Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Searching For Mirror Books For Young Asian/Asian-American Children With Disabilities, Sohyun Meacham, Su-Jeong Wee, Wu-Ying Hsieh, Pei-Chun Chen, Bryce Davis

Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies

America’s changing demographics and the increasing number of children with disabilities call for appropriate representations of race/ethnicity and disabilities in materials (e.g., books) for inclusive classrooms. This study analyzed how Asian/Asian-American (A/AA) people with disabilities had been portrayed in picture books with the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature (APAAL) or the Schneider Family Award (SFA). We addressed the intersectionality of Asian racial cultures and disabilities, focusing on the picture books with these awards, due to the potential impact of these portrayals on children. We used 35 picture books with the APAAL from 2001 to 2020 and 18 with the SFA …

Pathways To Resilience: Lessons Learned From Covid-19, Mary Ann Hollingsworth

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Out of the mouths of youth themselves while in the Covid-19 pandemic - pathways to build and sustain resilience in the life challenges that come our way at all stages of life.

Mindfulness In Education: What It Is, How To Do It, And Why Every School Should Be Doing This., Ashley L. Baer

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Were you ever asked to pay attention in school? As an educator have you asked students to pay attention? Compare that to how many times you were taught or taught a student to pay attention. Most likely the answer is never. Mindfulness is explicit attention building and emotional regulation. Learn how and why you should create a mindful breathing culture.

Criticism, Praise, And The Red Pen: The Role Of Elementary School Teachers On The Enduring Efficacy Of Writing Instructors, Julie Kimble

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

A teacher’s own early experiences with writing, whether positive or negative, have a significant effect on the students that they teach, especially those who go on to become teachers. In a graduate education and reading program at a public university in the southern United States, we ask our teachers through a writing biography assignment to explore these memories of their earliest writing experiences and determine how those experiences fit into their current teaching careers. For this qualitative project, the researcher analyzed essays that were submitted for a “Writing Autobiography” assignment for this graduate level writing class for educators. This study …

Nebline, March/April 2022

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Become a Groundwater Steward

4 Ways to Celebrate National Nutrition Month

Recipe of the Month

Selecting Fruit Trees for Eastern Nebraska

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

2022 Chemigation Trainings

Lancaster County Ag VIP Awards

Upcoming Early Childhood Trainings

Aleyna Cuttlers Participated in National 4-H Congress

4-H Horse Judging Team at Nationals

Meet 2021–22 4-H Council

Meet 2021–22 4-H Teen Council

Hear of 4-H Volunteer Award: Sherry Kubicek

Hear of 4-H Volunteer Award: Angie Root

4th & 5th Grade Fun Night, March 4

Rabbit Show, March 19

UNL Chick Days, March 26

Bucket Calf Workshop, March 27

Dressage Schooling …

Playing With Code: Big Ideas For Early Learners, Lindsey Herlehy, Cassandra Armstrong

Publications & Research

For young children growing in today’s digital world, the acquisition of coding and computer programming skills has become a popular and appropriate focus in education. Beyond engaging in technology and coding applications as consumers – the passive act of sitting in front of a screen and merely pressing buttons without a high level of thought – early childhood students are capable of high-quality programming tasks through play-based learning experiences. As producers, our youngest students may explore the open-ended nature of computer programming and coding through design, art, and innovation. Engaging in coding builds valuable and transferable practices such as problem …

Water Play Is Science, Alissa Lange

ETSU Faculty Works

This outdoor water scavenger hunt includes a set of linked learning experiences in which children will practice careful observation and documentation to identify places they can find water outside.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Children will be able to identify water found in more than one location outside
• Children will be able to describe their observations of water outside using spoken words, writing, and/or pictures
• Children will compare and contrast predictions with documented observation

Forgotten Frontline Workers, One Year Later, Mark K. Nagasawa

Straus Institute for Thriving Children & Families

This is the second in a series of reports discussing findings from a June 2021 survey sent to New York Aspire Registry members who work in NYC (n=663). It also follows up on Forgotten Frontline Workers, a report issued last year which focused on family child care (FCC) professionals’ experiences earlier in the pandemic. The results discussed in this report come from a self-selected sample (n=97), and cannot be used to draw conclusions about all FCC professionals in NYC; however, their value comes from recognizing each of these participants’ humanity and the important policy-relevant issues …

Online Learning For Children With Disabilities During The Covid-19: Investigating Parents' Perceptions, Hasanuddin Jumareng, Edi Setiawan, Asmuddin Asmuddin, Adi Rahadian, Novri Gazali, Badaruddin Badaruddin

The Qualitative Report

This research aims to investigate perceptions from parents who have children with disabilities about online physical education classes during COVID-19. The characteristic of this research was qualitative through interviews towards 36 parents of children with disabilities from 2 provinces in Indonesia that prepared to participate in this research. Data analysis by using thematic analysis of qualitative data, including: (a) Interviews. (b) The transcribed interviews was read repeatedly by the author. (c) Given labeled. (d) Data were sorted based on categorization, coding, and highlighting. (e) A collection of similar phrases. (f) Examining. (g) Arranging the data. (h). Share themes. The study …

Caregiver Decision-Making On Young Child Schooling/Care In The Face Of Covid-19: The Influence Of Child, Caregiver, And Systemic Factors, Lauren B. Quetsch, Carrie B. Jackson, Harlee Onovbiona, Rebecca Bradley

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In March 2020, U.S. schools and daycares largely shut down to manage the novel COVID-19 pandemic. As the country made efforts to reopen the economy, American parents faced difficult decisions regarding returning to work and securing schooling and care for their young children. During the summer and fall of 2020, caregivers (N = 1655) of children (N = 2408; ages 0 – 12 years) completed questionnaires assessing their decision-making process regarding their children’s daycare or schooling situation. A mixed method approach (i.e., qualitative, quantitative assessments) was utilized. Outcomes indicated three main themes that impacted caregivers’ choices: child factors, …

Childminding Professionalism And Professionalisation In Ireland: A Different Story, Miriam O'Regan, Ann Marie Halpenny, Noirin Hayes

Articles

This research focussed on documenting the praxis and paedagogy of paid, professional childminding (family childcare/day care) in Ireland. It explored professionalism and professionalisation among childminders in the context of the evolving understanding of professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) nationally and internationally. The research was conducted within the framework of Ecocultural Theory (ECT) on the eve of mandatory regulation of childminding against the backdrop of Irish ECEC policy. A mixed method approach was adopted, using the Ecocultural Family Interview for Childminders (EFICh), including participants’ photographs, case study surveys, researcher field notes and holistic ratings. We present findings related …

The Influence Of Parenting Styles Types On The Intelligence And Decision Making Of The Deaf, Samer Mohammad Abudrei Dr, Zahraa Jamel Rahahleh Dr

International Journal for Research in Education

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of types of parenting styles on intelligence and decision-making among the deaf. The tools comprised the Wechsler Intelligence Scale-4th edition (WISC-4) for deaf, using sign language, was used to assess deaf students’ intelligence and a scale of professional decision-making. The sample of the study included 157 deaf students in deaf schools in Jordan whose ages ranged from 13 to 16.11 years. WISC-4 was administered using sign language. The results showed that the democratic pattern was high, the level of intelligence for deaf students was average, and the professional decision-making was of a …

General Education Teachers' Perspectives About Their Practices When Teaching Reading Skills To Students With And At Risk Of Learning Disabilities In The Primary Classrooms, Abdulnasser A. Alhusaini, Fahad Mohammed M. Alosaimi

International Journal for Research in Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the perspectives of classrooms’ teachers at the primary grade levels (first, second and third grades) in Makkah about their practices when teaching reading skills (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension) for classes that involved both students with learning disabilities and at risk of it. Therefore, the researchers designed a questionnaire consisting of 29 items. A total of 39 teachers responded to the questionnaire. The results showed that teachers focused on teaching reading skills in the following order: (1) fluency, (2) comprehension, (3) vocabulary, (4) phonics, and (5) and phonemic Awareness. …

Playing With Math And Science In The Early Childhood Classroom, Cassandra Armstrong, Lindsey Herlehy

Publications & Research

Young students are equipped with the curiosity and creativity to be successful scientists and mathematicians. In today’s classrooms, strong foundational skills in STEM promote success for years to come. Through play, young students can subitize, sort, draw, recognize patterns, and explore loose parts. Participants will actively take part in several activities highlighting each of these skills.

Strategies For Early Learners, D.R. Meece

Open Textbooks

NEWER EDITION AVAILABLE: https://scholar.utc.edu/open-textbooks/6 Welcome to learning about how to effectively plan curriculum for young children. This textbook will address: • Developing curriculum through the planning cycle • Theories that inform what we know about how children learn and the best ways for teachers to support learning • The three components of developmentally appropriate practice • Importance and value of play and intentional teaching • Different models of curriculum • Process of lesson planning (documenting planned experiences for children) • Physical, temporal, and social environments that set the stage for children’s learning • Appropriate guidance techniques to support children’s behaviors …

To What Extent Are At-Risk Preschoolers Effectively Prepared For Kindergarten?, Eliza Santos Lopez

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent Kinder Hearts School’s at-risk preschoolers are effectively prepared with readiness skills for kindergarten academic success. Based on schoolwide assessments, program mandates, and policy changes, an evaluation of this specific program in a Midwest school could determine whether the instructional model used was indeed effective. This study consisted of analyzing data from three student categories: children who attended private preschool programming, children who attended the school’s at-risk program, and children who had no schooling. The data collected was used to determine professional development needed, grant funding allocation, and program delivery …

Predicting Language Performance From Narrative Language Samples, Kimberly A. Murphy, Alisha P. Springle, Mollee J. Sultani, Autumn Mcilraith, Language And Reading Research Consortium (Larrc)

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose: Analysis of narrative language samples is a recommended clinical practice in the assessment of children’s language skills, but we know little about how results from such analyses relate to overall oral language ability across the early school years. We examined the relations between language sample metrics from a short narrative retell, collected in kindergarten, and an oral language factor in grades kindergarten through 3. Our specific questions were to determine the extent to which metrics from narrative language sample analysis are concurrently related to language in kindergarten and predict language through Grade 3. Method: Participants were a sample …

Indigenous Mexicans In New York City: Immigrant Integration, Language Use, And Identity Formation, Leslie A. Martino-Velez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

As indigenous Mexican immigrants migrate, settle, and raise families in the United States, parents, particularly women, and their children increasingly have contact with community institutions, such as schools. Despite their growing numbers in U.S. schools, indigenous children, youth, and their parents are often invisible due to their ethnolinguistic identities and undocumented status. Understanding what parents do to help their children is essential to understanding the first generation's integration and their children, the second generation.

To better understand this, I conducted an ethnographic research study at a bilingual Head Start program in New York City, in East Harlem, where many undocumented …

Run, Hide, Or Fight?: Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Lockdown Drills, Melissa A. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Lockdown drills have become a regular practice in schools across the United States. These drills are currently carried out with little guidance and encompass a general plan with no differentiation for children with disabilities. This is concerning for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), since the skills needed to participate in a lockdown drill may be difficult for them. In the absence of evidence-based interventions, these children and the educators who support them are vulnerable in the event of a real emergency. It is important to understand what training practitioners need to design empirically sound lockdown drill interventions and …

The Early Sport And Play Experiences Of Elite New Zealand Hockey Players From Rural And Regional Communities: A Qualitative Descriptive Study, Robert J. Newport, Simon R. Walters, Sarah-Kate Millar, Geoff Dickson, Andrew Lenton

The Qualitative Report

The foundation of an athlete’s development is formed through their early developmental experiences. Thus, in this study we explored the early sport and play experiences of elite New Zealand hockey players from rural and regional communities. In our examination of how smaller communities contribute to the development of New Zealand’s top athletes, this research has a particular focus on the athletes’ early sport and play experiences and the influence of people around them during their growth and development. In this qualitative descriptive study, we employed semi-structured interviews to gather data from eight current and former elite New Zealand hockey players. …

Policy Effects On New York City Early Education Centers: Ecological Case Studies, Maria S. Mavrides Calderon

Theses and Dissertations

NYC’s universal Pre-K (PKFA) was implemented through New York Early Education Centers (NYCEECs) and public schools, without considering compensation parity across settings. This study investigates the impact of unequal compensation policies on the experiences of directors, teachers, and parents affiliated with NYCEECs, and how they compare or contrast with the policymakers’ discourse around those policies. While other studies have investigated the PKFA implementation (Akaba et al., 2019; Falk & Souto-Manning, 2020; Fuller & Leibovitz, 2021a; Reid et al., 2019), none have privileged the ecology of those working at and attending NYCEECs. Through critical policy analysis, this study utilized Bronfenbrenner's (1979) …

Pilot Test Of A Quality Rating And Improvement System In Early Education Programs In Magadan Oblast, Rf, And In Minnesota, Usa, Elizabeth J. Sandell

Elementary and Literacy Education Department Publications

Quality in early childhood education matters. Scholarly research has demonstrated the critical importance of the first three years of a child’s life. The experiences and interactions children have in these early years significantly affects brain development and helps to establish the foundation for future learning. The topic of this study was to pilot test a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) in early education programs in Magadan, Russian Federation (RU) and in Mankato, Minnesota, United States of America (USA). The purpose of this study was to understand the use of a specific instrument to provide direction for the improvement of …

Quality Analysis Of Early Childhood Education Programs In New York City, Earlene Warren-Fernandez

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the quality of pre-K educational programs in New York City. I identified how program quality relates to student and teacher variables. The study used NYC Department of Education public ECERS-R data to measure program quality. I examined and analyzed to determine their influence on program quality. The independent variables are the percentage value of student’s racial composition, classroom interaction quality, program leadership quality, program type, teacher collaboration, and program community ties. The study addressed several research questions. Is program quality associated with the racial composition of students in the programs? Is there a difference in program quality …

Intergenerational Learning As A Pedagogical Strategy In Early Childhood Education Services: Perspectives From An Irish Study, Anne Fitzpatrick, Ann Marie Halpenny

Articles

This study investigated the concept, role and potential of intergenerational learning (IGL) as a pedagogical strategy in five Irish early childhood education (ECE) services, through exploring the perspectives on IGL of educators (5), children (70) and their parents (43). Informed by socio-cultural theories of learning and aligned to key principles of IGL, a qualitative methodological approach was adopted. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews with educators, ‘draw and talk’ strategies with children and informal written feedback with parents. Key findings demonstrated that children’s happiness, socio-emotional competences and executive functions, all key elements of successful learning and living, were strongly supported …

Early Childhood Education And Care Provision Through The Medium Of The Irish Language, Maire Mhic Mhathuna, Mairéad Mac Con Iomaire

Books/Book Chapters

This chapter will give an overview of the history of naíonraí or Irish-medium preschool settings in Gaeltacht1 and non-Gaeltacht areas from their beginnings in the 1960s to date. The material for this chapter is based on desk research, interviews with the founding member of the naíonra movement and the personal involvement of the chapter authors. The rationale for establishing naíonraí will be described and the role of the pioneers who led the movement in the 1970s and 1980s will be analysed in light of their principles and philosophy. These principles are visible in the structures they set up to manage …

The History And Work Of The Centre For Early Childhood Development And Education (Cecde) (2001-2008), Elizabeth Dunphy Dr, Maire Mhic Mhathuna

Articles

Growing international interest in ECEC policy in the 1990s resulted in increasing awareness of its significance for education policy in Ireland. Arising from this, in 1999, Ready to Learn: A White Paper for Early Childhood Education was published. This led to the establishment of the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE). This chapter charts in chronological order the history and work of the CECDE from its inception in 2001 until its closure in 2008. It documents the governance, structures, strategic direction and management of the Centre. It foregrounds the outputs of the Centre including research reports, international conferences …

Perceptions On Charter Schools In West Virginia, Donna R. Dixon

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 2018 and 2019, the public school teachers in West Virginia walked out of their classrooms to protest charter schools opening in the Mountain State. During a special legislative session in the summer of 2019, the state's first charter school law was passed, paving the way to open West Virginia's first charter school. This research provides data on whether the COVID-19 global pandemic changed how individuals in West Virginia view charter schools. A concurrent nested mixed-method approach was used for this research. A twenty-one-question survey, Perceptions on Charter Schools in West Virginia, was developed using both Likert scale and …

Environmental Studies Curriculum, Chloe Mccloskey

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This 3rd grade curriculum aims to serve two main purposes: empowering students with knowledge to alleviate some of their climate change anxiety and to prevent them from developing harmful, hard to break habits, like ubiquitous plastic consumption/ overconsumption in general, by giving them the tools to do better. There is an emphasis on reactivating solutions we already have but stopped employing, to shift focus from reinventing the wheel towards reinventing the way the driver sees the wheel and remembering the processes/habits of mind that enabled the wheel to once function without fueling our destruction. To begin, lessons focus on understanding …

Toddler Play Preferences And The Teacher’S Role In The Outdoor Play Environment, Keting Chen, Erin E. Hamel

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

Direct experience with nature is a primary component of environmental education and especially beneficial for young children. The present study examined the outdoor play preferences of toddlers and investigated the role teachers play in the outdoor space. Toddlers’ outdoor play was video recorded by GoPro cameras and coded for preferred play locations and initiator of the play. Results showed that the three most preferred spaces for toddlers in the outdoor classroom were the sandbox, swing area, and play structures; least frequently visited were open areas close to the classrooms, the garden, and the tree area. In addition, toddlers initiated play …

Reflecting On The Craft Of Teaching And Learning: How Experienced Educators Cultivate Authentic, Meaningful, And Inspiring Classroom Communities, Heather Mohamed

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This independent study explores the question, “What do educators do to cultivate authentic, meaningful, and inspiring classroom communities?” And, what are the key elements required for educators to sustain an inspired educational career over time? Five lower school teachers and graduate school of education professors were interviewed to explore key threads among these educators who embody strong teaching practices which they have sustained over their career in the field of education. Each interviewee was asked to reflect on their craft and their approach to teaching and learning. Selected findings from three of these interviews are presented. Three themes emerged from …