thomas, Melissa Ferguson, Brittany Culver

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

One benefit of the No Child Left Behind legislation (2001) has been the increasing attention on the importance of the skills learned in the pre-kindergarten period for later academic achievement. There is a growing awareness that mathematics skills in kindergarten and beyond are influenced by the formal and informal mathematics skills acquired in the pre-kindergarten classroom. In recent years, a body of research has emerged pointing to the contributions to children’s learning from pre-kindergarten program quality as indexed by structure and process elements in the classroom. Results from this study point to three major findings. First, the growth of mathematics …

Using Toys To Support Infant-Toddler Learning And Development, Gabriel Guyton

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Being mindful of the basic principles of child development and the role of play, teachers can intentionally select toys to meet young children's unique needs and interests, supporting learning.

Work And Mexican American Parent-Adolescent Relationships: The Mediating Role Of Parent Well-Being, Lorey A. Wheeler, Kimberly A. Updegraff

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

This study of Mexican American two-parent families (N = 246) examined the role of parents’ well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms, role overload) as a potential mechanism through which parent occupational conditions (i.e., self-direction, hazardous conditions, physical activity, work pressure) are linked to parent-adolescent relationship qualities (i.e., warmth, conflict, disclosure). Depressive symptoms mediated the links between maternal and paternal work pressure and parentadolescent warmth, conflict, and disclosure. For mothers, depressive symptoms also mediated the links between self-direction and mother-adolescent warmth, conflict, and disclosure; for fathers, role overload mediated the links between work pressure and hazardous conditions with fatheradolescent warmth.

Are We All On The M Squad? Murdering Schoolchildren In China, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the phenomena of violent attacks against schoolchildren in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and its relevance to political psychologists.

Parenting Self-Efficacy And Parenting Practices Over Time In Mexican American Families, Larry E. Dumka, Nancy A. Gonzales, Lorey A. Wheeler, Roger E. Millsap

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study used a longitudinal cross-lagged panel design and a structural equation modeling approach to evaluate parenting self-efficacy's reciprocal and causal associations with parents' positive control practices over time to predict adolescents' conduct problems. Data were obtained from teachers, mothers, and adolescents in 189 Mexican American families living in the southwest U.S. After accounting for contemporaneous reciprocal relationships between parenting self-efficacy (PSE) and positive control, results indicated that parenting self-efficacy predicted future positive control practices rather than the reverse. PSE also showed direct effects on decreased adolescent conduct problems. PSE functioned in an antecedent causal …

A Toddler's Development: Analyzing "One Who Walks Unsteadily", Valerie Sharie Davis

XULAneXUS

On April 19, 2009, for exactly two hours, I observed a twenty-four month old toddler at her home, with parents' consent, to fulfill an assignment for a Normal Language Development course. The assignment was to observe a child ranging between the infancy stages to three years old. After observing the child, students were instructed to complete a language analysis sample on every word or phrase that the child produced. This sample was conducted by writing down what the child said and comparing it to what linguistic and motor development researchers expected from a child at the approximate age level observed. …

The Effects Of Cuento Therapy On Reading Achievement And Psychological Outcomes Of Mexican-American Students, Sylvia Z. Ramirez, Jain Sachin, Leila L. Flores-Torres, Roxanna Perez, Ralph Carlson

Human Development and School Services Faculty Publications

This investigation evaluated the effects of cuento therapy (an intervention using Spanish-language tales) on children’s self-esteem, affect, and reading test performance. The sample was composed of 58 third-grade Mexican-American students who were randomly assigned to the treatment and control groups. The results showed a mean self-esteem gain score difference between groups in favor of the treatment group for Global, Academic, and General self-esteem scores. Following intervention, the treatment group reported less physiological anxiety than did the control group. The results also showed mean increases in the pre- and post-standardized high-stakes reading test scores for both groups. Other significant findings regarding …

Cortisol Reactivity Across The Day At Child Care: Examining The Contributions Of Child Temperament And Attachment To Mother And Lead Teacher, Lisa S. Badanes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous work has shown that full-day center-based child care is associated with increased physiologic stress for many young children (e.g., Tout, de Haan, Campbell, & Gunnar, 1998; Watamura, Sebanc, & Gunnar, 2002). Specifically, increasing cortisol from morning to afternoon at full-day child care in contrast to decreasing cortisol across the day for these same children at home has been repeatedly demonstrated for toddlers and preschoolers. Factors that have been related to rising cortisol across the day at child care include the child's age (rising cortisol at child care between 2 and 5 years, but not for infants or older children, …

Exploring Mothers’ And Fathers’ Relationships With Sons Versus Daughters: Links To Adolescent Adjustment In Mexican Immigrant Families, Kimberly A. Updegraff, Melissa Y. Delgado, Lorey A. Wheeler

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Drawing on ecological and gender socialization perspectives, this study examined mothers’ and fathers’ relationships with young adolescents, exploring differences between mothers and fathers, for sons versus daughters, and as a function of parents’ division of paid labor. Mexican immigrant families (N = 162) participated in home interviews and seven nightly phone calls. Findings revealed that mothers reported higher levels of acceptance toward adolescents and greater knowledge of adolescents’ daily activities than did fathers, and mothers spent more time with daughters than with sons. Linkages between parent-adolescent relationship qualities and youth adjustment were moderated by adolescent gender and parents’ division …

Creating An Accessible Child Development Resource For Family Home Child Care Providers Focusing On Child-Initiated Play, Paula Buck

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this project was to create a newsletter for family home child care providers that presented easy-to-read, research based information regarding child-initiated play and developmentally appropriate practices and their incorporation in a family child care setting. The newsletter also addressed the need for creating and maintaining a balance between offering child-initiated opportunities and providing structure in a family child care setting.

A review of the literature revealed that nearly half of family home child care providers have no specialized training in the field of child care, child development, or early childhood education. Caregiver education and training is a …

Efficacy Of Early Literacy Intervention Project For Early Literacy Development In Family Child Care Homes, Gloria Ruth Kinzler

Theses Digitization Project

This project focused on the concept that family childcare providers who completed "Building Literacy Bridges" intervention project, which included interactive early literacy classes on phonological and print awareness, dialogic and shared reading skills, as well as providing a literacy rich environment, would implement those concepts into their daily care with children. Nine family childcare providers completed the four-hour per week, four-week intervention project.

Reactive Attachment Disorder: Challenges For Early Identification And Intervention Within The Schools, Kimberly K. Floyd, Peggy Hester, Harold C. Griffin, Jeannie Golden, Lora Lee Smith Canter

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Attachment is of key importance in childhood development. The quality of attachment relationship between the child and parent/primary caregiver may have an effect on the child and future relationships and social success (Rubin, Bukowski, & Parker, 1998). When a child fails to bond with a caring adult, attachment becomes disordered and children may not be able to bond appropriately or at all with other people. This inability to relate and connect with others may disrupt or arrest not only children's social development, but also their overall development. The purpose of this review is to synthesize information and research on characteristics, …

The Effectiveness Of Teacher-Child Interaction Training On Behaviorally At-Risk Preschool Children, Margaret T. Floress

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an empirically validated treatment program shown to decrease children's disruptive behavior and increase compliance (Funderburk et al., 1998). Research conducted by Eisenstadt, Eyberg, McNeil, Newcomb, and Funderburk (1993) indicates PCIT is an effective treatment for improving child compliance and conduct problems in a clinical setting. In addition, McNeil, Eyberg, Eisenstadt, Newcomb, and Funderburk (1991) found that behavioral improvements due to PCIT also generalized to school settings. However, little research has examined the effects of implementing Teacher-Child Interaction Therapy (TCIT) directly in the classroom (McIntosh, Rizza & Bliss, 2000). This single-subject multiple-baseline study examined the effectiveness …

Providing Appropriate Social Interventions For Preschool-Age Children With Mild Autism Spectrum Disorders, Angela M. Riesberg

Graduate Research Papers

This paper provides a variety of appropriate social interventions to use with preschool-age children with mild Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Regardless of his or her diagnostic label, each individual child requires an individualized approach to treatment. Typically, multiple interventions are necessary for a successful program.

The questions this project will address include: (a) What are some possible social interventions to use with preschool-age children who have mild autism spectrum disorders, (b) what research supports current successful social interventions, ( c) which social interventions could provide the most benefits and success, and (d) how can inclusion and interacting with typically developing …

Reconfiguring Childhood Boys And Girls Growing Up Global, Cindi Katz

Publications and Research

Children are a spur, a commitment, a way of imaging the future—but all too often these sorts of phrases just rattle around a vacuum, their utterance the beginning and end of the commitment. We emphasize “the best interests of the child,”but this gloss provides a moral imperative to all manner of uncompleted projects and unfulfilled policies. Likewise, the use of children’s images or presence in public forums of all types gives a patina of honorableness to practices and plans that never actually make good on the promissory note of childhood. The 1992 Rio Earth Summit is a notable example. Such …

Secure Attachments And Peer Relationships : The Effects Of Secure Mother-Child Attachments On Peer Relationships In Pre-School, Cassandra Damlo

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

The Well-Being Of Children As Viewed Through Their Conceptions Of Death, Jennifer Kampmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An explorative study was conducted to try and understand how young children’s emerging death concepts form including, (a) what family demographics and child factors contributed to family well-being, (b) did family well-being influence children’s social competence, and (c) did family well-being and children’s social competence influence children’s death conceptions. Although the subject of death contains many unique characteristics, it is not easily separated from other aspects of life; death is inseparable from the whole human experience (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2002). It was the assumption of this paper that children develop their conceptions of death based on the appreciation they hold …

What Archetypes Of Representation Do Children Between The Ages Of Four And Seven Employ When Creating Route Maps Of Familiar Interior Spaces?, Christine G. Price

Educational Studies Dissertations

This study investigated the symbols of representation young children choose to incorporate when they draw route maps of familiar interior spaces, based on the premise that development of map-making skills might unfold in much the same stage-like manner as the development of the ability to draw the human figure. In this investigation, children between the ages of 4 and 7 enrolled in a small independent elementary school were each asked to draw a map showing the route a person unfamiliar to the school would take to travel from the child's classroom to the school gymnasium. Strategies during map-making were noted; …

More Than Just Imaginative: A Qualitative Study Of Values In Literature For Young Children From The 20th Century, Anna L. Cates

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation endeavors to address the issue of proper methodology for character education. Although character education enjoys wide support among teachers, parents, and society at large, the proper manner with which to accomplish this educational objective continues to be debated. Literature-based approaches to character education are among the most popular means of presenting values to students. This popularity has prompted scholars to closely scrutinize the value patterns in literature for young people. In part, the resulting studies have aimed to ascertain the worthiness of literature itself as a medium for introducing discussion about values and related issues. The method used …

Conflict Resolution For Peace: Giving Voice To Young Children, Nancy Alice Grote

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose of the Study. The purμose of the study was to explore six- lo-nine-year-old children's ideas about peace and strategies to resolve conflicts pcaceru\ly. 111 Procedures. Participants in the study were twenty-four first, second, and third graders, twelve girls and tweJve boys, from an urban magnet public school based on the Montessori philosophy. Data were triangulated by three developmentally appropriate activities during semi-structured interviews. Each interview was audio recorded and transcribed into a verbatim transcript. The data were coded and analyzed using the qualitative research computer program, QSR NUD*IST/N4 Classic. Findings. Two themes emerged from the analysis of the data, …

Nsu Study Guide Ed.D. Program In Child And Youth Studies Management Of Programs For Children And Youth I (Mop I) Revised January 2000, Nova Southeastern University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.

Nsu Ed.D. Program In Child And Youth Studies Catalog 1994–1995 (Includes Application And Admission Forms), Nova Southeastern University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Two Models Of Positive Feedback Of Children's Motivation, Judith Margaret Lynch

Graduate Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the type of written or verbal positive comment regarding a child's accomplishment influences subsequent interest in a task. A preliminary investigation of literature revealed that often rewards and praise negatively alter children's behavior. The writer tested the hypothesis derived from this investigation that non- evaluative descriptive comments, commonly called encouragement, positively affect children more than evaluative praise comments. 32 kindergarten and 36 third grade children received evaluative praise comments and 31 kindergarten and 42 third grade children received non- evaluative descriptive comments on drawings for three days. The fourth day, children …

Gender Differences Among Resilient Children, Cameron Gilbert

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While the concept of resiliency is beginning to be addressed in the literature, little is known about gender differences among resilient children. The purpose of this study was to identify familial and environmental variables which would predict gender among resilient children. This study investigated gender differences between resilient boys and girls on the following variables: parental attitude toward education, educational level of the father, educational level of the mother, familial drug or alcohol use/abuse, incidence of physical and/or sexual abuse, and extracurricular activities. These variables were selected for study because of the importance of investigating factors in the family environment …

Nova University Ed.D. Program In Child And Youth Studies 1992–1993 Student Handbook - Revised November 1992, Nova University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.

International Student Design Competition Of Two Community Elementary Schoolyards, Roger Hart, Cindi Katz, Selim Iltus, Maria Rosario Mora

Publications and Research

As part of the project for the Participatory Design of Two Community Elementary Schoolyards in Harlem, P.S. 185 and P.S. 208 (The Schoolyards Project), the Children's Environments Research Group of the City University of New York held an International Student Design Competition for the design of these schoolyards. The competition drew sixty entries from various countries. The jury met on October 10, 1990 and awarded one First Prize and five Honorable Mentions. A landscape architect was then hired to utilize the best ideas, together with the architectural program which had been produced with the school and the surrounding community.

Let's Not Fight. Let's Talk: Resolving Conflict Through Mediation, St Mary's University

President's Peace Commission - Programs

The President’s Peace Commission existed from 1984 to 2013 at St. Mary's University. The Commission fostered an ethical commitment to participate in the establishment of world peace and social justice.

This program is about preventing international conflicts starting from early education.

Nova University Master's Programs: Child And Youth Care Administrators, Family Support Studies (Application Packet) 1990–1991, Nova University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.

Nova University Programs In Child And Youth Studies 1989–1990, Nova University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.