Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Early Care And Education Testimonios At The Borderlands, Jennifer Torres Siders

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Latinas represent a large proportion of the United States early care and education workforce, and thus have the potential to wield significant influence over the growth and development of millions of American children. However, the voices of Latina early childhood professionals often are missing in both research and mass media. Instead, social, political, and academic frames cast Latinas as foreign regardless of nationality, uneducated notwithstanding expertise, and passive despite action and influence. This testimonio analysis draws on Chicana feminist epistemology to re-center the perspectives of Latina child care providers and reveal more authentic insights on how they understand and perform …

The Dirt Of Development: Nature's Role In Social-Emotional Development And Parent-Child Connectedness, Hayley Johanna Lindsey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between nature connectedness, parent-child connectedness, and the development of prosocial behavior. Nature connectedness pertains to the strong emotional affinity towards the natural environment and is linked with happiness, stress reduction, and good health. Prosocial behavior refers to actions or behaviors done with the intent to help others. This study consisted of 467 parent-informants that gathered information on the parent’s nature connectedness, the child’s nature connectedness, the parent-child connectedness, and the child prosocial behavior. Gaps in the literature were addressed by analyzing the role that parent nature connectedness has in predicting child …

Cyberbullying In Education: A Literature Review, Harvey Kenworthy

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project will analyze different pieces of literature on the topic of Cyberbullying and how it affects education. The project will outline the differences between traditional bullying and cyberbullying. The various psychological, social, and academic outcomes of cyberbullying. Some of the current intervention strategies used in schools to combat cyberbullying. This project will also include interviews from administrators and educators from Summit County Schools about anti-cyberbullying programs that are implemented in their schools and analyze whether or not these programs are consistent with what the literature suggests.

Sliding Into An Equitable Lesson, Kelley E. Buchheister 6872059, Christa Jackson, Cynthia E. Taylor

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

A kindergarten teacher uses Gutierrez's four dimensions of equity to design and facilitate geometry instruction.

Equitable instruction is reflected in how students are positioned in the classroom and how their identities evolve through purposeful interactions that value and recognize the intellectual capacity of each student (Gutiérrez 2013; Lemons-Smith 2008). These integral interactions occur when teachers and students exchange problem-solving strategies, discuss relations among various mathematical representations, and listen to the viewpoints of others (NCTM 2000; 2014).

The Impact Of Prior Settings In Early Childhood On Kindergarten Readiness, April Trent

Online Theses and Dissertations

Learning begins at birth, and 90% of the brain is developed by the age of five. This is one reason why it is critical that children spend time in a quality early childhood prior setting that provides continuous opportunities for optimal cognitive and social development. For this study, the researcher examined Brigance Screener scores for all children in Scott County, Kentucky that would enter kindergarten in 2018. From that screener, prior early childhood settings information was gathered. The data in this study discovered that children who attended public preschool were more ready for kindergarten than children who did not attend …

The Assessment And Evaluation Process In Third Grade, Cassandra Amato

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For my honors research project, I will be focusing on the process of Early Childhood Education assessment and evaluation. To so, I will conduct a series of literacy-based assessments to 3^rdgrade students at Woodridge Elementary School. In a group of three to four students, I will assess various literacy skills such as fluency, comprehension, word recognition, sight words, letter recognition, phonics, vocabulary, and affective surveys. I will present each student with the varying assessments, recording anecdotal notes as they complete the assessments. Will gather the data found in each assessment and use it to find each student’s instructional …

Computer-Assisted Instruction Compared To Traditional Instruction On Letter Recognition For Preschoolers With Special Needs, Jamie Nicole Harvey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The need to reach learners with disabilities in inclusive early childhood classrooms has grown with increasing legislative mandates. An essential area of focus is in early literacy and alphabet letter recognition. One such way to bridge the gap includes computer assisted instruction as an instructional method. A concurrent treatment single case design was used to compare the rate of letter acquisition in young children with disabilities (n=6) between computer assisted instruction program, Teach Town Basics™, and traditional teaching of concepts in early childhood inclusive classrooms. Participants received each treatment in random order and data were graphed daily on …

The Relative Importance Of Six Classes Of School-Readiness Variables With Academic Achievement In Elementary- School Students: A Growth Analysis Of The Ecls-K:2011, Kimberly Kalkbrenner

Doctoral Dissertations

School readiness is a multi-variable construct that includes six classes of variables: (a) cognitive knowledge and skills, (b) social and emotional skills, (c) physical skills and health, (d) family structure and home environment, (e) access to community resources, and (e) early school experiences. The problem with school readiness is that the six classes have been studied separately but never together, which raises the question, what variables make children the most ready to succeed academically in school? Answering this question may help to address the achievement gap because differences in students’ academic achievement can be linked to differences in school readiness. …

Effects Of Practice-Based Coaching Intervention On Preschool Teachers’ Responses To Black Boys’ Negative Emotion Expression, Evandra Catherine

Theses and Dissertations

Current research indicates that caregivers’ responses and behaviors to young children’s emotion expressions communicate messages that teach young children how to understand, label, recognize and modify emotions in socially desirable ways. This process is referred to as emotion socialization. This topic is timely and relevant due to the large numbers of preschoolers suspended and expelled each year. Several reports indicate that 50,000 preschoolers are suspended each year and that Black boys are the largest recipients of such actions. Black boys comprise just 19% of preschool enrollment, but 45% of male suspensions. In addition, data show that preschool teachers expect challenging …

Microadventures: Student-Empowered, Trauma Informed Outdoor Learning Projects, Jennifer Lyn Flaumenhaft

Honors Theses

This project began with colored Post-It notes and a classroom of Colby College students with a mission to promote student voice in an under-resourced rural elementary school. Lyn Mikel Brown’s Youth-Fueled Activism class paired with Transforming Rural Experience in Education (TREE), an organization that transforms rural communities into hubs for opportunity and civic empowerment.1 TREE uses trauma-informed principles to improve the school experience for students at Seabrook and Portside Elementary Schools. Our class worked with TREE to engage in curricular reform that reimagines learning in a way that promotes student voice. Our class took Maine Common Core State Standards and …

Developing Children’S Physical Literacy: How Well Prepared Are Prospective Teachers?, Judith Dinham, Paul Williams

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

While the known health impacts of sedentary lifestyles have focused attention on children’s outdoor activity, the development of their physical literacy – the physiological, social, cultural, cognitive, expressive, and psychological dimensions of their physicality – is much less in focus.

Developing children’s physical literacy is embedded in the Early Years Learning Framework and Primary curriculum: Health and Physical Education, and the performing arts subjects within The Arts. This study asks “How well prepared are pre-service teachers to implement a program that contributes to developing children’s physical literacy?”

This mixed methods study includes an environmental scan of BEd courses at 12 …

From Pink Floyd To Pink Hill: Transforming Education From The Bricks In The Wall To The Connections Of Country In Remote Aboriginal Education., Elizabeth M. Jackson-Barrett, Libby Lee-Hammond

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this paper, we present findings from an eighteen-month research project conducted in a remote community school in Western Australia. The data from this project includes documentation pertaining to the practices of educators engaging with Aboriginal Elders and children on Country. The aim of the project was to document the transformative potential of learning on Country for young Aboriginal children (4-8 years). We discuss our findings in the context of Pink Floyd’s metaphor of formal education being built and maintained as a Wall in which children are ‘just another brick’. We argue that education is an institution that produces and …

“That’S What You Want To Do As A Teacher, Make A Difference, Let The Child Be, Have High Expectations”: Stories Of Becoming, Being And Unbecoming An Early Childhood Teacher, Jessica Ciuciu, Natalie Robertson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article explores the experiences of four individuals who changed careers into early childhood teaching in Victoria, Australia and later left the profession. The study was conducted with a narrative inquiry approach and reveals insight into motivations for becoming an early childhood teacher (ECT), experiences of being an ECT and factors that lead to un-becoming an ECT. Participants were motivated by pragmatic reasons such as career advancement and family-work compatibility alongside intrinsic interest when becoming an ECT. They entered the profession eager to support children’s learning and development. However, their experiences compromised their health and wellbeing and inhibited them from …

Does Waldorf Education Offer A Well-Rounded And Integrated Experience That Prepares Students For Higher Grades And Life In General?, Jacqueline A. Stratton

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis research focuses on the study of Waldorf education and how it benefits the whole child. It begins by looking at Rudolf Steiner’s Waldorf educational program and its foundational history and then takes an in depth look at the key elements of its rich philosophy and pedagogy. The literature review focuses on the key question, ‘Does this 100 year-old teaching philosophy encourage a more well-rounded and integrated educational experience than traditional public schools?’ The review highlights four broad topics in relationship to Waldorf education. These include: Educating the Whole Child; Education for the Three Stages of Childhood; Early Childhood …

Halliday’S View Of Child Language Learning: Has It Been Misinterpreted?, Anne Thwaite

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper gives a brief summary of Halliday’s theory of how children learn to talk, illustrating the development of children’s language from the microfunctions through the macrofunctions and into the metafunctions of adult language. The paper points to a possible source of the misinterpretation of Halliday’s theory in the work of Frank Smith (1983), which appears to have “trickled down” into some of the textbooks written for pre-service teachers in Australia. Links are made to teachers’ knowledge about language (KAL) and the current Australian Curriculum English (ACE). It is suggested that while any number of functions of the language of …

Introducing An Eportfolio Into Practicum-Based Units: Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of Effective Support, Pauline Roberts, Gillian Kirk

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

ePortfolios are gaining momentum as a preferred way for graduates to demonstrate current and developing capabilities against industry standards. Effective training is essential for new graduates to produce quality and competitive ePortfolios. This research focused on the perspective of pre-service teachers on the effectiveness of learning opportunities provided to increase confidence and skills in developing an ePortfolio in an Australian four-year undergraduate degree. The initial phase of this research employed a survey to examine the perspective of 132 second-year and 105 third-year pre-service teachers. Results indicated that for the second-year cohort there was a minimal increase in the levels of …

The Impact Of Grade Level Flexible Grouping On Math Achievement Scores, Heather Mckeen

Georgia Educational Researcher

Abstract

Flexible grouping aims to divide students into groups according to their strengths and abilities. This will allow teachers to tailor instruction to meet the needs of students, allowing them to thrive within their current environments. Quantitative research was used to investigate whether flexible grouping had a positive effect on student achievement as measured by the mathematics section of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). The aggregate scores of students in grades 1 to 4 in a school in a county in Georgia were compared for periods before and after the implementation of flexible grouping. The following study was able to …

A Resource Manual For Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students On Culturally Relevant Therapy Materials, Anna Yates, Heidi M. Harbers, Ciera M. Lorio

Graduate Independent Studies - Communication Sciences and Disorders

This literature review will discuss the effects of shared book reading interventions on the language outcomes of young children from mainstream and diverse backgrounds. The first three studies will identify parent-child shared book reading interventions with children from the dominant culture. The next three studies will discuss the effects of providing shared book reading interventions to children who are bilingual. The final four studies will examine the use of culturally relevant materials in bilingual shared book reading interventions.

Is It Who Am I Or Who Do You Think I Am? Identity Development Of Adolescents With Substance Use Disorders, Danielle N. Treiber

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study was to unearth how adolescents with substance use disorders achieve the task of identity formation and the construction of self-concept in the midst of the drug culture and society that exists. It sought to uncover the social constructs designed to ignore and/or remove human complexities and allow an intersectional approach to be brought to a study on this population. Historically, there has been a failure to investigate the underlying social attitudes and behaviors that impact the very delicate and vulnerable process of finding self. Psychosocial and relational adjustment are strongly influenced by the extent to …

Storytelling Study, Samantha Irene Pepe

Honors Theses and Capstones

Expressive prosody (i.e., a manner of communication that is characterized by lively rhythm and tempo) and inexpressive prosody (i.e., monotone speech) present different environments for listening to a story during a read-aloud session. This study aims to assess whether there are visual attention differences for preschoolers in these varied prosodic environments and how this affects comprehension.

Breathe In, Breathe Out: An Exploration Of The Impacts Of Yoga On Self-Regulation And Classroom Community, Shaylyn Trenkamp

Honors Program Theses

Research on the effects of yoga and mindfulness has demonstrated increased selfregulation and impacts on community in many settings, but specific data regarding the effects of mindfulness practices in the early childhood classroom is limited. The purpose of this thesis study was to take a closer look at yoga and mindfulness in the classroom and the impact it could have on self-regulation and classroom community for young students. Yoga and mindfulness lessons were taught in two kindergarten classrooms and student responses were collected throughout the project. Classroom teachers involved were also interviewed about how mindfulness affected their students and classrooms. …

Qualitative Content Analysis Of Policy As An Expression Of Educational Theory On Special Education Preschool Placement Options, Jennifer M. Dineen

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study utilized a qualitative content analysis approach where the researcher collected policies and theories to analyze and interpret and to examine the relationship between developmental theories and Georgia preschool policies as they relate to inclusion using archived state policies found on the Georgia Department of Education and Department of Early Learning website. The theories of Vygotsky (1978), Piaget (1936), and Bronfenbrenner (1979) were examined, along with the public policies on Georgia preschool. These policies included Georgia Early Learning Development Standards, Bright from the Start operating guidelines, and Work Sampling System. The researcher found common themes and/or phrases in the …

The Field Trip Project: Using Environmental Education To Bridge Science Learning Across Formal And Informal Kindergarten Settings, Meg Gravil

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

The Field Trip Study was conducted in direct response to the emergence of scientific thinking as it relates to children’s cognitive abilities. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of nature-based, experiential activities on children’s acquisition of science knowledge. A multiple treatments and controls with pretest research design was utilized to compare science knowledge acquisition between kindergarten children in four instructional conditions: 1) nature-based field trip plus extension activities from an environmental education curriculum, and corresponding book reading and activities, 2) nature-based field trips plus extension activities from an environmental education curriculum, 3) nature-based field trips plus …

Effects Of Naturalistic Time Delay On Promoting Functional Requests Using Aac In Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Brianna Rinaldi

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

The purpose of this study was to teach preschool children with autism spectrum disorders to make requests with a speech generating device using a naturalistic time delay prompting procedure. The participants in this study were two males, enrolled in a public preschool program, between four and five years old. Both participants showed significant delays in expressive communication requiring alternative and augmented communication. The study utilized a multiple probe design across behaviors. Results showed utilizing naturalistic time delay increases independent requests using a speech generating device.

Standards For Early Childhood Education, Yasmin Aljouf

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

I have been researching and focusing on a topic that has been of interest to me from the beginning of my undergraduate studies in the field of kindergarten education. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not have its own standards for the early childhood stage. It took from the United States. When I started my graduate level studies, I focused on the perception of Saudi Arabian faculty, graduate students, and kindergarten teachers regarding standards for early childhood education. I designed a survey and published it to faculty in Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, as well as graduate students and kindergarten …

การพัฒนากระบวนการฝึกอบรมตามแนวคิดการพัฒนาบทเรียนร่วมกันและหลักการชี้แนะโดยเพื่อน เพื่อส่งเสริมความสามารถในการจัดประสบการณ์การเรียนรู้ของครูผู้ดูแลเด็ก, ปวรา ชูสังข์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การวิจัยและพัฒนานี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อ 1) พัฒนากระบวนการฝึกอบรมฯ และ 2) ศึกษาผลการใช้กระบวนการฝึกอบรมฯ มีการดำเนินการวิจัย 3 ระยะ คือ ระยะที่ 1 สร้างกระบวนการฝึกอบรมฯ และเครื่องมือที่ใช้ในการวิจัย ระยะที่ 2 นำร่องการใช้กระบวนการฝึกอบรมฯ และเครื่องมือที่ใช้ในการวิจัย ระยะที่ 3 ทดลองใช้กระบวนการฝึกอบรมฯ ตัวอย่าง คือ ครูศูนย์พัฒนาเด็กเทศบาลนครนครปฐม จำนวน 8 คน เครื่องมือที่ใช้ในการวิจัย คือ แบบประเมินความสามารถการจัดประสบการณ์การเรียนรู้ของครูผู้ดูแลเด็ก และแบบประเมินความคิดเห็นต่อกระบวนการฝึกอบรมตามแนวคิดการพัฒนาบทเรียนร่วมกันและหลักการชี้แนะโดยเพื่อน วิเคราะห์ข้อมูลโดยใช้สถิติบรรยาย การทดสอบที แบบไม่เป็นอิสระต่อกัน สถิติทดสอบวิลคอกซัน และการวิเคราะห์เนื้อหา ผลการวิจัยพบว่า 1. กระบวนการฝึกอบรมฯ ที่พัฒนาขึ้น ให้ความสำคัญกับการส่งเสริมความสามารถในการจัดประสบการณ์การเรียนรู้ของครูผู้ดูแลเด็ก ด้านการเตรียมการก่อนจัดประสบการณ์การเรียนรู้ การจัดประสบการณ์การเรียนรู้ และการจัดสภาพแวดล้อมที่สอดคล้องกับการสอน มีหลักการสำคัญ คือ 1) ทำงานร่วมกันอย่างเป็นระบบ ต่อเนื่อง ตามกระบวนการพัฒนาและปรับปรุงการสอนที่สอดคล้องกับการดำเนินชีวิตในการทำงานปกติของครู บนพื้นฐานความไว้วางใจและเคารพซึ่งกันและกันของครู 2) ตั้งเป้าหมายในการพัฒนาและปรับปรุงการสอนโดยคำนึงถึงวิธีการคิดและการเรียนรู้ของผู้เรียนเป็นสำคัญ 3) สลับบทบาทการเป็นผู้ให้และผู้รับการชี้แนะโดยเท่าเทียม ในการแลกเปลี่ยนเรียนรู้ แบ่งปันความรู้ในการทำงานร่วมกัน และการพัฒนาทักษะทางวิชาชีพ 4) สังเกตการจัดการเรียนการสอนในชั้นเรียนตามปกติของสมาชิกกลุ่ม โดยใช้ประเด็นการสังเกตและการให้ข้อมูลย้อนกลับที่ผู้รับการชี้แนะกำหนดไว้ 5) วิเคราะห์ และสะท้อนคิดจากข้อมูลหลักฐานเชิงประจักษ์ และให้ข้อมูลย้อนกลับโดยส่งเสริมให้ผู้สอนประเมินตนเองเพื่อนำผลที่ได้ไปใช้วางแผนพัฒนาตนเอง และมีขั้นตอนของกระบวนการฝึกอบรมฯ 4 ขั้นตอน คือ 1) สร้างกลุ่มสมาชิก 2) กำหนดเป้าหมายการพัฒนาเด็กร่วมกัน 3) พัฒนาการสอน 4) สะท้อนผลการพัฒนา กระบวนการฝึกอบรมฯ ใช้ระยะเวลาดำเนินการ 50 ชั่วโมง 2. ผลการใช้กระบวนการฝึกอบรมฯ พบว่า ความสามารถในการจัดประสบการณ์การเรียนรู้ของครูผู้ดูแลเด็กหลังเข้าร่วมกระบวนการฝึกอบรมฯ สูงกว่าก่อนเข้าร่วมกระบวนการฝึกอบรมฯ อย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับ.05 โดยด้านที่มีคะแนนเฉลี่ยสูงที่สุด คือ การจัดสภาพแวดล้อมที่สอดคล้องกับการสอน รองลงมา คือ การเตรียมการก่อนจัดประสบการณ์การเรียนรู้ และการจัดประสบการณ์การเรียนรู้ ตามลำดับ นอกจากนี้ หลังจากเข้าร่วมกระบวนการฝึกอบรมฯ พบว่า ครูผู้ดูเด็กร่วมกันแสดงความคิดเห็นในการออกแบบแผนการจัดประสบการณ์การเรียนรู้ สามารถเขียนแผนการจัดประสบการณ์การเรียนรู้ได้ครบถ้วนทุกองค์ประกอบ …

Preschool Teachers' Beliefs And Actions Concerning Creativity In The Classroom, Latisha Lynn Smith

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine preschool teachers’ beliefs and actions associated with creative pedagogy. This study partially replicated a study by Cheung (2017) and allowed for comparisons among American, Greek, and Chinese preschool teachers. This qualitative study used case studies to examine preschool teachers’ beliefs related to the definition of creativity, effective creative pedagogy, and contextual factors related to promoting creativity. Participants included three preschool teachers in rural settings in the Midwestern United States. Data included an initial interview, the completion of the Early Childhood Creative Pedagogy Questionnaire (Cheung & Leung, 2013), two lesson observations, and reflection …