Early Childhood Education Commons^™

A Study Of Inhibition Development In Young Children, Ai Thi Thanh Hoang

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Child inhibition can be learned consciously and unconsciously, and it is highly dependent on the quality of interaction with adults (i.e., parents and teachers). However, little is known about the impact of teachers’ emotional management and sensitivity on the development of inhibition skills among students in early childhood classrooms. This dissertation takes an integrative approach to explore whether teacher-child relationship and teacher self-efficacy have a bidirectional connection and how they work to impact child inhibition, directly and indirectly. The present research utilizes the large nationally represented Early Childhood Longitudinal Study 2010-2011, sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics in …

Promoting Community Responsive, Trauma-Informed Consultation Practices In Rural School Communities: A Mixed Methods Exploratory Sequential Approach, Elly Q. Maras

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rural youth are placed at greater risk for experiencing adverse childhood experiences, developing mental health disorders, and dying by suicide when compared with the general population. Due to a widespread need for better access to mental health treatment, many are left untreated. These concerns are often exacerbated by individual and systemic risk factors that are endemic to rural communities. Rural school districts are being asked to deliver mental health services to students, with school psychologists as key stakeholders. Though school psychologists are uniquely qualified to support this need, graduate programs typically do not provide adequate coursework and training on consultation …

Naturalistic Evaluation Of Embedded Social-Emotional Services In Early Childcare And Education Settings: Teacher Outcomes, Andrew B. Mcgee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In two studies, this dissertation evaluated relations among early childhood education (ECE) teachers’ well-being and embedded social-emotional services. Study 1 focused on occupational stress, burnout, and mental health, exploring the relations among stress and mental health, and the associations with social-emotional services. Study 1 also explored group differences in stress, burnout, mental health, and social-emotional services for teachers who identified as Latinx. Results showed that occupational stress and social emotional services had significant main effects on mental health (burnout, depression, anxiety), with associations varying across mental health measures. Occupational stress was associated with adverse mental health outcomes, while social-emotional support …

Impact Of Dialogic Reading Intervention On Language And Literacy Development Of Young Dual Language Learners, Ekta Ghosh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a pressing need for research on early language intervention for dual language learners (DLLs) at risk of developmental delays, especially young children who are non-Spanish speakers. Despite the projection that 62% of the nation's children will be children of color by 2050, there is a significant research gap in this area (Lin et al., 2023). This study aims to fill this gap and recommend effective early language interventions for DLLs. The present study uses a single-case design to determine the impact of Dialogic Reading on vocabulary and alphabetical knowledge of preschoolers aged 36 to 60 months in English …

Oral History Interview With Sharon Carnahan And Wenxian Zhang, Sharon Carnahan, Wenxian Zhang

Oral Histories

Sharon Carnahan, Ph.D. (UNC Chapel Hill 1991) is Professor of Psychology at Rollins College, where she was the Executive Director of the Hume House Child Development & Student Research Center, a laboratory preschool, from 1992-2024.

Dr. Carnahan was born in Chicago and reared in upstate NY. Her father, grandmother and 2 sisters were all teachers. The Carnahan family ran a summertime wilderness outfitting business in the Adirondacks, leading groups though weeks of primitive camping and canoeing, and she has held instructor certificates from the American National Red Cross in canoeing, boating, CPR, First Aid, and Adaptive Aquatics.

Dr. Carnahan graduated …

Social Experiences, Life Satisfaction, And Social Support Of Immigrant Families With Young Children In A Highly Urban City, Zeynep Isik-Ercan, Huan-Tang Lu, Nicole Edwards, Madji Fall, Latifa Sebti

College of Education Departmental Research

Grounding this study in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework, the authors used a survey that includes psychometrically sound measures, to investigate the social experiences of 54 immigrant families with young children and the factors that shape their perceptions of life satisfaction and social support in a highly urban city. Results show persistent challenges related to discrimination and access to resources. Despite these challenges, participants’ overall satisfaction with life was rated high and positively correlated with their comfort with practicing their culture and with their perceived social support. Implications involve the need to design evidence-based policies and programmes that promote immigrant families’ wellbeing.

Promoting Emergent Literacy In Preschool Through Extended Discourse: Covert Translanguaging In A Mandarin Immersion Environment, Robin E. Harvey, Kevin M. Wong

Education Division Scholarship

Rich oral language practices, including the opportunity and ability to participate in cognitively and linguistically challenging extended discourse, are foundational to early literacy development. To meet children’s needs in their first exposure to the languages of schooling, educators may engage students in extended discourse multilingually. The current study focuses on student-centered translanguaging conversations to examine strategies that preschool teachers employ to support young children’s emerging bilingual and biliteracy development in a Mandarin immersion preschool serving primarily nonheritage learners of Mandarin in the United States. Findings indicate that, despite the school’s Mandarin-only policy, teachers engaged in covert translanguaging practices to extend …

My Friend Petunia, Norma Allman, Cello Wicklin

Fiction and Poetry

Let’s go to the garden! I’ll open the gate. You’ll scratch for critters, we mustn’t be late. Petunia is a pretty white hen with quite a personality. This beautifully illustrated children’s book takes the reader through a day in the life of Petunia and her caretaker, Norma. Petunia wakes up early, scratches for bugs, lays one single egg, and brings joy to Norma’s day.

Increasing Participation For Children With Special Needs, Calvin Shin, Amy Lyons-Brown

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

This capstone project focuses on increasing participation for children with special needs through community engagement and social interactions. The purpose of this program is to explore the needs of children with special needs and increase participation of children within the community. The goal of this project is to increase participation in children with special needs, provide opportunities for children to feel more inclusive, promote meaningful relationships between peers, parents, and staff, and improve overall quality of life.

Examining Parental Engagement In Early Intervention, Part C Special Education, Through The Parents’ Perception, Zach Selnes

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This study, employing a qualitative research approach within an interpretivist paradigm, aimed to explore the diverse experiences of parental engagement among 25 families with children receiving early intervention (i.e., Part C special education services) in a rural southeast MN educational district. While there has been a plethora of research on parental engagement, that research is often limited to how teachers perceive parental engagement or interactions in school activities or curriculum (Ansari & Markowitz, 2021; Gross et al., 2020; Hackworth et al., 2018). When parents actively, and intentionally, engage with their child outside of intervention services, it significantly enhances the child's …

Prekindergarten Teacher Experiences With Professional Development For Inclusive Practices, Clory D. Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers in inclusive prekindergarten (PK) settings often serve children with special learning needs without having had professional preparation or development (PD) for using inclusive practices. The problem addressed in this basic qualitative study was that many PK teachers have not received the PD they needed to promote inclusive practices to teach young children within inclusive early childhood classrooms. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore PK teachers’ perspectives on the PD they need to promote inclusive practices to teach all young children, including children with special learning needs, in inclusive early childhood classrooms. The conceptual framework used …

Early Childhood Teachers’ Perspectives On The Challenges Of Teaching Students Who Lack Age-Appropriate Social And Emotional Skills, Rachel Ann Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was the significant increase in the number of students who lack age-appropriate social and emotional skills (SES), which has become a concern, especially for teachers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore early childhood teachers’ perspectives on the challenges of teaching students who lack age-appropriate SES and what support they believed would help them when working with these students in the classroom. The conceptual framework that guided this study consisted of Bandura’s social learning theory. The focus of the research questions was early childhood teachers’ perspectives on the challenges of teaching …

Methodology For Evaluation Of Complex School-Based Health Promotion Interventions, Yvonne O’Byrne, J. Dineen, T. Coppinger

Publications

There is a need for careful examination of large volumes of collected (structured and unstructured) information related to school-based evaluation. There is also no published, comprehensive framework/s for evaluating complex interventions in Irish primary schools. The aim of this paper is to outline a methodology for process evaluation of an Irish primary school-based physical activity (PA) and nutrition intervention. Evaluation followed the three themes outlined by the British Medical Research Council: implementation, context, and mechanism of impact that we further divided into six dimensions. Methodological tools included questionnaires, PA logs, reflective journals, write and draw, and semi-structured interviews. We triangulated …

Cultural Competence To Meet Students' Transcultural Learning Goals, Taijohnea Haywood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have noted that some primary grade teachers do not have the cultural competence to meet transcultural learning goals for primary grade students in diverse schools. This qualitative study explored perspectives of kindergarten through second grade teachers on their cultural competence to meet transcultural learning goals for primary-grade students in diverse schools. Mishra and Metha’s 21st century learning model and Vernon’s six principles of culturally competent practice were used as the framework for this study. This study addressed two research questions focusing on primary grade teachers’ perspectives of their cultural competence to meet the transcultural learning goals for their students …

Examining The Effectiveness Of The Parent Implemented Functional Communication Training Through The Use Of Zoom In Children With Developmental Disabilities At Home Setting In Ksa, Abdulrhman Ashgar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies showed that children with Developmental Disabilities (DD) have communication and social difficulties; consequently, they are more likely to display disruptive behaviors. During daily interactions, disruptive behaviors can pose difficulties for individuals such as siblings, peers, parents, and educators. In KSA, parental involvement in school-related activities is overall insufficient. Also, parents were dissatisfied with their children's progress in academic and life skills. Those factors evoked the importance of having parents implement evidence-based practice to increase their competence, knowledge, and independence. Furthermore, teaching children meaningful communication ways through FCT may benefit school readiness and the development of social relationships and overall …

Developing Literacy Through Play, Molli Vanderjagt

Masters Projects

The loss of play in the classroom has had a significant impact on children’s foundational literacy skills. It has hindered children’s language development by reducing their verbal skills and language comprehension and decreasing vocabulary. Child development has not changed, and yet we continue to put more academic pressure on our youngest students. This project addresses the need for play in early education classrooms. It then provides research why play is important in developing foundational literacy skills, such as oral language and vocabulary, comprehension and recall and higher-level thinking, and possible classroom applications. The project concludes with a presentation for administrators, …

Five A Day, The Rainbow Way: A Nutrition Education Toolkit For Elementary School Aged Children, Sasha Menard

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Learning Outcome: Develop a nutrition educational toolkit based on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) for obesity prevention among elementary school-aged children by improving determinants of fruit and vegetable intake.

Background: Poor consumption of fruits and vegetables is a major contributing factor to childhood obesity, increasing the risk for chronic diseases later in life. There is a need for multicomponent nutrition educational tools to influence children to improve their eating behavior by increasing their awareness and self-efficacy. The current project describes the development of a 3-component toolkit for improving participants’ knowledge and values related to fruit and vegetable intake among 6-11-year-olds.

Methods: …

Shifting Educators' Perspectives On The Purpose Of Play And Play-Based Learning, Emily Mueller

Masters Projects

Play is a research-based, developmentally appropriate practice for children, supporting both their social-emotional development and academic learning, but there exists differences between Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers in how play is viewed and used. ECE teachers’ perspectives on the purpose of play affects the practices they implement in their classrooms. If educators have limited perspectives on the purpose of play, they are not likely to implement or advocate for certain, necessary types of play and play-based learning in their classrooms. This is especially pertinent when the pressure to teach standards through formal instruction is present in many ECE classrooms. This …

Preschool Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Development Of Literacy Skills In A Play-Based Learning Environment, Erica Collette Dinnocenzo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preschool teachers are an essential part of the education system in the United Sates. The problem is that research and data about the development of literacy skills exist for kindergarten and upper grades, but there is minimal research on preschool teachers' perceptions on the development of literacy skills in a play-based learning environment. The purpose of this basic qualitative study, guided by Piaget’s constructivist theory, was to explore the perceptions of preschool teachers from a Midwestern city about the best practices and strategies used to develop literacy skills in a play-based preschool setting. Ten preschool teachers who worked in a …

The Effect Of Augmentative And Alternative Communication Devices On Preschool-Aged Children With Disabilities, Jocelyn N. Fox

Masters Projects

Speech and language needs are not being met effectively in preschool-aged children. These skills are incredibly important, as speech and language skills affect all other areas of development (Greenwood et al., 2013). To help solve this problem, professionals who work with this population of students need to have effective practices in place to address the needs of these students. This project aims to provide preschool-aged children who have speech and language needs the access to communication they deserve. Through Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, many speech and language needs can be addressed. This project will provide training on AAC …

Nebline, August/September 2024

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Preserving the Harvest: Canning, Freezing and Drying Tips, Kayla Colgrove

How Savvy are YOU with Home Canning?

Recipe of the Month: Freezing Onions, Kayla Colgrove

Deep, Infrequent Irrigation Makes Lawns and Trees Healthier, Sarah Browning

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month, Mary Jane Frogge

Get the Jump on Jumping Worms, Kait Jumpman

Preparing Water for Use in an Emergency, Becky Schuerman

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Nicole Miller and Cole Meador

4-H Teen Council Invites New Members

4-H Announcements

Lancaster County Super Fair, August 1-10, 2024

4-H Premiere Communication Event Top Results

4-H Clover College: 55 Hands-on Workshops

4-H …

New Ways Of Being White: White Families Striving To Raise Young Antiracists, Katie Kitchens

Education (PhD) Dissertations

In asking the questions “How are white families striving to create antiracist family cultures simultaneously resisting reifying white dominant culture, and how are white children making sense of their racial identities in those families?” I had the opportunity to deepen previously established relationships with three families asking similar questions. Our collective querying resulted in data collected using critical ethnographic methods rooted in culturally responsive methods including fieldwork, formal and informal conversations, and written narrative. Unique themes emerged from each family’s data, from which I drew three major theoretical conclusions: the importance of (1) Critical Consciousness (2) Antiracist Community, and (3) …

Understanding The Emergence Of Self-Determination In Children With Disabilities Through Family Experiences In Early Childhood: A Qualitative Study, Karen K. Lange

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract A person’s ability to be self-determined begins to develop through the earliest interactions in life within the context of the family and caregiving environments. This qualitative phenomenological study of the experiences of eight parents representing seven families of young children explored how families promote their children’s early development of the skills, abilities, and attitudes of self-determination. The critical importance of the family context for the promotion of self-determination in young children is seen in the four themes that emerged from the experiences shared by these families. (1) The family context is transformed by a child with a disability, changing …

Teacher-Child Interaction Quality In Free Choice And Associations With Child Peer-Related Social Competence, Yuenjung Joo

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Children’s peer-related social skills in early childhood set the stage for school readiness, social competence, and lifelong well-being. Preschoolers spend most of their classroom time in free choice, offering substantial opportunities for learning experiences that facilitate peer interactions that support social development. Yet, little is known about how early childhood teachers can best optimize children’s social learning without disrupting the benefits of play during this time. The purpose of this study is to investigate how preschool teachers’ social support behaviors during free choice align with children’s social needs (i.e., fit of teacher-child social interaction) and the association between the fit …

Promoting Preschool Teachers’ Maintenance And Generalization Of Behavior-Specific Praise Through Multitiered Consultation, Claudia Abril Ochoa

Master's Theses

Teachers struggle to provide behavior-specific praise (BSP), which is associated with appropriate classroom management and decreases in student’s problem behavior. The current study used a multiple-baseline design across three Head Start teachers to test the effectiveness of the multitiered consultation model in increasing teachers’ BSP. The Head Start center provided a universal training in classroom management strategies, including BSP. Three teachers who were not implementing this strategy consistently (i.e., less than five instances in a 10-min observation) received Tier 2 supports including goal setting paired with a simple prompt. Data about teachers’ use of BSP was collected class-wide at a …

The Influence Of Teaching Digital Resources Of Myplate On Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practice (Kap) For Healthy Eating Habits Of Children, Afaf Alsofyani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the influence of teaching digital resources of MyPlate on the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to healthy eating habits among first and second-grade students. A pre-and post-assessment of this quasi-experimental research study measured the baseline KAP levels of 45 participants regarding healthy eating habits. Students were divided into three groups: digital MyPlate (n =16), pencil-and-paper (n =15), and control (n =14). Following the pre-assessment, an intervention was conducted involving teaching MyPlate and the five food groups. A post-assessment was then implemented to measure the change in KAP levels resulting from the intervention. …

Exploring Early Childhood Teachers’ Experiences In Teaching Multilingual Children In Public Mainstream Schools In Tennessee, Maria Dias

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study, grounded in a phenomenological perspective, delves into the lived experiences of early childhood teachers who teach multilingual children in mainstream classrooms in Tennessee. Amidst the rising number of multilingual learners in mainstream educational settings and the dearth of adequate teacher training to address their needs, this research illuminates the experiences of these teachers. Furthermore, it seeks to advocate for the integration of translanguaging pedagogy into teacher training programs and state policies. This study employed a qualitative study using the three-in-depth-interview series from a phenomenological perspective (Seidman, 2019). The first interview focused on participants’ overall teaching experiences and …

Preparing For Kindergarten: An In-Depth Look At The Lived Experiences Of Parents Preparing A Child For Kindergarten, Grace Bache-Wiig

All Dissertations

The purpose of this multi-modal phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of parents preparing their first child for kindergarten and to evaluate the sources of information used to inform these experiences. Eight parents of rising kindergarteners were sampled for interviewing from preschool and homeschool settings in North Carolina. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore participant experiences and participants identified sources of information to be gathered for content analysis. The interview transcripts were analyzed using van Manen’s approach to identify units of meaning. Four major themes emerged from this study: emotions about kindergarten readiness, an emphasis on social and …

Improving Academic Attitudes And Motivation Using Literacy Learning In A Rural Literacy Intervention Classroom, Dannie Wilson

All Dissertations

This qualitative study focuses on the importance of reading picture books aloud to improve students' social skills capacity by utilizing literacy and social skills in a rural setting. It is designed to address a problem of practice: the need for striving third, fourth, and fifth-grade students to gain and maintain motivation and positive attitudes toward learning. An overarching research question guided this study: “How does teaching interpersonal skills affect literacy learning attitudes and motivation in a rural fringe school?” The goal was to investigate strategies through improvement science. A short Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle was used as the structure for the research …

Students' And Teachers' Perceptions Of Play On Students' Classroom Behavior, Melissa Bradt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Play is an integral part of human nature. Research has demonstrated that play supports physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development in children and even adults. However, according to the American Association for the Child’s Right to Play (2024), 40% of school districts in the U.S. have eliminated or reduced recess in order to promote academic excellence as measured by standardized tests. How does the reduction in play time influence students’ classroom behavior? An examination of this question has tremendous theoretical and societal impact as it informs the influence of the environment on human development. This fundamental question in human development has …