Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Refugee Parent's Perspectives On Preschool Enrollment After Migration And Resettlement., Kathy Stovall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, researchers have documented the behaviors of refugee parents and their challenges as it relates to their children in preschool programs. However, there is a gap in the literature for understanding the refugee parental perception of preschool after resettlement, and what motivates or detracts from preschool enrollment. This research study was conducted to understand the phenomenon of preschool enrollment by refugee parents. The phenomenography research methodology was chosen for this study because it explores how a group collectively perceives a phenomenon. In this study, the research addresses how refugee parents perceive enrollment in public preschool programs. The data …

Improving Kindergarten Transition Practices For Students With Special Needs, Julia "Sandy" Flacke

All Theses And Dissertations

The transition to kindergarten is a magical milestone for children and families. For students identified with special needs, there are additional worries and celebrations to share with the transition team. The research site included in this study comprises pre-K programs that operated through a cooperative agreement between a Maine school district and Head Start. In the State of Maine, preschool students who are identified with a disability are provided services and programming through a Maine Department of Education (MDOE) agency: Child Development Services (CDS). For public pre-K programs in Maine, this created a unique situation. While the pre-K programs are …

Seeing The World Differently. An Exploration Of A Professional Development Model Bridging Science And Lay Cultures, Michael D. Garrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the rationale, efficacy, and social validity of a professional development model designed to move elementary school science activities closer to the practices of working scientists as required by the United States’ “Next Generation Science Standards.” The model is culturally sensitive and aims to create experiences with high subjective task value. The formal theory of change uses scaffolding, Piagetian agency, and Vygotskian learning opportunities to argue that culturally familiar representational tasks in culturally natural intersubjective contexts can lead to work prototypical of scientific modeling under particular facilitation conditions: when participants (a) are allowed free use of their cognitive …

Characteristics Of High Quality Teachers: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Kelli Barnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative investigation was conducted to explore the characteristics of high quality teachers. This study used a phenomenological methodology, enabling the researcher to gather information from a purposeful selection of people directly identified as high quality teachers by their principals. This study employed processes of data collection commonly used in observational analysis and included the use of interviews found in qualitative design.

The researcher was able to extract meaning using the coding process and the constant comparative method. Information was sorted into themes that supported and aligned with the research questions leading to a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. This …

The Effects Of Felt Piece Manipulative Integration On Preschoolers’ Abilities To Retell Stories, Megan Alexander

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to determine the effect of felt piece manipulative integration on preschoolers’ abilities to retell stories. A preschool class was taught retelling skills and story grammar elements. The class was exposed to a fairy tale five times and then each student was assessed on retelling abilities and the number of story grammar elements recalled without the integration of manipulatives. The class was then exposed five times to another fairy tale by the same author and was assessed on the same skills while having access to felt piece manipulatives that represented the story grammar …

The Effects Of The Implementation Of Peer-Mediated Strategies On Student Social-Emotional Growth In Fully Inclusive Preschools, Holland Eggert

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research project was conducted to explore the effects of peer-mediation on social-emotional development and self-regulation in students aged three to five. Throughout the process, the teacher received professional coaching from a LEAP coach from the University of Denver as well as coaching from AEA staff members with background in autism and early intervention. Peer mediated strategies were introduced initially in October of 2018; during the research, the teacher focused solely on one strategy. Prior to the research, two strategies had been implemented and coached to fidelity. Quantitative data was collected from tracking and monitoring logs and researcher behavior …

Elements At Play: Influences Of Gender On Play In Single-Sex Settings, Elizabeth "Lily" Geiger

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This thesis will examine the ways that gender impacts dramatic play in early childhood classrooms by analyzing experiences in two single-sex school environments. The paper will review past and present literature as it pertains to the general topics of play and gender and pose insights about the role that both play in single-sex classrooms. It will also take into consideration the various gendered elements of our world and the impact of our social environments. The aim of the paper is not to propose next steps for gender education, but to examine current work through descriptions and observations in two classroom …

Edifying The Spirit Of Love And Liberation In The Education Of Young Children: Lessons From Critical Pedagogy And Reggio Emilia Inspired Educators, Seyedeh Zahra Agha Seyed Yousef

LMU Theses and Dissertations

In an age of adultism in which children have been perceived as mere drains on society, schooling often has been viewed as a means to an end. Due to the fact that a capitalistic society requires future workers, children have been socialized in the necessary skills and knowledge required to fulfill their future job requirements. Consequently, schooling often has taken place in the form of the banking model in which students are treated as empty vessels to be filled up by the knowledgeable teachers, and then to regurgitate said knowledge on assessments to prove their understanding. I challenge this antiquated …

Examining Relationships Between The Wakids Gold Social-Emotional And Cognitive Subtests Of Executive Function And Kindergarten Reading Readiness, Amy J. Wright

Education Dissertations

Executive function skills, which are defined as a person’s ability to regulate behaviors such as attention, working memory, and inhibitory control, play a role in a child’s successful transition from preschool to kindergarten. The purpose of this study was to review and analyze the relationship between executive function in early childhood, as measured by the WaKIDS GOLD^TM social-emotional and cognitive subtests, and early reading readiness. The research design was both correlational and predictive (Gall, Gall, & Borg, 2006). The target population is kindergarteners in a suburban Washington State school district. The study is based on data collected at the …

High-Needs Schools: Preparing Teachers For Today's World

Occasional Paper Series

In the second decade of the 21st century, some schools are in trouble and some schools are not. The subject of this Occasional Paper is the preparation of teachers for schools that--lacking sufficient resources, effective leadership, or vocal advocates--are failing to educate their students by any reasonable measures. The teachers and teacher educator contributors to this volume offer a more variegated set of responses grounded in a diversity of local experiences. Their approaches to researching and understanding the immediacy of becoming a teacher are based on decades of working in hard-pressed urban schools and the institutions that supply them with …

Yoga In My Public-School Classroom, Hannah Sumich

Honors Projects

This paper discusses the pre-established research on implementing a yoga program in an urban, public classroom setting. Then, results of a yoga practice in the urban, public classroom are presented and discussed. Yoga in this urban, public school classroom, had mixed responses, with some students flourishing and enjoying the practice whole-heartedly, and some students were pained and disliked the practice strongly. The majority of participants enjoyed the practice, and would opt to continue participating if the program continued.

Exploring Learning Differences: A Social Emotional Curriculum For Second Grade, Sophie Paci

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Exploring Learning Differences is a four-week social emotional learning curriculum designed for second grade students by Sophie Paci. The purpose of the curriculum is to encourage students to reflect on themselves as learners and to promote awareness about different learning needs in a community. Students explore this theme through class discussions, interactive read-alouds, group activities, art projects, and independent writing. As a literature-based curriculum, each lesson utilizes a children’s book to engage students in dialogue about learning differences. The literature collection features eight “core books” that are used in interactive read-alouds and ten supporting books students can read independently. The …

The Art Of Learning, Richard Rolapp

Marriott Student Review

No abstract provided.

Art & Early Childhood: Personal Narratives & Social Practices

Occasional Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Claiming The Promise Of Place-Based Education

Occasional Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Living A Philosophy Of Early Childhood Education: A Festschrift For Harriet Cuffaro

Occasional Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Motivating The Unmotivated: How Are We Supporting Struggling Readers In Upper Elementary Classrooms?, Maci V. Wood

Honors College Theses

Motivating struggling students to read is a question considered by many general education reading teachers and special education teachers alike. Since student classroom experiences today differ greatly from classrooms of the past in terms of instructional practices and learning supports, scripted materials that seldom cater to student interest have often been promoted due to the pressure of standardized assessment. With little to no student engagement present in the classroom, it is up to the student to find the will to read or to the teacher to utilize alternative strategies in increasing student motivation (Cambria & Gunthrie, 2008). However, there is …

Teacher-Parent Relationship Building, Alana R. Bray

Honors College Theses

Problems can develop when clashes with culture or daily schedules occur and when communication skills breakdown. In order to build relationships with parents/guardians, teachers must develop the necessary skills to overcome those possible challenges. Teacher education programs should design more successful models to prepare future teachers for relationship building.

Creative He(Arts) Club, Lizbeth D. Chavez, Karen Martinez

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

The goal of the club is for students to explore different areas in the visual arts–including drawing, painting, printmaking, and pottery– and gain knowledge about a variety of materials and skills. By the end of club, students will have expanded their knowledge in art history and have learned about the components, elements, and principles of art. At the same time, the projects planned will allow students to apply what they learn to their own creativity and ideas.

Adventure Book Club: Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Rose Wehrman

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

An afterschool book club, through these lesson plans, is exploring Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The integration of hands-on activities serves to help students connect to the story, think critically, and build interdisciplinary skills.

Nebline, March 2019

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Emerald ash borer in Lancaster County: What to do now

Eat more dark-green veggies for St. Patrick’s Day and beyond

Recipe of the Month

Ag Estate Planning Workshop, March 5

Farmland Rent Meeting, March 14

Dicamba training, March 12

Early spring pest control for evergreen trees

Dropping like flies

Spring bird behaviors can be fascinating

2019 vegetable All-America Selections winners

Garden Guide Things to Do This Month

Addressing implicit bias

Upcoming early childhood trainings

Lincoln Early Childhood Conference

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Lois Muhlbach

4-H Achievement Celebration

Pick-A-Pig club first meeting, March 17

Rabbit Show, April 27

4-H camps …

Child’S Play: A Service Learning Project Conducted At Roroš, Nové Mešto Pod Smrkem, Sanaya Attari

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For my Independent Study Project, I designed a board game for young children inspired by the service learning activities held at ROROŠ. ROROŠ is a private organization located in the town of Nové Mešto pod Smrkem, offering different activities for children which provide a meaningful use of their leisure time. For a period of three weeks, I lived in Nové Mešto with Yveta Svobodová, one of the head directors of the organization. During my stay, I partook in several activities each week and used my experiences to generate new ideas when designing the final game. The game was completed by …

Hegemonic Masculinities And Children’S Picture Books, Nathan N. Taylor

Journal of Research Initiatives

This study focused on the role of hegemonic masculinities in children’s picture books. Chiefly, marginalized and subordinated masculinities are highlighted to investigate their relationships with dominant and complicit masculinities. This was done under a feminist reading of patriarchy and the connection between patriarchy and masculinities. Utilizing a critical discourse analysis framework, the author problematizes the personal transformation of the protagonists in three children’s picture books. The personal transformation attends to the masculine subject on an individual level, but fails to address how hegemonic masculinities and patriarchy operate at a discursive and corporeal level. Suggestions are made from the findings on …

Nebline, April 2019

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Two Extension Programs Help Grow Lincoln’s Healthy Environment

Double Up Food Bucks

Choose Healthy Here

Focus on Moving More in April

Recipe of the Month

Field Conditions and Planting

Beneficial Fungi and Tree Health

Response to Bed Bugs: Panic vs. Reasonable Actions

Cleaning Up After Rodents

2019 Perennial Plant of the Year

Garden Guide Things to Do This Month

Laugh Out Loud — Developing Humor in Children

Upcoming Early Childhood Trainings

HEART OF 4-H-Megan Starner

Kiwanis Karnival, April 12

Horse Bits

Teen Council 4-H’ers Are True Leaders at 4-H Lock-In

New in 4-H at Super Fair

Youth for the Quality …

We’Re All Wonders, Katelyn Ryan

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

Rescue & Jessica, Katelyn Ryan

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

Sarah’S Sleepover, Katelyn Ryan

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

Acceptance Of Other Differences And Unity (Susan Laughs): Lesson Plan, Katelyn Ryan

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

The Pirate Of Kindergarten, Katelyn Ryan

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Early Childhood Educators' Perseverance Experience, Alison Lee Mellott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences which motivated early childhood educators to persevere in their positions at the same early childhood education center, for five or more years, in south-central Pennsylvania. For the purpose of this research, perseverance was generally defined as continuous teaching at the same site for five or more years. The theory guiding this study was Herzberg’s (1968) motivation hygiene theory as it addressed experiences which impacted job satisfaction and dissatisfaction, directly impacting perseverance. One central research question and two supporting research questions were used to guide the study. The central …