Early Childhood Education Commons^™

California Community Colleges Child Development Laboratory Schools, Shari Yates

Dissertations

Community colleges in California are the primary source for preparing the early childhood care and education (ECE) workforce. The California child development lab school mission is to prepare ECE practitioners, provide a laboratory where college students can study and research child development/education, and offer a service to children and families. There are many benefits that are derived from laboratory schools but many community college lab schools have been reduced and/or closed over the past three years. The purposes of this Delphi study were (a) to examine the most pressing issues, problems and barriers facing California community colleges child development labs …

The Effects Of Book Format On Parent-Child Interaction During Joint Book Reading, Jennifer Lynn Bowman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Technology is a part of our society and is ever changing. Therefore, it is important to examine the effects that such innovations have on parent-child interactions, especially those that have been shown to promote children's early literacy learning and future school success. This study was conducted in the context of a larger project, The Family Reading Project, which investigated parent-child engagement in joint reading activities using mobile devices. This research compared parent and child behaviors when reading traditional books versus reading e-books to determine if book format had any effect on parent-child interaction. The results of this study were that …

The Influence Of The Classroom Environment On Children's Learning Of Multiculturalism, Alberta Siaw

Student Theses and Dissertations

Today's rapid increase in diversity highlights the impact of classroom environment on children's perspectives. The growth of numerous cultures encourage people to learn from experiences, beliefs, and perspectives that are different from their own. Education within diverse classrooms prepare students to become good citizens in a pluralistic society. This study takes a critical look at the impact of the classroom environment on children's perspectives of multicultural awareness. The participants involved in the study were twenty-five teachers and forty-five children. The focus of the study was to determine how the classroom environment could affect children's perspectives of multicultural awareness. Through daily …

An Investigation Of Dialect Variation And Spelling: First Graders' Representation Of Final Consonant Clusters, Maegan Rebekah Inzer

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate first grade Mainstream American English (MAE) and African American English (AAE) speakers' representation of final consonant clusters in Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVCC) words in spelling tasks with three stimulus conditions: real words- child names the picture, real words- examiner names the picture, and nonwords- examiner names the picture. No significant differences were identified between the groups in spelling CVC words. When spelling CVCC words, the AAE group had significantly more dialect responses (spelling CVCC words as CVC words) compared to the MAE group across all tasks. AAE speakers gave fewer AAE spellings as the …

Power Of Equality Myths: A Transdisciplinary Study Examining The Influence Of Equality Policy On Teaching And Learning, Jennifer Gutiérrez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been steady interest in the ideology of equity in schooling practices reflected in the written artifacts of the United States, especially in the last thirty years. However, equality-laden language is often used without definition or critical examination. The assumed meaning of equality terminology is problematic--especially for classroom teachers who are directly held accountable for the practice of equality policy. This inquiry critically evaluates the multiple implications of this common-sense usage of language related to issues of equality, equity, sameness, and even democracy. Using the combined methodologies of educational criticism, critical discourse analysis, and self-ethnography, this transdisciplinary investigation describes, …

Nebline, November/December 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Tiny Tastes Can Total BIG CALORIES Over the Holiday Season

Food & Health

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Horticulture

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Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Parental Involvement And Home-School Connections In A South Texas Border Town, Cynthia A. Lopez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Latinos have a high amount of individuals residing in poverty, and, yet, are still the fastest growing minority group in the nation (Gandara & Contreras, 2009; National Council of La Raza, 2014). For some families, living in poverty and the need to earn a living prevents parents from being actively involved in their children’s education (Moreno & Gaytan, 2013). Therefore, the need to form alliances with parents is critical. Partnerships with parents must be formed to better understand the necessities of these children. Consequently, educators should convey to parents the significance of forming links between the home and school. Moreover, …

Evaluation Of The Start Making A Reader Today (Smart), Beth L. Green, Amanda Cross-Hemmer, Lorelei Mitchell

Early Childhood

The goal of the Start Making a Reader Today (SMART) program is to support young children to develop early reading and literacy skills, as well as to increase their interest, confidence, and enthusiasm about reading. SMART pairs trained adult volunteers with PreK-3 rd grade children, primarily in schools serving significant proportions of low-income families. Thus, SMART augments the one-on-one reading support available in typical elementary schools. Volunteers read to children for 30 minutes, either once or twice a week, and provide books that children can take home and keep for themselves. Prior evaluation research (Baker, Gersten, & Keating, 2000) found …

Nebline, October 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Smart Snacking

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An Examination Of Teachers' Writing Self-Efficacy, First-Grade Students' Attitudes And Self-Efficacy In Writing, And Students' Writing Behaviors, Julie Bridget Mary Dashiell

Theses and Dissertations in Early Childhood Education

Teachers' self-efficacy has been demonstrated to be an important construct linked to teacher competence (Goddard, Hoy, & Woolfolk Hoy, 2000; Graham & Perin, 2007). However, little is known about how teachers think about writing, particularly as it relates to their writing instruction and to writing tasks they assign to their young students. The purpose of this multiple methods inquiry was to explore teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and orientations about writing and to examine if these factors were connected to their writing instruction. This study also aimed to examine if students' self-efficacy and attitudes towards writing are connected to their classroom writing …

Preschool And Prosperity, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

Substantial research shows that high-quality early childhood education programs have a large economic payoff. This payoff is increased earnings for former child participants, increased earnings for parents, and increased earnings for all workers when average worker skills improve. A program package of universal pre-K, combined with child care and parenting support for all low-income families, would cost $80 billion annually. But each dollar invested in this package would yield future economic benefits of over 10 times as great.

Nebline, September 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 4-H Youth Showcase Their Achievements at Super Fair

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Early Bird Catches The Worm: The Causal Impact Of Pre-School Participation And Teacher Qualifications On Year 3 Naplan Cognitive Tests, Diana Warren, John P. Haisken-Denew

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Using data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), this is the first analysis for Australia to evaluate the impact of attendance at preschool programs on matched Year 3 nationwide National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) test outcomes in the domains of numeracy, reading, spelling, writing and grammar. We also disaggregate the impact of specific teacher qualifications on children’s cognitive outcomes. While one year of learning in Year 3 is represented by about 50 NAPLAN points, we find average preschool domain effects as much as 10–15 points. The impacts for NAPLAN scores in numeracy, reading and spelling …

Nebline, August 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Cherry Creek Habitat Provides Opportunities for Pollinator Education

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Special pullout section: Lancaster County Super Fair 2014 Schedule & Map

Nebline, July 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 4-H Table Setting Contest is a Fun Way to Learn Nutrition, Setting a Table, Presenting and More!

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The Relationship Of Mobility, Child Characteristics And School Characteristics To The Academic Achievement Of Third Grade Students In A Predominantly Latino District, John Christopher Hicks

Theses and Dissertations in Early Childhood Education

The high rates of mobility in the U.S. can produce negative consequences for children's academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine relationships among math and reading academic achievement, mobility characteristics, student characteristics, and school characteristics in order to develop a model to predict achievement using these variables. Using such a model, educational stakeholders could identify students that are at risk for academic failure. The study included 523 third grade students from a high poverty, predominantly Latino, suburban district. Correlation analyses, factor analyses, ordered linear regression, and forward regression analyses were used to determine the relationships among variables …

Children, Mathematics, And Videotape: Using Multimodal Analysis To Bring Bodies Into Early Childhood Assessment Interviews, Amy Noelle Parks, Mardi Schmeichel

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Despite the increased use of video for data collection, most research using assessment interviews in early childhood education relies solely upon the analysis of linguistic data, ignoring children’s bodies. This trend is particularly troubling in studies of marginalized children because transcripts limited to language can make it difficult to analyze embodied power relations between majority researchers and minority children. This article responds to this problem by outlining a theoretical position on power and bodies, describing multimodal analysis strategies, and using these strategies to analyze the subject positions available during a mathematical assessment interview for three African American preschool child-participants and …

Nebline, June 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Nurturing Unmarried Parents and Their Children

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A Look At What Are The Best Practices For Infant And Toddler Care, Tara Greaney

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The first part of this project looks at what qualifications and trainings are currently required to be an infant/toddler caregiver in New York City. This is followed by a literature review of the professional development training program's best practices for infant/toddler care in five states. Interviews with seasoned directors of infant/toddler programs and surveys are also included.

Orchestrating A Kindergarten Block Program : The Teacher's Role, Abbey Butcosk

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Analyzes the role of the teacher in kindergarten block building

The Early Years : A Handbook For New Early Childhood Progressive Educators, Mallory Morris

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This master's project provides research, advice, and suggestions that will continue to prepare progressive early childhood teachers for their first years in the classroom.

Folk Music : Connecting Young Children And Their Families To American Roots, Liana Stampur

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper will uncover the similarities between American folk music and Central and South American songs of revolution as a way to connect new immigrants to American culture.

Experts In Wondering : A Study Of Reggio Documentation, Alison J. Hurewitz

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The focus of this independent study was to examine the role of documentation in the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education, and to explore benefits and challenges to the integration of Reggio documentation practices in a Reform Jewish nursery school setting.

How Does Your Garden Grow: How Planting Seeds Of Hope Inspire A Community Of Gifted African-American Learners To Flourish In An Early Childhood Setting, Danielle Elaine Macneal-Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"Knowledge is like a garden: if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested"

-African Proverb

Each day, African-American children are rarely given the opportunity to reach their full potential and flourish in American school systems. There continues to be a disparity in the number of African-Americans in the gifted population. When identified early, and with appropriate educational opportunities, young, culturally diverse gifted learners will be more likely to have long-term educational success. By utilizing an educational criticism methodology, this study discusses the importance of gifted education for African-American, early childhood students, by answering the question, how does The Hope …

Nebline, May 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: The Cost of Invasive Species

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Parent Preferred Teacher Qualities: The Call For Highly Qualified Teachers, Taylor M. Roberson

Honors College Theses

This study sought to answer the question, “What teacher characteristics do parents value most?” as an initial response to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.The purpose of this study was to determine what teacher characteristics parents perceive as making teachers highly qualified to be used to improve parent-teacher relations and teacher effectiveness. To answer this question, a survey was used to collect data from the parents of K-5 students. 176 surveys were returned out of the 800 administered and were used to help the researcher conclude that there is not a teacher characteristic that stands alone to make …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Scripted Education, Alexa M. Lowery

Honors College Theses

The purpose of my study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of scripted techniques using state mandated standards and the techniques’ impact on student performance. I surveyed the teachers of elementary schools in Edwards County (pseudonym) and found that most teachers are not using the standards as they were originally intended, and they feel that students are falling behind because the standards are not developmentally appropriate.

Nebline, April 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Backyard Farmer -- Six Decades of Growing Gardeners and Protecting the Environment

Food & Health

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Special Pullout Section: Weed Awareness

Combining Qualitative Research Perspectives And Methods For Critical Social Purposes The Neoliberal U.S. Childhood Public Policy Behemoth, Michelle Salazar Perez, Gaile S. Cannella, Cinthya M. Saavedra

Mexican American Studies Faculty Publications

This article discusses the broad-based use of bricolage to examine the neoliberal childhood policy discourses and forms of implementation that are currently practiced in the United States. Diverse, traditionally marginalized understandings such as Black feminist thought, Chicana feminism, and feminist analysis of capitalist patriarchy are combined with a Deleuze/Guattarian critique of capitalism and qualitative methods of situational analyses. We do this to identify childhood assemblages within the childhood public policy behemoth in the United States and compare these assemblages to capitalism more broadly, including how neoliberal practices are facilitated.

The Early Grade Reading Assessment: Assessing Children's Acquisition Of Basic Literacy Skills In Developing Countries (Superseded Version), Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA), administered individually in about 15 minutes, measures the most basic foundation skills for literacy acquisition in the early grades. The assessment was developed by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) through funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank (Gove & Wetterberg, 2011), in addition to resources provided by RTI. The EGRA was developed to provide a battery of assessments of basic reading skills for developing countries to monitor the status of early reading in primary schools. The assessment tool was first implemented in The Gambia and Senegal …