Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Impact Of Family Engagement On Child Outcomes In Preschool, Kathryn S. Ingham

Graduate Research Papers

This review considered the impact of family engagement on child outcomes in preschool and what variables impact the success of family engagement in preschool. Many child outcomes are affected by family engagement. This particular work focuses on child outcomes related to literacy and approaches to learning. The variables of the family engagement examined include demographics, culture, family unit, and socioeconomic status. Many forms and degrees of family engagement are described with the degree of success for family engagement determined by the actual participants. Findings of the review point towards family engagement promoting positive outcomes for children enrolled in preschool despite …

Building Strong Partnerships For Preparation, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

When strong partnerships are established, districts and preparation providers make changes to the way they work and and the way they work together. The result is a system transformation through the kinds of shifts illustrated below. These partnerships enable IHEs and districts to bring existing resources to bear on work in new, mutually beneficial ways.

Cost Savings Through Reduced Turnover, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Residency-trained teachers stay in the classroom longer, reducing district spending on recruitment, training, and on-boarding.

Mom, Dad, Help Please: The Home Environment’S Influences On A Child’S Math Ability, Nicole Kerkhof

CMC Senior Theses

Recently, there has been a big surge of research and public interest in increasing the math capabilities and skills of American children. This paper serves as a literature review examining how the home environment, specifically parents, can help with that. This meta-analysis delves into the factors of maternal math talk, a parent’s own math anxiety, and the relationship between a parent and child in the context of a parent’s gender stereotypes and a parent’s perception on his or her child’s math abilities. Interventions, suggestions, and future implications are also discussed. This paper will hopefully bring needed awareness to parents about …

Invented Spelling And Its Effect On Kindergarten Students' Reading And Writing Abilities, Kelli A. Daly

Graduate Research Papers

This review investigated the effects of invented spelling on kindergarten students and how it can affect their phonemic awareness, as well as how it can affect his or her reading and spelling in kindergarten. In addition, this review compared different writing instruction techniques and how they differ and impact a child's writing and spelling in kindergarten. Several articles compare the use and acceptance of invented spelling in comparison to conventional spelling. Findings from the review propose that invented spelling is a beneficial technique to helping young children learn to read and write and has a positive influence on their reading …

Technology And Student Achievement In Stem Subjects: Perspectives From Teachers In Grades 3rd-5th, Kayleigh D. Hunter

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this study is to research teachers’ perspectives of their role and responsibilities of integrating technology in the classroom and the influence of technology on student achievement. The participants involved in the qualitative research process included seven in-service professional public school teachers. The thirty minute to an hour interviews were piloted using researcher created interview question constructed from previous research on teachers’ perceptions of technology. The questions used were created to specifically answer the researcher’s topic of study; some questions are regarding whether teachers believe success is technology driven and what benefits they think technology brings. The teachers …

Incorporating Istation Into Early Childhood Classrooms To Improve Reading Comprehension, Tian Luo, Guang-Lea Lee, Cynthia Molina

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Aim/Purpose: IStation is an adaptive computer-based reading program that adapts to the learner's academic needs. This study investigates if the Istation computer-based reading program promotes reading improvement scores as shown on the STAR Reading test and the IStation test scaled scores for elementary school thirdgrade learners on different reading levels.

Background: Prior literature provided a limited evidence base for incorporating computer-adaptive learning technologies to improve reading comprehension in the context of early childhood education.

Methodology: Using a mixed-method case study research approach, this study purports to investigate the effects of IStation and examine the perspectives of teachers and students. Supported …

Kids In Transition To School (Kits), Beth L. Green, Lorelei Mitchell, Lindsey Brianna Patterson

Early Childhood

During the summer and fall of 2016, children and families in 16 schools in Lane County participated in the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) Program. KITS includes 16 weeks of group-based child classes and 12 weeks of parenting workshops, using an evidence-based curriculum designed to improve school readiness skills and parenting. To learn more about the KITS program from the perspective of participating families, four focus groups were held with parents who participated in KITS. A total of 44 parents participated in the groups, which were located in four different schools (two small, rural locations and two larger more …

Assessing Written Narratives: Current Versus Theoretical Practices, Megan Chamberlin, Michelle Tatko, Marissa Mcelligott, Savannah Lovitt

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Language sample analysis (LSA) provides a non-standardized, culturally sensitive method of language assessment and is considered a best practice by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA). One type of LSA is the elicitation and analysis of children’s written narratives. Narratives, one type of language discourse, either fictional or personal, can be thought of as stories.

Across the literature, there are differences in the types and clinical implications of the individual types of discourse and narratives. For example, eliciting conversational discourse for LSA is less demanding for the student than eliciting narrative discourse. Additionally, research shows that students with a …

A Grounded Theory Study Of Maternal Engagement Of Low Income, Young Rural Mothers In Home-Based, Early Intervention Services, Elaine K. Fehringer

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Home-based, early intervention programs as a preferred delivery model are widely endorsed, heavily funded and highly utilized as prevention and remediation initiatives for families with young children (Eckenrode, et al., 2010; Karoly, Killion, & Cannon, 2005). Of concern, is that while an estimated 40 billion dollars are spent annually between federally funded programs and private foundations, a significant number of families disengage from services before the end of a child’s eligibility period (Stevens, Ammerman, Putnam, Gannon, & van Ginkel, 2005). Several meta-analyses indicate only modest effectiveness of home-based services (Tandon, et al., 2008). It is estimated that well over 500,000 …

Finding The Link Between Social Connectivity And Dietary Intake Among Rural Adolescents In North Carolina And Kentucky, Jordan Elizabeth Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Social networks play a significant role in adolescent decision making, specifically when it comes to dietary outcomes. This study, granted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), assessed the connectivity of these social networks and the impact they have on fruit and vegetable, added sugar and sugar sweetened beverage consumption. Additionally, the relationship between shopping companionship and dietary choices was studied. Positive and negative associations were found among adolescents who shop with parents or friends. It was also found that those adolescents with greater social network cohesion were found to have more negative dietary outcomes. Divulging further into the …

Limiting Food Waste In Child Care Facilities Through Implementation Of Portion Sizes, Margaret E. Wright, Kelly A. Way

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Food waste in child care facilities is both a monetary waste and a danger to the environment. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of portion control in a child care facility on the amount of food wasted and the costs associated with food waste. It was hypothesized that establishment of portion control will result in a reduction in the amount of food waste of lunches and afternoon snacks generated by preschool children attending the University of Arkansas Bumpers College Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center (JTCDSC). A four-week study was conducted where two trials were introduced: …

Teaching For Tomorrow: An Exploratory Study Of Prekindergarten Teachers’ Underlying Assumptions About How Children Learn, Erin E. Flynn, Rachel E. Schachter

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

This study investigated eight prekindergarten teachers’ underlying assumptions about how children learn, and how these assumptions were used to inform and enact instruction. By contextualizing teachers’ knowledge and understanding as it is used in practice we were able to provide unique insight into the work of teaching. Participants focused on children’s ability to remember information, frequently through engagement and repetition. Teachers also anticipated what children would be learning in the early elementary years and taught that content, yet they did not necessarily expect children to remember the information, or even know if children learned the information. Implications for the design …

Evidence-Based Assessment In Adapted Physical Education-Cognitive Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis, James Robert Kunkel

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

There is little data to show evidence-based practices in adapted physical education and whether or not such practices are successful. Currently there is a lack of information on the frequency of which assessments are being administered, on the disabilities that are being assessed or should be assessed during each test, and on the uses for which assessments are being conducted. The aim of this paper is to assess and synthesize all evidence-based practices on cognitive outcomes in adapted physical education using a meta-analysis. Data was sourced from computerized searches using the following databases: SPORT Discus, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Pub Med (Medline), …

Reducing Adolescent Anger And Aggression With Biofeedback: A Mixed-Methods Multiple Case Study, Jedidiah S. Savard

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Adolescent anger, aggression, and violent outbursts are social problems significantly affecting each of us. Individual therapeutic management of pathological anger is treated in various ways depending on practitioners’ theoretical orientations and competency levels. Popular psychological individual and group therapies addressing anger and aggression in adolescents focus primarily on cognitive-behavioral techniques that manage anger’s symptoms. Evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapies often require clients to self-identify emerging antecedents of anger without assistance; such therapies employ predetermined strategies to assist the client to emotionally de-escalate prior to an angry or aggressive episode. However, cognitive responses to an emotional upheaval stemming from an emergence of anger …

Attune With Baby: An Innovative Attunement Program For Parents And Families With Integrated Evaluation, Sara Beth Lohre

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Infants speak in their own language; sounds, screeches, cries, and howls that help them to communicate their caregiving needs. Unaware, parents may develop a checklist of caregiving approaches to the baby. The infant tells the adult directly what they need, and waits for the parent to respond. Infant talk may change from soft and quiet to loud and aggressive; coos and cries become crying and screams as the infant’s caregiver—communicating the intensity of emotion, urgency of their request, or their frustration with varied and sometimes inadequate, failed, or missing caregiving patterns the infant has no choice but to accept. When …

Constructing A Sense Of Story: One Block At A Time, Joanne M. Robertson-Eletto, Smita Guha, Marina Marinelli

Graduate School of Education Publications and Research

This photo essay focuses upon the literacy practices of two groups of preschoolers as they built, illustrated, and dictated stories in response to their participation in a “Castle Project.” Data, including literacy artifacts, photodocumentation, sociodramatic play scenarios, and conversations are qualitatively analyzed, coded, and evaluated over a three month period. We use a narrative approach to describe the three- and four-year-olds’ talk, actions, and ideas, and the ways block play facilitated their sense of story and motivation to write. We suggest a reciprocity of thinking between the building and composing processes. Preschoolers’ story ideas, we deduce, were conceptualized and rehearsed …

A Review Of Video Modeling To Teach Social Skills To Preschoolers With Asd, Jordan Brovelli

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this comprehensive literature review is to evaluate if existing research studies have produced substantial evidence to determine if the use of video modeling is as an evidence based instructional tool to teach social skills to preschool aged children with autism spectrum disorder. Literature was reviewed against standards suggested by What Works Clearinghouse for being an evidence-based practice. Based on the criteria set by What Works Clearinghouse for examining experimental rigor, evidence, and the requirements for practices being considered an evidence base, video modeling to teach this population of students social skills is not an evidence-based practice at …

Parent-Child Interaction : How It Impacts Language And Literacy Skills, Angie Thurman

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this review is to examine the importance of parent-child interaction in children ages birth through five-years old. The review focuses on how these interactions impact literacy and language skills in young children. Parent interventions and strategies to help children grow in the areas of literacy and language are also highlighted. The conclusion of this review includes recommendations for parents and teachers as well as suggestions for future research.

Foundation For Analysis Of Early Childhood Intervention For Hearing Loss: Birth To Three, Katherine E. Fike

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this study is to create a foundation for the analysis of early intervention programs for children ages birth to three, with hearing loss. By providing a guide into intervention currently available in the state of Ohio following the public law requirements, parents of children with hearing loss will be better informed and more capable of providing tools to help their children excel. This paper will simplify the language of Ohio public laws regarding services for hearing impaired individuals, explain the benefits of early intervention, and present information on how to locate resources in each county. The paper …

The Socioeconomic Effect Of The Third Grade Reading Guarantee, Savannah R. Shoaff

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In the state of Ohio, the Ohio Department of Education issues a requirement to all third grade classrooms in the state that they must administer a reading diagnostic to every third grade student; they have entitled this movement as the “Third Grade Reading Guarantee”. This style of testing requires every third grader in the state of Ohio to achieve a “Promotion Score” in order to then progress to their next grade the following year. If students fail to pass their reading diagnostic, they are not considered nor labeled “On Track”, and, thus, cannot move on to the fourth grade. This …

Vocabulary Matters : Why Vocabulary Instruction Is Important And How To Implement Quality Instruction In Preschool, Melanie Blocker

Graduate Research Papers

This review examined why vocabulary instruction is important in preschool, and ways that a teacher can implement quality vocabulary instruction into the classroom. The review describes why vocabulary instruction is crucial in preschool, and then provides five different ways that a teacher can implement vocabulary instruction into the preschool classroom. Vocabulary instruction is valuable as it builds the foundation for later reading skills, such as comprehension. The conclusion of this literature review provides recommendations on how to implement vocabulary instruction into preschools, educational policies, and teacher practices.

Constructing A Sense Of Story: One Block At A Time, Joanne Robertson-Eletto, Smita Guha, Marina Marinelli

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

This photo essay focuses upon the literacy practices of two groups of preschoolers as they built, illustrated, and dictated stories in response to their participation in a “Castle Project.” Data, including literacy artifacts, photodocumentation, sociodramatic play scenarios, and conversations are qualitatively analyzed, coded, and evaluated over a three month period. We use a narrative approach to describe the three- and four-year-olds’ talk, actions, and ideas, and the ways block play facilitated their sense of story and motivation to write. We suggest a reciprocity of thinking between the building and composing processes. Preschoolers’ story ideas, we deduce, were conceptualized and rehearsed …

Classroom Readiness For Successful Inclusion: Teacher Factors And Preschool Children’S Experience With And Attitudes Toward Peers With Disabilities, Kyong-Ah Kwon, Soo-Young Hong, Hyun-Joo Jeon

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The current study examined (1) associations among teachers’ experiences regarding children with disabilities (i.e., education, specialized training, years of work experience), their attitudes toward disabilities, and their classroom practices in relation to inclusion and (2) associations among children’s attitudes toward peers with disabilities and child and teacher factors. Ninety-one 4- and 5-year-old children participated in an interview, and their teachers completed a survey. Teachers’ specialized training and bachelor’s degree in early childhood education (ECE) were positively associated with their inclusive practices in the classroom; teachers’ bachelor’s degree in ECE and experiences working with children with disabilities were positively associated with …

“I Have A Hippopotamus!”: Preparing Effective Early Childhood Environmental Educators, Julia C. Torquati, Jennifer Leeper Miller, Erin Hamel, Soo-Young Hong, Susan Sarver, Michelle Rupiper

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

This article describes an early childhood teacher-preparation program that infuses environmental education and nature experiences into courses, practicum, and student-teaching experiences. Program philosophy, pedagogy, materials, and methods are described and linked to the Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence, the Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators, and state-level early learning guidelines that focus on connecting young children with nature. Preservice teachers build knowledge, skills, and dispositions for effective environmental education beginning from an awareness level and progressing to application and refinement. The value of nature is communicated explicitly and implicitly throughout the program. Preliminary …

Multiple Perspectives On Cognitive Development: Radical Constructivism, Cognitive Constructivism, Sociocultural Theory, And Critical Theory, Meir Muller, Kelley E. Buchheister, Gloria Boutte

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

This multi-vocal article represents the work of three teacher educators. In conjunction with Glasersfeld’s (1996) description of Radical Constructivism, we agree that any theory “cannot claim to be anything but one approach to the age-old problem of knowing. Only its application in contexts where a theory of knowing makes a difference can show whether or not it can be considered a viable approach.” (von Glasersfeld, 1996, p. 309). In this conceptual piece, we examined the relationship between Radical Constructivism and three distinct, yet sometimes overlapping, theories: 1) Cognitive Constructivism 2) Sociocultural Theory; and 3) Critical Theory. First, we discuss the …

Predictors Of Bullying Role Behavior In Preschool, Kristen Kocher

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Examination Into The Instruction Of The Alphabet During Preschool Years, Amanda Titus

Masters Theses

Instruction of the letters of the alphabet is a controversial topic among early childhood educators. Not only is it debated whether letter instruction is developmentally appropriate but there is then the discussion concerning how the letters are best taught once a program deems it is developmentally appropriate. In this study, 87 children were assessed at two separate times during the school year to determine a method of instruction that proved most effective. The study took place over three consecutive school years. The first year, 27 students were exposed to alphabetic instruction through a combination of music and mnemonic device assisted …

Infants, Toddlers And Mobile Technology: Examining Parental Choices And The Impact Of Early Technology Introduction On Cognitive And Motor Development, Karin Archer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Despite recommendations of no screen time for children under the age of 2, parents are introducing mobile technology to their children at very young ages (Rideout, 2013). While research on television use has found negative impacts in all areas of development (Barr, Lauricella, Zack & Clavert, 2010), research has yet to investigate the impact of mobile technology use with very young children. The current set of 3 studies included interviews, a survey, and direct observations of parents using mobile technology with children 1 to 2 years of age. The main finding across all studies was that parents introduce mobile technology …

Early Childhood Development And The Law, Clare Huntington

Faculty Scholarship

Early childhood development is a robust and vibrant focus of study in multiple disciplines, from economics and education to psychology and neuroscience. Abundant research from these disciplines has established that early childhood is critical for the development of cognitive abilities, language, and psychosocial skills, all of which turn, in large measure, on the parent-child relationship. And because early childhood relationships and experiences have a deep and lasting impact on a child’s life trajectory, disadvantages during early childhood replicate inequality. Working together, scholars in these disciplines are actively engaged in a national policy debate about reducing inequality through early childhood interventions. …