Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Executive Function & Self-Regulation In Preschool Age Children: Mindfulness Intervention, Larissa Lamarca

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Executive function is an umbrella term used in psychology to define a number of cognitive processes that are important for success in daily life. Both self-awareness, being able to focus one’s thoughts and behavior, and self-regulation, being able to manage emotional and behavioral responses, are important components of executive function. Between three- and five-years of age, children begin developing such skills rapidly which are necessary for school readiness. This study recruited children participants from four local preschools to test for improvement in attention and self-regulatory skills. Two schools completed a mindful yoga activity for five consecutive days, while a second …

Assessing The Fidelity Of School-Level Professional Learning Community Implementation, William W. Thigpen Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

As schools face increasing accountability, many have turned to professional learning communities (PLCs) as a possible solution. The challenge is that many schools are not implementing PLCs with fidelity. It is imperative that school leaders assess PLC practices to ensure that critical components are being implemented effectively. This research provides a framework for school leaders to assess school leader, teacher, and support staff perceptions of various PLC dimensions. Descriptive statistics were used to determine levels of agreement with statements related to six PLC dimensions. A one-way univariate analysis of variance tests (ANOVA) was used to analyze differences in mean …

Strengthening The Academic Progress Of Students Within Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support, Leslie Dial

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Leadership in education is thinking, communicating, and modeling to maximize student growth and achievement. This quantitative research study explored how leadership can strengthen the academic progress of students within Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). When implementation of MTSS is guided by adaptive school leadership, educators will be prepared, communication will occur, interventions will be established, and data will be evaluated. Adaptive leaders who build efficacy will ensure fidelity and continuous improvement of student achievement.

Survey research was conducted to analyze the operational level of MTSS regarding the domains of Leadership, Building Capacity for Instruction, Communication and Collaboration, Data-Based Problem-Solving, Tiered …

Schools For Profit Or Schools For Education? A Christian School Principal’S Perspectives, Michael A. Crosby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a series of speculative essays (Schubert, 1991) that address the forces of neoliberalism on schools today– both public and private. While there have been studies on the detrimental effects of high-stakes testing on public schools (e.g., Au, 2015; Giroux, 2014; Wacquant, 2000) as well as the associated harmful effects of school to prison pipeline (e.g., Saltman, 2016; Taubman, 2009), there remains little research associated with the damaging impacts of neoliberalism on Christian schools. Building upon the theoretical framework of critical pedagogy (e.g., Friere, 1970; Kincheloe, 2008; McLaren, 2015), I undertake a critical examination of neoliberalism’s calculated efforts …

Qualitative Content Analysis Of Policy As An Expression Of Educational Theory On Special Education Preschool Placement Options, Jennifer M. Dineen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a qualitative content analysis approach where the researcher collected policies and theories to analyze and interpret and to examine the relationship between developmental theories and Georgia preschool policies as they relate to inclusion using archived state policies found on the Georgia Department of Education and Department of Early Learning website. The theories of Vygotsky (1978), Piaget (1936), and Bronfenbrenner (1979) were examined, along with the public policies on Georgia preschool. These policies included Georgia Early Learning Development Standards, Bright from the Start operating guidelines, and Work Sampling System. The researcher found common themes and/or phrases in the …

Study Analyzing The Perspectives Of National Board Certified Media Specialists, Melissa Ann Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of ESLMS's (Expert School Library Media Specialists) as total educators (Fullan & Hargreaves, 1996), including the SLMSs (School Library Media Specialist) purpose, the ESLMS as a person, the organizational context and the culture of the SLMS's school. The hypothesis was that ESLMSs role and development as experts in their field was directly related to their purpose and motivations, their view of themselves as persons including their beliefs and values, and the culture and organizational context of the specific school in which they work. Three SLMS's currently employed in Georgia public …