Parenting Isn't Easy: Parent Newsletters For Social/Emotional Learning In Early Childhood, Lauryn Meyer

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

Most educators know that it is very important to a child’s overall success to be supported socially and emotionally, especially in Early Childhood. We understand that children do not just act out the way they do because they feel like misbehaving. The challenging behavior is usually the cause of some other sort of reaction the child might not know how to explain or verbalize, for example: feeling tired, hungry, or uncomfortable in a certain situation.

In Early Childhood, educators work closely with parents and caregivers in order to continue the same level of learning at home as well. As …

Building Confidence Of Academic Library Staff In The Selection Of Culturally Authentic Native American Picture Books, Cassondra Leeport

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study aimed to explore the confidence and ability of library staff to select and identify culturally authentic Native American picture books. The researcher, a self-identified Native American, developed a tool designed to assist in library staff in identifying key elements of a picture book that lend themselves to a work being culturally authentic. Assisting patrons in selecting materials is a key element in the library profession. The setting of this research is a university with a large Professional Education Program as well as a documented dedication to serving Native students and surrounding tribal communities and the participants of the …

Preschool Whole Group Circle Time: Does More Comfortable Seating Give Rise To Preschooler Engagement?, Roberta Kopel

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Flexible and alternative seating in the classroom has been a topic of research and implementation in the classroom in recent years. At this time, much of the research discovered looked at inflatable cushions, therapy balls, or even low tables using pillows as seats. It has been observed in practice by this researcher that many times what is sometimes labeled as flexible seating is just something that is “cute” and not a regular chair with a back and legs or flexible seating as noted in research findings such as a therapy ball. Thus far, it has been difficult to determine the …

Yoga As A Positive Behavior Intervention, Kristen Kadrie

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study explored teaching preschool age students how to use yoga strategies to calm their bodies, reducing the number of times a student demonstrates negative behavior. The fifteen participants were three through five year olds from one of the preschool classrooms at the Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) Early Learning Center. Baseline data was collected for five days, resulting in a determination that four of the students would be considered the subjects for the study, one who received special education services. Additional baseline data was collected for these students for ten days. All fifteen participants and the classroom teachers were …

The Effect Of Direct Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Instruction And Small Group Literacy Interventions On Kindergarten Students’ Reading Growth, Brianna Elizabeth Wierschke

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study focuses on the impact of the implementation of Heggerty Phonemic Awareness and Literacy Footprints guided reading system curriculum in a kindergarten classroom. Adding these interventions are to determine if a focus on phonemic awareness skills is essential for students to learn when beginning to learn how to read. Students were tested at the beginning of the school year for a base score, then tracked at every month, and then a final benchmarking in December. The study took place in a North Dakota elementary school, 23 kindergarten students was monitored for data purposes. The data and results demonstrate a …

Strategies For Teaching Based On Autism Research (Star Program) Curriculum Review And Implementation, Cassidy Harrington

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is becoming more prevalent in school systems. Researchers began tracking the prevalence of ASD in the year 2000. It is estimated that 1 in 68 children have ASD in the United States of America (1 in 42 prevalence for boys and 1 in 189 prevalence for girls) (Landa, 2018). Medically a child can be diagnosed with ASD but school systems themselves are not able to formally diagnose ASD in children. (ECTA, 2012). ASD can be hard to diagnose as some cases are more severe than others and the earlier that a child is found to have …

Routines-Based Home Strategies For Families Receiving Early Intervention Support, Hallie Zander

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Early Intervention refers to the services and support in which young children with, or at risk for, developmental delays have access; this includes home visits and collaboration between families and service providers. In order to create a positive working relationship, home visitors and service providers must ensure families feel supported. Not only are they welcoming visitors into their home and personal space, they are continually collaborating with providers to build their toolbox of skills to support their young child. Therefore, it is essential for service providers to honor each family’s beliefs and culture (Harry, 2002).

The purpose of routines-based early …

Assistive Technology In Early Childhood, Ciarah Thoreson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This capstone will be focusing on assistive technology in early childhood special education as it relates to students with physical health disabilities. This project is important because there seems to be a lack of information about supporting early childhood students with physical health disabilities in home and school settings. As an early childhood special education teacher, it can be difficult to determine what assistive technologies would be appropriate for each individual student. This project focuses on exploring assistive technology within early childhood to promote inclusion.

Assistive technology is any product or tool that helps individuals with disabilities learn, work, and …

All About The Special Education Process: A Handbook For Parents, Mikayla Reinke

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Until 1976 and the passing of P.L. 94-482 parents or caregivers of children with disabilities were not significantly involved in the education of their children. Even after this, many parents have felt they were in unknown territory regarding the field of special education. With different types of meetings, definitions, and processes that are not explained in a form that those who have not studied special education would understand, how could there not be unknown territory? Parents are provided with the Parent’s Guide to Special Education (2018) and the Parental Rights for Public School Students Receiving Special Education Services: Notice of …

Coaching As A Framework For Early Intervention Service Delivery, Rebecca Walzak

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) has set forth a list of high leverage practices that have significant impact on children with special needs from birth through early childhood. One of these impactful strategies is building family capacity, which can be effectively addressed using a coaching framework for service delivery. Research in the field has not yet clearly defined coaching terms, definitions or characteristics, which impacts the fidelity of the practice and requires research and consensus moving forward. This body of work seeks to look at current research around the topic of coaching and it’s effectiveness in meeting student …

Increasing Family Collaboration And Engagement In Early Childhood Special Education Using A Family-Centered Approach, Sam Van Gorp

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The Division of Early Childhood (DEC) has recognized family-centered practice as the recommended model of service delivery for early intervention. A key component of family-centered practice involves collaboration with families. It is critical for families and early childhood special education teachers to work together to increase student outcomes, while keeping the needs of the family in mind (Hile, Santos, and Hughes, 2016). Themes discovered in the literature include: building relationships with families (Odom & Wolery, 2003), family engagement opportunities (Kelty & Wakabayashi, 2020), and providing families with resources (Summers et al., 2007). To increase family collaboration and engagement for the …

Effects Of Play-Based Learning On Phonemic Awareness And Phonics Skills, Kristen Heidecker

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of play-based learning on phonemic awareness and phonics skills in kindergarten. This study aimed to determine whether or not play-based learning materials such as letter tiles, cards, timers, and literacy-based games were an effective way for kindergarten students to acquire skills such as segmenting, letter sounds, and sight word recognition. A pre-assessment was given using FastBridge to determine which skills the students were working towards mastering. Play-based learning materials were then offered to small groups of students during our regular literacy time, and data was collected using FastBridge after two …

A Guide For Preschool General Education Teachers To Identify And Support Children With Developmental Delays, Sarah Jane Snider Mrs

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Snider (2021) A Guide for Preschool General Education Teachers to Identify and Support Children with Developmental Delays

It is essential to identify areas of professional development that educators need in order to effectively teach children. Professional development strengthens teachers knowledge and equips them with skills that will improve teaching practice and child achievement. This study looked at preschool general educator areas of weakness. The information that was obtained was used to create a professional development guide to enhance weakness areas. The results show that preschool general education teachers needed further information on identifying and supporting children with developmental delays. In …

Implementation Of Social Emotional Skills To Students With A Developmental Delays During A Pandemic, Monica Beier

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

With increasing pressure on preschool programs and families to ensure students are ready for kindergarten, teaching pre-academic skills have gained increased attention. However, mastery of social-emotional skills is also imperative to kindergarten readiness. As with all skill areas, students enroll in preschool programs with a varying degree of competence in their social-emotional skill level. Programs must adapt their approaches to teaching social-emotional skills and responding to problem behaviors in order to reach all learners. However, not all early childhood staff are prepared to address these growing areas of need. A large portion of research supports the implementation of evidence-based interventions …

Coaching And Embedding In Early Childhood, Danielle Tagtmeier

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Coaching and embedding has become an increasingly popular service delivery model in early childhood and has led to higher developmental outcomes for children and increased caregiver confidence and competence in working with their children with delays or disabilities. Coaching and embedding is an evidence based practice and considered a recommended practice by the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children as a service delivery model for early intervention. Coaching involves many strategies and can be delivered through a variety of modalities including in-person or virtual services. This project includes a review of literature on coaching and embedding …

Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports In An Early Education Center, Karisa Gratton

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

With so many uncertainties in childcare centers all across America (especially in a world of COVID-19), it is crucial to have Positive Behavioral Systems and Supports (PBIS) in place to ensure success in learning environments for all children. Typically speaking, the center that I work in has four classrooms, with each teacher directly in charge of their own students. In a normal school year, teachers also are given the opportunity to interact and work with students from other age groups, giving all children a chance to form relationships with each adult. However, in a COVID-19 world, these interactions are non-existent, …

Creating Trauma Sensitive Classroom In The Early Childhood Setting, Janelle Elke

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to ensure that our early childhood classrooms are trauma sensitive for our students that have been exposed or are experiencing trauma. Roughly 26 percent of children in the United States witness or experience a trauma before the age of 4( Briggs- Gowan et al.2010). The study was conducted in three different phases. In the first phase, data was collected on what strategies are presently implemented for students who have been exposed to trauma. In the second phase, strategies, techniques and tools were introduced to help during stressful situations that happened during class. In the …

A Study On Early Intervention Referrals And Eligibility Of Prenatal Drug-Exposed Children, Holly Nelson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to see what the developmental trend was among children who were prenatally exposed to drugs and early intervention services. There is not much research-based data that has been collected on this topic, even though in 2004 federal legislation was passed to improve early intervention service access for drug-exposed infants. This study was motivated by scientific evidence that maternal substance abuse and prenatal drug exposure has detrimental effects on the fetus and prolonged effects on children. This study collected data on how many prenatally drug-exposed children were referred for early intervention services and how many …

Using Teach Me To Talk Interventions To Improve Language In Children Birth- Three Years Old, Hannah Hendry

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The propose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of using Teach Me to Talk strategies from Speech Pathologist Laura Mize, with children from the birth to three-year-old early intervention program. The study looked at children who have communication needs based on qualifying scores after completing a special education evaluation and the use of specific interventions to increase their language. The researcher wanted to determine students’ improvement with their communication goals and how parent involvement supports their learning. The study was originally structured around weekly home visits that were ongoing since the child qualified for special education services. Parents …

A Play Based Intervention To Develop Literacy: Using Foundations For Literacy To Help Students With A Developmental Delay Learn To Read, Brittany Coalwell Escobedo

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Kindergarten students with a Developmental Delay need to learn in a way that is developmentally appropriate through play and experiences. This study investigated the use of Foundations for Literacy, a play based and experiential based literacy intervention, to allow Kindergarten students with a Developmental Delay learn to read in a developmentally appropriate way. Students were taught code based and meaning based literacy skills through play and experiences using Foundations for Literacy. The results prove that a short five-week intervention using Foundations for Literacy increased letter sound identification and phonemic awareness at a faster rate than a traditional guided …

Digital Versus Paper: Comparing The Effectiveness Of Paper And Digital Resources In Parent Follow-Through In Early Intervention Home Visiting, Suzanna Holper

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this research study is to determine whether paper resources or digital resources are more effective at eliciting follow-through by parents in between Early Intervention home visiting sessions within Freshwater Education District’s service area. Specifically, the study surveys families that have reliable access to internet as well as looking at differences in the responses based on age of the respondents. The study is structured using a succession of surveys; the first has the participants review the paper resource and the second has the participants review the digital resource. Separate surveys were completed by the home visitor and the …

Effects Of Yoga On Student Attention In Pre-K, Amanda Paulson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects Yoga Calm (Gillen & Gillen, 2009) had on student attention in Pre-Kindergarten students. Nine pre-kindergarten students receiving special education services at an elementary school participated in 5-10 minutes of yoga practice each day in a small group environment before returning to a large group setting for shared reading. The yoga time consisted of teaching of different sequences along with breathing techniques that could also be used independently. Observations were conducted on a weekly basis during shared reading. The observations focused on whole body listening (eyes, ears, mouth, hands, arms, legs, …

The Effect Of Ipad Instruction On Capital Letter Recognition Of Preschoolers, Jessica Adkins

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to look at the effect of iPad instruction on capital letter recognition in preschool children between the ages of four and five. The study divided participants into two groups. One group received capital letter instruction with an iPad. The second group received capital letter instruction using letter manipulatives. Letter manipulatives were wooden puzzle letters. Baseline data was taken on capital letter recognition of all participants before this study began. At the end of the study, data was taken on capital letter recognition of all participants. Baseline and final data was compared to show growth. …

The Effect Of Instruction (Rapid Automatic Naming Versus Repeated Read Aloud) On Vocabulary Building For Preschool Children, Alison Bendickson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

STUDY ABSTRACT

Title

The Effect of Instruction (Rapid Automatic Naming Versus Repeated Read Aloud) on Vocabulary Building for Preschool Children

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this research was to determine whether using the strategy of rapid automatic naming or repeated read aloud would increase children’s vocabulary development. The study assessed children in an inclusive classroom. The participants were 3 year old students who required specialized instruction and have Individual Education Programs and students who were typically developing. The students were assessed using Individual Growth and Development Indicators (picture naming) to assess which intervention strategy produced more growth in …

Classroom Strategies To Increase Kindergarten Readiness Of Preschool Ell Students, Cirissa Afonja

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

There are more preschool children in the United States who are English Language Learners than any other age group. This research examines the effects of providing modeling, visuals, and music strategies to English Language Learners in a preschool classroom to increase their literacy, language, and communication skills. The study’s goal was to determine if the specific classroom strategies would improve the participants English language, literacy and communication skills to be kindergarten ready with their same age English speaking peers. The study used language surveys and an assessment to determine which students were English Language Learners, and if they needed …

Impacts Of Repeated Reading On Fluency And Comprehension, Tina Podemski

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

In this study, the effects of repeated read aloud interventions in the preschool setting on reading fluency/oral language and comprehension were investigated. Participants in this study included seven students who were all four years of age. Participants faced a variety of factors such as: foster care, mental health and special education. Student participants were determined following an assessment of early literacy skills using the Preschool Early Literacy Indicators (PELI); this assessment focuses on four main areas of early literacy: alphabet knowledge (naming and sounds), vocabulary/oral language (picture naming fluency), comprehension and phonological awareness. Students were selected to participate in tier …

Using Coaching Strategies To Build Caregiver Capacity, Beth Hadrava

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This research study investigated the use of coaching strategies to foster engagement and build the capacity of caregivers of very young children receiving early intervention services. This study was conducted as a result of concerns regarding low caregiver engagement and unanswered questions about acquisition of caregivers’ skills. Four participants were included in this study. The researcher collected qualitative and quantitative data to examine the impact of using a coaching model with caregiver-participants. Interview data, engagement ratings and a research journal were used to collect engagement and caregiver capacity data. As a result of data collection and analysis, the author reported …

The Effect Of Small Group Intervention Activities In An Enrichment Program With Second Grade Students, Kari Dahlgren

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine whether the effect of using small group reading intervention activities in an after-school program with second grade students can increase their foundational reading skills and oral reading fluency. The students selected for the study were already enrolled in the after-school program. The study evaluated the reading skills of 12 of the 17 second grade students at Circle of Life Academy. The assessments used were the AIMS-web Plus assessment and Assessing Reading Multiple Measures assessments. The results of the AIMS-web fluency scores showed that those students who received interventions in reading fluency …

Grade Retention: Knowledge And Attitudes Of Teacher Educators And Preservice Teachers, Jenny Pearson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Grade retention, otherwise known as “failing” or “being held back”, is a common practice for schools when they feel a student is not performing at or meeting school standards. While grade retention is a popular practice, very little research supports the use of it as an effective intervention over other interventions (Jimerson, 2001). A survey, structured around Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985) was distributed to preservice teachers and teacher educators at a Midwestern university to examine their knowledge and beliefs about grade retention, as well as the prevalence of the topic of grade retention in teacher training. Results from …

Assistive Listening Devices In Primary And Secondary Educational Settings: A Systematic Review, Paige Wagner-Skinner

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify the scientific evidence available to support the use of assistive listening devices in primary and secondary educational settings. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) makes it clear that it is the role of the speech-language pathologist (SLP) to modify the classroom environment, as needed, to enhance communicative abilities for this population (ASHA, 2016; Carney, 1998). Each journal article included in this study was published in a peer reviewed journal between the years of 2000 and 2018, written in the English language, and comprised of scientific information relevant to the research question proposed. Experimental …