Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Unarthodox: An Investigation Of How Children Articulate Their Sense Of Self Through Art, Brandon Gilbert

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Art play in the field of early childhood education has been a subject, which is usually excluded from most early childhood curricula, because of a focus on common core subjects, such as literacy, math, and science. Any inclusion of art has been minimal and has not identified benefits concerning a child’s sense of self and self-identity. By reviewing the relevant literature, this paper argues for the value of art and art play in early childhood education and explores its implementation in an early childhood classroom. Using a qualitative methodology, this dissertation details a case study of three preschool children, using …

Nebline, June 2019

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Understanding How Climate Change Affects Nebraska and Agriculture

Are You Drinking or Eating Enough Dairy Foods for the Health Benefits?

Recipe of the Month

Floods and Trees: Helping Trees Recover

Pretty Things That Pollinate

Perennial Plants for Pollinators

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

Pollinator Week: June 17–23

Upcoming Early Childhood Trainings

Nebraska Early Development Network

HEART OF 4-H Volunteer: Glenda Willnerd

JUNE 15 DEADLINE: 4-H Member Online Enrollment; Youth for the Quality Care of Animals Requirements for ANY Livestock Exhibitor; 4-H Projects Updated; Volunteer Online Enrollment; 4-H/FFA Animal IDs

4-H Sewing Help

4-H Clover Kids Animal Showmanship Change …

Journeyman International: Peace Academy Of The Sciences And The Arts, Alyssa L. Mathias

Construction Management

For years, K-12 education has been taught through separate, individual subjects such as Math, English, Art, and Science. Primary education has remained stagnant while our society is constantly evolving with technological advances and innovation. The Peace Academy of the Sciences and Arts in San Luis Obispo, California are a group of visionaries and educators challenging traditional learning styles. They are striving to offer an education that focuses on holistic learning and integrating all subjects into big ideas to create competent, compassionate leaders for the future. My senior project is a collaboration between Journeyman International, the Peace Academy, a student in …

Latino Parent School Involvement: Do Parents Read And Respond To Teacher Invitations?, Celia Marquez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Latinos are the second largest ethnic group after Whites in the education system, yet there is still a large gap between Whites’ and Latino’s graduation rates. Research indicates that parental involvement in children’s education plays a significant role in children’s academic success. For this reason, this study aims to understand Latino parents’ perspectives on their participation in their child’s school. More specifically, how often Latino parents receive invitations from the school and whether or not they respond to these invitations. The research design for this study is exploratory and qualitative and uses one-on-one interviews with Latino parents. The central themes …

Child Welfare: Trauma Informed Practice At Time Of Child Removal, Ester Garcia

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As of 2018, approximately 442,995 children are in the foster care system in the United States according to the federal statistics from the Children’s Bureau. Entry into the foster system involves the removal of children from their home, making it a traumatic experience. The purpose of this study was to examine social workers’ perceptions of what trauma informed practice means and what it looks like in child welfare removals. The study also clarifies what trauma informed practice (TIP) is and how it can be applied in child welfare’s organizational structure. This was a qualitative study in which child welfare social …

Impact Of Professional Development On Accessible Early Literacy Content For Preschool Children With Disabilities In Public Library Storytime, Melissa Pebly

Dissertations and Theses

Library storytime programs provide opportunities for preschool children to develop readiness skills in early literacy that are linked in research to later success in learning to read and write. Children with disabilities that do not demonstrate school readiness skills upon entry to kindergarten are often placed in self-contained special education settings where opportunities to learn to read and write are diminished. English Language Learners (ELL) who have disabilities face additional challenges in benefiting from the models of language that are optimal for learning literacy when placed in self-contained settings. Despite the critical role that storytime programs play in equalizing the …

The Correlation Between Close Reading As An Instructional Strategy With Reading Comprehension In Elementary Schools, Daniel Angulo

Education | Master's Theses

The purpose of this quantitative study was to analyze the effects of close reading instruction on students’ reading comprehension. Close reading is an instructional strategy that allows students to dig deep into the reading and gain a profound understanding of the vocabulary, writing structure and author’s message. The study consisted of a total of twenty-one 6th grade students who received close reading as an experimental treatment. The treatment included several components of close reading: essential questions, graphic organizers to compare short non-fiction stories, written analysis of author’s point of view/theme and weekly tests. The treatment focused on having students reread, …

Fragile Strength: Math Self-Efficacy Of High Achieving Girls, Tristan Tang

Education | Master's Theses

Math gender gap research shows girls’ math self-efficacy to be correlated with their interest in pursuing higher levels of math education and STEM career opportunities. Most math gender gap studies have used only quantitative approaches, thereby missing the opportunity to gain deeper perspectives directly from girls who are steadfastly facing the math gender gap. This study centered around two small focus groups of girls attending a unique secondary school where every afternoon is fully dedicated to deep engagement with higher-level mathematics. Additionally, parents of girls at the school were surveyed to provide further insight into possible sources of their daughter’s …

Proceedings Of The Global Conference On Education And Research: Volume 3, Waynne B. James, Cihan Cobanoglu

University of South Florida (USF) - M3 Publishing

This is the third volume of the Global Conference on Education and Research Proceedings Series.

ISSN: 2572-6374

Spring 2019

Action in Education

Dean's Corner: Together We Grow; New Degrees Expand Career Options; DePaul Is a Game Changer: For the Second Year in a Row, a COE Graduate is Named National Counselor of the Year; Opportunity Knocks: Revised Credential, New Lab Benefit Alumni; Sister Act: Catholic Initiatives; Weaving Civics into Every Discipline; In Brief; Alumnus Profile: Marcus Campbell; Student Profile: Juliana Minasian

Dmt And “The Man Box:” Provoking Change And Encouraging Authentic Living, An Arts-Based Project, Steven Reynolds

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explores the mind-body experience through an arts-based research approach to examine, and redefine the emotional capacity and usefulness of males through societal determinants that limits and hinders men from living their authentic selves. Through the lens of a metaphoric “Man Box” 112 men participated in a workshop recreating their personal narratives of socialization through, style of dress, coping mechanisms, belief systems and who they should be as men through society's standards. In the “Man Box,” male bonding, and emotional feelings are discouraged, while the objectification of women, material property and physical/emotional strength are encouraged. This research investigates the …

Art Therapy And Art Education: A Conversation - A Critical Review Of The Literature, Shannon Rogers

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Art therapists and art educators are continuing to define the boundaries of their professions while finding opportunities for collaboration. While there are limited studies focusing on art therapy with students, the existing research suggests that the interventions that have been done are associated with an increase of self-esteem, ability to communicate thoughts and feelings, and healthy self-expression for students. The topic question investigated in this paper is what are the emotional benefits of implementing art therapy for elementary students within art education? This literature review will explore what few have focused on, the overlap between art therapy and art education. …

The Effects Of Oklahoma's Universal Preschool Policy On Long-Term Educational Outcomes For Students, Betsy Morgan, Madison Stoecker

Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses

As states have increased their commitment to early childhood education over the past two decades, a debate on the efficacy of state-sponsored universal preschool has divided policymakers, administrators, and taxpayers. Some critics of these programs argue that universal preschool has a diminishing impact which does not justify the up-front cost, while supporters argue that there are long-term positive effects of high quality, universal early childhood education which outweigh the cost. In this paper, we examine the effect, if any, that the existence of a state-funded universally available preschool program has had on county-level average ACT scores in a before-and-after multivariable …

Teacher Perceptions Of Parental Incarceration And Its Influence On Children's Academic Success, Amber L. Hooper

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

A child’s educational fulfillment is often supported by the stability of parents being present in a child’s life. Children’s academic learning can be reinforced by parents taking an active role in promoting their child’s education. When a parent is incarcerated, the child can be left without a support person for their academic success. This may lead to behavior problems in school and the increased chance at academic failure and grade retention. The separation of a parent in a child’s early education years may have effects that last into adulthood and set the stage for intergenerational incarceration. This study examined teachers’ …

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, …

Preschool As A Wellspring For Democracy: Endorsing Traits Of Reasonableness In Early Childhood Education, Joy D. Erickson, Winston C. Thompson

Democracy & Education

Traits of reasonableness are necessary characteristics of successfully engaged citizens within pluralistic liberal democratic societies. Given the evident unlikelihood of the spontaneous development of these critical characteristics, pedagogical effort ought to be exerted towards ensuring that this goal is realized. In what follows, we argue that preschool presents a unique and compelling opportunity for supporting this worthy pedagogical aim, such that, despite purported prohibitions entailed within arguments for the political neutrality of curricula, it ought to be promoted within this area. In the service of illustrating this point, we provide four examples of promising beginnings for this work.

Teaching Growth Mindset To Second Grade Students, Whitney Hahn

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Growth mindset is a buzz word in the field of education. The purpose of this study was to observe and understand what would happen when students were presented with growth mindset lessons in the classroom. Additionally, the researcher wanted to know how students perceived using a growth mindset. This study took place in a gifted and talented classroom, composed of a unique grouping of students: those identified as gifted, high-achieving students, and typical students. Responses from each grouping were included. Data was collected through student artifacts, student surveys, student and teacher interviews, observations, and journaling. Three major themes emerged from …

Utilizing Classroom Meetings To Understand Student Values And Perceptions, Stacy Spink

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study addressed classroom meetings in order to teach social skills and address specific behavior issues. The author was completing a yearlong clinical teaching placement in a kindergarten classroom. The goal of her study was to observe what happens when class meetings are implemented to teach specific problem-areas in the classroom. In the study data was gathered through observations, student surveys, sociograms, and student interviews. The students participated in a class meeting twice a week for about thirty minutes. During the class meetings needed social skills were taught through play and role-playing activities and discussions were had to cooperatively solve …

Whole Brain Teaching In A Second Grade Classroom, Shelby Bridges

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study addresses the topic of whole brain teaching (WBT). The researcher sought to understand if WBT changed student achievement or student attitudes about math. The researcher also sought to understand students’ perceptions of WBT. The main purpose of this study was for the author to understand if WBT would help students better engage in and understand mathematics. The author collected data through student surveys, teacher and student interviews, personal research journals, and math assessment scores. The researcher used the constant comparative method to analyze the participants’ perceptions of WBT during mathematics instruction. Descriptive statistics were used to understand if …

House System: Increasing Community, Motivation, And Student Ownership, Bridget Glass

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study looked at the house system in an elementary setting to discover the students’, teachers’, and administrators’ perceptions of how it influences motivation and the community of the school. The researcher’s purpose was to understand if the participants felt that the elements of the house system motivated students to make positive choices and to see if the participants believed the house system influenced the community across campus. The data was collected through a student survey, observations, interviews with students, teacher, and the principal. The data was analyzed through the constant comparative method. The participants perceived that the house system …

Teaching Gender In Early Childhood Education: A Non-Binary Approach, Sarah Hodson

Honors Projects

The focus of this document is to provide professionals in the field of education an overview of gender development in early childhood education and how to teach students about gender in early childhood settings. The current research on gender development supports the notion that gender is socially constructed from birth, but not directly linked to biological sex. Next, a list of high-quality children’s literature is included; the literature addresses concepts surrounding gender development, identity, and expression in developmentally-appropriate ways. Lastly, several of the children’s books are utilized in sample lesson plans and materials for educators to use as they teach …

Early Childhood Special Education Professional Development Workshop, Amanda Sandstrom

Honors Projects

The initial steps to creating the proposed event, a professional development workshop for Inclusive Early Childhood (IEC) Education majors, included determining the needs of current students. To achieve this, an online survey was sent out to all current undergraduate IEC students. The aim of this survey was to determine in which areas current students would like further instruction or training. The survey focused on three areas significant areas of education: teaching students with disabilities and disorders, communicating with colleagues, mentors, and paraprofessionals, and integrating specialist therapy strategies into the classroom environment.

This data, once collected and analyzed, identified two target …

Assessment Of Children As Confident And Involved Learners In Early Childhood Education And Care: Literature Review, Dan Cloney, Jen Jackson, Pru Mitchell

Early Childhood Education

This literature review is one of a series of reviews to support Victorian early childhood professionals to assess children’s learning and development in relation to the five Learning and Development Outcomes in the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF). This literature review documents the research that underpins and defines learning for children from birth to eight years, and outlines children’s trajectory as confident and involved learners. The resource aims to equip early childhood professionals with the knowledge to identify and assess children’s progress towards the VEYLDF Outcome: 'Children are confident and involved learners'.

A Reason To Read: Discovering A Purpose For Books Through Play, Sara Russell Dewey

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Children need desire and motivation to learn. This study examines the responsive, child- centered teaching practices of a reading and literacy specialist as she helps a student, with low motivation for reading, find a reason to want to read. Although her student is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and aspects of autism come up in this study, the focus here is not on teaching children with autism. Since no two children with a diagnosis present similarly, teaching to a diagnosis is not individualized or sensitive enough to meet the educational and emotional needs of a student. Instead, teachers must …

The Effects Of Universal Pre-Kindergarten On School Readiness, Megan Royek

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Universal Pre-Kindergarten (Universal Pre-K) refers to government-funded preschool programs by the state (Rock, 2018). Universal Pre-kindergarten is an initiative to enhance children’s cognitive development and learning before entering kindergarten (Atchison, Parker & Diffey, 2017). Universal Pre-Kindergarten is a controversial topic due to the cost of sending students, which requires funding from the government (Rock, 2018). By conducting research through a literature review, I hope to discover the pros and cons of the effects of universal Pre-K on children’s educational trajectories as well as their cognitive development and social/emotional skills. Through research I hope to come to a concrete conclusion supported …

Integrating The Fine Arts, Cole Alexander

Honors Projects

This project seeks to understand and apply research to a lesson plan unit regarding the integration of the fine arts (art and music) into the general education classroom.

Imagine: A Picture Book About Imaginary Play In New York City, Natasha Peña

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper describes the process of researching, creating, sharing, and reflecting on a picture book that features two New York City siblings engaging in imaginary play at the playground.

Advances In Global Education And Research: Volume 3, Waynne B. James, Cihan Cobanoglu

University of South Florida (USF) - M3 Publishing

This is the third volume of the Advances in Global Education and Research Book Series. This volume has the following parts:

• Part 1: Adult Education
• Part 2: Curriculum and Instruction Development
• Part 3: Education in Other Specialties
• Part 4: Educational Technology
• Part 5: Global Competence
• Part 6: Higher Education and Educational Leadership
• Part 7: Human Resource Development
• Part 8: Inclusive Education
• Part 9: International Education
• Part 10: Pre K-12
• Part 11: Research Methods in Education

ISBN: 978-1-7321275-4-8

Addressing Early Childhood Bullying By Supporting Social-Emotional Skills With Mindfulness, Briana Duperval

Mindfulness Studies Theses

This paper explores articles on early childhood bullying, the effects it can have on a child’s well-being and possible interventions. Supporting the social-emotional development of young children is offered as a solution to the issue of early childhood bullying by helping children to develop better self-regulation, as well as compassion and kindness. The research states some of the current data on the positive effects of using mindfulness to support social-emotional development of young children. The mindfulness interventions mentioned include, Early Heart Smart Program (EHS), mindfulness-based yoga, mindfulness-based kindness curriculum (KC), social emotional learning (SEL) and mindfulness-based interventions (MBI). The studies …

Development Of A School Boredom Proneness Scale For Children, Taylor Carrington

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

One common phrase heard from students is, “I’m bored.” However, there is no real understanding of what this actually means. In this study, elementary-age students were asked to respond to a newly developed School Boredom Proneness Scale (SBPS) including questions relating to a five-factor model of boredom. Students were also asked to rate how often they become bored at school and how bored they seem compared to classmates. In addition to student responses, parents and teachers were asked to rate how bored they thought the student was, and teachers were additionally asked to rate students’ level of work completion. The …